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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Fetal heart rate monitor

22 replies

Kungpowkitten76 · 19/01/2015 16:23

Hi,
Anyone bought or tried one of these? I have ordered one to be delivered tomorrow. Seems so long for scans and as I'm only 17 weeks haven't heard the heart beat yet so thought why not..

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bigfam · 19/01/2015 16:26

I always wanted to get one but then decided not to, thought maybe I'd get a little too stressed if i couldn't find the heartbeat. Let us know how u get on with it! X

hazel88 · 19/01/2015 16:36

I have an Angel Sounds monitor passed on to me by a friend. While it is amazing I wouldn't recommend spending too much on one. I was so excited and thought we'd use it all the time but we've only used it a couple of times, and if you do buy one you don't need to spend lots on the special jelly they recommend- I just used cheap baby oil (bit messy though so put some paper towels down!). It states that you can pick up the heartbeat from around 18 weeks, but I had to wait until about 26 weeks to hear a noticeable heartbeat which was pretty awesome. It takes a bit of practice to find it rather than the flow to baby, but you know when you've found baby as it's alot quicker and often moves while you're listening! It gets easier to find and clearer the further along you are. I would recommend them but not to spend too much on one

TheWildOnes · 19/01/2015 17:10

I have an angel sounds one, picked up hb from 16 weeks, 22 weeks now so don't use it so much as can feel baby moving around. Was great for letting other DC hear the heartbeat as well. I also used baby oil and not the special gel.

Rosie888 · 19/01/2015 18:11

I've got the angel sounds and its been the best thing ever. We had a MMC @ 12 weeks before this little one and it really saves your sanity. We heard heartbeat from 9 weeks, used the gel and you have to search low down and tilt down and in. I'm 17w3d now and restrict use to twice a week

blackwidow74 · 19/01/2015 18:59

Check out u tube for videos on how best to use a doppler ... its better to have some idea of how to get best results as without it can be very hit and miss :)

pocopearl · 19/01/2015 19:09

we had a dopler, they are great just remember if you dont find heartbeat dont panic.

Mouthfulofquiz · 19/01/2015 19:17

Every healthcare professional that I have ever asked about these thinks they are a bad idea. It's quite hard to find a heartbeat sometimes and if you are already inclined towards a bit of health anxiety (and therefore exactly who these home monitors are aimed at) then this could make it all ten times worse. But I can see the temptation, especially as you say, it's quite a big gap between scans and midwife appointments.

Original poster

Kungpowkitten76 · 19/01/2015 19:33

Thanks everyone. I have ordered the Doppler and am looking forward to hearing a heart beat

OP posts:

Naomip88 · 19/01/2015 19:57

I know a few mid wives and nurses and they hate these! They will make you really worried if you can't locate the heartbeat ( maternity wards get lots of people coming in unnecessarily because of the popularity of these) and also it's good to remember that just because you can hear a heartbeat doesn't always mean everything's ok so it can mean that you miss warning signs ( lack of movement etc) that something is wrong. I'd say leave heart rate monitoring to the professionals.

HazleNutt · 20/01/2015 12:50

I got one with DC1 and would not recommend. There were more times when I panicked because I could not find the heartbeat than times the Doppler reassured me.

DropYourSword · 20/01/2015 12:59

Health professionals hate these for two reasons:

Mums hear the heartbeat

Mums don't hear the heartbeat

1.If you don't know what you're listening for, you might very easily be reassured by a heartbeat that is actually very concerning to a midwife. If you don't know what a normal baseline is, what variability is, what accelerations and decelarations are then you don't know if its a healthy heart rate. Sometimes when mums have had concerns they have used these machines, received false reassurance and NOT gone to hospital or spoken to their midwife when they really should have, with devastating outcomes.

Causes a lot of anxiety and worry, when it's not needed. Not hearing the heartbeat doesn't mean it's not there, just you can't find it. Rushing into hospital because you can't hear it is unnecessary, time wasting and causes you stress and hassle you don't need to go through.

If you want one for a bit of fun so you can hear your baby then absolutely go ahead. But DONT expect it to give you any reassurance of the baby's health. Being aware of the movements is way more important and a much better predictor of how well they are.

leinyleiny · 20/01/2015 14:32

I have got a sonoline 3 and it is the only thing that is keeping me sane! I was worried about every single little thing! I was able to hear baby's heart rate from 8 weeks, it took me bloody ages at first, you really have to be patient ... But after a couple of times you get a feel as to where the baby usually hangs out and it gets easier afterwards ... There are lots of video tutorials on YouTube ... Very useful ...

I started using it on the day that I had a scan so that I wouldn't panic if was not able to find a heartbeat as I knew the baby was ok from the scan earlier in the day...

I am now nearly 20 weeks and use it every couple if days .... Really glad I got it

Gudgyx · 20/01/2015 14:40

I think they're great, as long as you remember you are using it more for 'fun' than medical reasons. I have one I used from about 14 weeks until I started to feel baby move. It was lovely! But I wouldnt let myself get worked up if I couldnt find the heartbeat, would never use it for reassurance etc purely for hearing her heartbeat when I could.

Missymum6 · 20/01/2015 16:14

I had a angel sounds one, put my mind at rest my sol also brought one and had no problems, I have read thou that some are not great so make sure you read reviews. I found with mine that iphone headphones worked better than the ones included xx

geekymommy · 20/01/2015 19:40

I have heard that finding a fetal heartbeat on one of those things is harder than it looks. In fact, I went to my GP once during my first pregnancy, and an assistant tried and failed to find the baby's heartbeat on a scanner. The baby is almost 2.5 and is at daycare now (hopefully napping).

flopsybunny45 · 20/01/2015 19:53

Got one this time... Sonoline b I think? It is fabulous... no issues picking up beat except first time when trying to find right position... did this at 13 weeks... now third tri and still use it every week, esp when haven't felt baba move much. Best thing though, is that my DD LOVES it... she gets it out, and pulls up my t-shirt and know exactly how it works. So cute, worth it just for that. Been so much fun. Sadly, the reason we did get it was because first labour was so fast and no one believed us/would check using doppler... we couldn't work out why I couldn't feel baba and it was because she was coming out! Instead the MWs insisted on attaching me to this £3000 (they made a point of telling me) wireless machine which they then couldn't get to work. Would much rather have just had them doppler me to double check. Anyway, happy ending - DD alive and kicking and loves the doppler as much as me. We use it so often we find the beat faster than the MW does now as baba normally in same place! Have fun with it.

Zahrah5 · 20/01/2015 20:28

I had my midwife appt last week and it took her, who is professional about 10 min to find the heartbeat. We both felt the baby moving, she just could not locate it. Im 26 weeks, so baby not that small, posterior placenta.

I dont think its a good idea for non pro worried mum to attempt to do it at home. I would freak out.

rallytog1 · 20/01/2015 22:02

I'm sorry, I can't believe anyone can pick up a baby's hb at 8 weeks with a consumer monitor

I hate hate hate them. I had two hours of utter panic with a trained mw who couldn't find my 20w baby's heartbeat. She brought in another mw who couldn't find it either and they packed me straight off for a scan. I've never been so terrified. Fortunately that baby was just showing some signs of her forthcoming awkward nature by bending over in a really difficult position (she's 21mo now), but I can't imagine how scary it must be if you can't find the hb at home.

I did a bit of reading on it afterwards and one of the things I learned is that if a baby is having trouble in utero, its heartbeat will be the last thing to be affected. So you could think all is well with your baby because you can hear the hb, which could lead to you ignoring the more worrying signs of reduced movements etc. So not only can they cause panic but they can give false reassurance.

Original poster

Kungpowkitten76 · 20/01/2015 22:28

I tried my heart rate monitor tonight. It took a few minutes to find the heart beat but sure enough, it was a nice strong 151 bpm. At 17 weeks this was the first time my partner and I heard our little ones heart beat and it was fabulous. Buying the monitor was worth the look on my partners face alone.

OP posts:

leinyleiny · 20/01/2015 23:45

So happy for you and well done for finding it the first time a really magical experience

leinyleiny · 20/01/2015 23:55

Sorry .. me bad .. It wasn't 8 weeks when I first heard baby's heart beat ... It was 9+5, so almost 10 weeks (bought it at 8 weeks, but waited till i had a scan at 9+5, so that I don't freak out in case I didn't manage to find the heart beat) .... Oh and it was a sonoline c (rather than a sonoline 3)

Missymum6 · 21/01/2015 08:18

I've been told it depends how slim you were before pregancy and how thick the lining of your placenta is, I don't think u uses mine till around 13 weeks but once I worked out how low she was and heard my own hb so I didn't no it was hers I was fine. I think it really vary a with different women. I see on above posts midwives struggled to find hb. I never ever had that, always straight away. I was very very slim (underweight due to medical issues) maybe thats why

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