Midwife doesn't listen to fetal heartbeat?

[EricNorthmansFangBanger]

I'm currently pregnant with DC3 and due to go in for my 16 week appointment in a few weeks. When I was pregnant with DD2, the midwife didn't listen to the heartbeat once during my whole pregnancy and since I am in the same trust (and have the same midwife again), I am expecting that will be that case this time too. In fact the notes have even changed now and mention nothing about fetal heart rate on them. Is anyone else's trust like this or is it just mine?

I found it really strange last time as with DD1 the midwife listened from 16 weeks and at every appointment after that. I found myself more stressed when pregnant with DD2 than DD1 and I think being able to hear the heartbeat helped with that. I would have thought that detecting fetal heartbeat and monitoring it would be a good thing? Any ideas why they don't do this?

Can you buy a Doppler and sell it on eBay afterwards?

I'm thinking of doing that this time when I have enough money to do so. Seem like some pretty good deals on eBay so will definitely look into it. Think it will give me some more peace of mind :)

Here they do listen to the HB. Have you ever actually asked why they don't do it?

Where are you? I have the new set of notes and it has a section for fetal heartrate which my midwife has measured from 24 weeks.

Can you ask her to do it?

NICE guidelines don't recommend listening to fetal heart anymore, at all. Fetal movements are the reassuring thing you need. If you think about it, hearing the FH only tells you that the baby has a beating heart at that moment in time. It's got no clinical basis at all. She's doing the right thing, it's just that it's quite a new thing and lots of midwives still listen to FH, out of habit really.

sorry, when I say 'at all', I mean as part of routine antenatal care.

It'sMyLast - No I didn't think to ask last time. Might be a good idea to ask her this time!

I'm in Huddersfield black. Last time the notes did have a little fetal heart rate box, but it usually had in it 'Not Required'. This time there is no fetal heart rate box at all. When I ask why they don't do it I may ask her if she will.

Newish NICE guidelines do not recommend routine listening in.
Better to monitor movements.

Also buying your own is not a brilliant idea. It is only reassuring for that specific moment and v easy to mix up mum and baby heartbeats.

Eric I'm in the same trust. My midwife said they don't use heart rate as an indicator anymore as movement is better. So they won't check for it but will if I want them to. They've asked if I want it checking at every appointment so far though so i've said "oh go on then"

I find it very strange and a bit sad if new guidelines are for stopping listening to the fetal heart beat - my midwives for all three pregnancies have listened to baby's heartbeat at each appointment from 16wks onwards. It's lovely for me to hear, and I can't see a real argument against it.

In fact, as I have a family history of congenital heart problems I am seeing the consultant at regular intervals and she always listens to baby's heart rate too. Both my consultant and my midwife have said that what they are listening for is the acceleration/deceleration of heart rate compared to fetal movements - in other words they like to see a good variation in the heart rate and that it speeds up when baby moves and then settles back down to a resting rate quickly. I don't understand why this wouldn't be a good thing to assess at appointments.

As someone has mentioned above, I always thought it was the variation they were listening to, rather than just saying oh yes baby's got a heartbeat.

With regard to confusing the baby's heartbeat with the woman's, well if the baby's heart rate is as low as the woman's own then you'll want to get to hospital pdq anyway!

My midwife still listens in and I would expect her to continue to do so. I've heard that midwives of old can even hear the variation in baby's heart rate with the ear trumpet ones, pinnard or something are they called? So even without a digital display of heart rate, they know what to listen for. I find it a bit worrying that such a skill could be lost

My midwives use a pinnard to locate the heartbeat then a doppler to record the rate

I asked my midwife at 16 weeks and she said no they didn't do it any more due to NICE guidelines, and they would only listen in from 36 weeks. I think she said something about the NHS not offering a scan if the midwife couldn't find a heartbeat so it could cause a lot of unnecessary worry, and movement is what they were interested in these days.

I was told at my last appt (35 weeks) that they no longer offer it, but will do it if a Mum asks.