Home Doppler

[emilyanne96]

Hiya,

Just wondering, when did everyone use a Doppler at home to listen to baby? I want to use it but I'm worried it won't pick anything up as being too early and then I'll start panicking.

I'm 14 weeks +4 today x

They really aren’t recommended- NHS England are trying to ban the sale of them for home use as even medical professionals can struggle to find a heartbeat and they can cause undue worry. Also, unless you know what you’re listening for you might hear your own heartbeat or the blood flow into the placenta or the cord.

www.kickscount.org.uk/why-we-want-home-doppler-sales-to-be-regulated

I didn't, my GP surgery has a whole bunch of posters up in the waiting room saying don't buy them. My midwife told me that sometimes the heartbeat sounds fine when in fact the baby can be very unwell, so they can give false reassurance. Much better to track patterns of kicks/movements.

Never.

They're dangerous.
Count the Kicks/ Kicks Count has campaigned for them to be banned I believe.

It takes a midwife years of training and a significantly better quality doppler (think £500 peice of kit not £50) to be able to listen in and interpret babies heart beat, please don't think a couple of you tube videos will show you how to do it properly.

Many midwives won't listen in at the 16 week appointment as even with their training and better equipment they are unlikely to pick up a clear heart beat.

How will you know that what you pick up is the babies HB and not the cord? They sound very much alike, or how will you know it's not one of your arteries?

Will you use it for reassurance and put off going in for monitoring cause you hear something that reassures you but would have given a professional cause for concern?

Will you cause yourself huge amounts of anxiety when you try to listen in and can't find the HB due to babies position?

In short OP please don't buy a doppler