Thoughts on fetal Dopplers

[Flowerbug1994]

Morning All, Happy New Year ! Just wondering what everyone thinks of fetal dopplers am reading a lot of mixed reviews on them some saying they make more anxiety than help anxiety that you already have. I think am just being over nervous am 17+1 have had all healthy scans even a active healthy gender scan. I don’t know weather it’s because I’ve felt some movement the past week or so and now I feel like it’s slowed down which I know at this point it can be very intermittent and am just being paranoid. Am so tempted to buy a Doppler but I know midwives don’t recommend them. Has anyone had one and it’s helped a lot with anxiety ??

They're not recommended for untrained people because you dont actually know what to listen for and whether you've got the right noise. They can give false reassurance.

Don’t. They should be banned from sale to non professionals.

I had one. Helped massively with increasing my anxiety any time I used it and didn't get an immediate heartbeat!
Also, if movement slows the Doppler is a really poor indicator of how things are. To be blunt, the heart rate will be the last thing to stop. So if your movements reduce, you need to take whatever action is appropriate (usually going to triage in maternity, though it will be different earlier on).
If you buy one to listen to the heartbeat, maybe let a partner hear it that sort of thing, and don't use it as a medical tool it could be ok.
I know it's very tough not having reassurance - I did go for a couple of private reassurance scans due to earlier mcs.
Congrats on your pregnancy OP

Oh god, do not get one

What’s the outcome here? You hear what you think is the baby’s heartbeat without feeling movement so you don’t seek help, and there’s a problem.

Or, you can’t find the heartbeat yourself so worry and get yourself in to a state of panic until the hospital reassures you.

Either way, they shouldn’t be used by untrained people. Leave it to the professionals

Even a professional could struggle with one of the poor quality ones sold to the public. It'll give you false reassurance and won't keep anyone safe. I say that as I used one and thought my baby was fine but she wasn't.

I found them useful for early pregnancy found my first at 10 weeks, could never find hesrt beat of my miscarage pregnancy so it alerted my that something was wrong, found second at 8+5 and third at 8+4. Now I can feel baby moving around I don't use it to check, I use it to just connect with baby.

It was just a thought for someone who has suffered some anxiety throughout a pregnancy. I’m only 17 weeks so your advice of going to maternity triage doesn’t really apply as movements can be very intermittent at this stage and they won’t see you as i am generally very well with this pregnancy apart from anxiety.

Honestly, it will make your anxiety worse rather than better. Are you ditching the idea?

When I was pregnant with DD2 the midwife really struggled to find the heart beat due to her position. It was the 28 week appointment she found it! However using the probe would earn me a strong kick...

Don't do it, they should be totally banned. They are at best a gimmick and at worst downright dangerous.

They won't help your anxiety, they will make it worse in the long run.

Read up on anxiety. Using a doppler is the sort of behaviour that only increases and feeds your anxiety. Rather than use a doppler (which as others say can be very dangerous and actually stop you getting help should you need it), ask your midwives for help getting treatment for anxiety.

I like mine for first trimester, but I wouldn't ever use one once movements begin as it can offer false reassurance. It goes away in the loft after about 14 weeks! I haven't really used it with DC2 as I'm a lot less anxious but DD did enjoy hearing the heartbeat the other day.

I will say that it probably won't really relieve anxiety for any length of time anyway. You'll have the initial relief but then the next day or whatever you'll be back to worrying again. Movements will become more regular soon and those are the important things.

Absolutely do not buy one.

I have one but don’t have anxiety and think that is the clincher. If you think at all that you are going to be stressed by not finding the heart beat one day its just not worth it. I was happy to move on and try again another day if I couldn’t find it, without turning myself silly.

Obviously there is also the danger of false comfort if you heard the heartbeat with red used movement, which is why I would very much not recommend using them once you’re feeling regular movement.

*reduced movement that should say! not red used movement.

At 17 weeks no I would not get one.

The problem with them is that you are not trained in interpreting the results, which means that you can be falsely reassured when you really should be seeking medical assistance ASAP. Or the other way, everything is fine but you can't find the heartbeat leading to distress, panic and potentially wasted time seeking reassurance.

I have used one, and I don't think they're terrible things to use in the first weeks, maybe week 10-20 or so, as long as you're aware of a few key things.

Only use it if you're totally on board with "if anything happened at this point there's no way of stopping it anyway" - and be honest with yourself, because that's a really hard thing to be on board with.

Understand that it can be tricky to use even with training and you're a total amateur using without training, so see it as an entertainment device rather than a medical one.

NEVER use it past the point that you've started feeling movement. Don't mess around with dopplers at that point. Just go in if you have concerns.

But in general, probably not the best idea. I don't know whether they should be banned as I quite liked using mine, but I do think on balance they probably cause more worry than reassurance.

I agree with everyone else's comments about anxiety as well. It's very common for anxiety to increase in pregnancy and your midwife can help you with it.

I used one with my twins but I know what I'm listening for and can tell the difference between maternal heartbeat, placenta and baby heartbeat

I have one, I'm on my third pregnancy and I've used it since my first. I didn't have anxiety just a general curiosity in hearing the baby. I never used it when movements dropped (first DC), for that I called the midwife and was right to as there was a significant drop in amniotic fluid and I needed hospital monitoring until the end. I do like using it for the weeks before movement starts and I'm just interested in hearing the little guy I'm currently 22 weeks so I use it once a week for my kids to hear the baby (they think the crackling static is the baby, they don't hear the difference between baby's heart beat and my bloodflow!) but it's never bothered me if I couldn't find the heartbeat, I just try again in a few days, so may not be great if you're anxiety prone.

I'm against them, as they can cause unnecessary anxiety or false reassurance

The trouble is you're only 17 weeks, what happens if you can't find the heartbeat? The hospital won't do anything (in fact a lot of trusts have stopped using a Doppler at 16 week appointments as the midwife can't refer if they can't find one), you've then got another 3 weeks until your 20 week scan to see if everything is okay. I can't see how this would be good for your anxiety

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

Please don't do it. My midwife said they can have devastating consequences.

Also it takes 3 years of intensive training and expertise to be able to find a heartbeat. You could very easily be hearing something else e.g the placenta so it's pointless anyway.

They need putting in the bin!
I don’t think they should be on sale except to medical practices.

I’m a midwife and I can tell you this right now, we would rather see you a hundred times in your pregnancy if you wanted reassurance/a listen in to your baby’s heartbeat rather than use a Doppler at home. I have seen so many devastating outcomes, just because you can hear a heartbeat doesn’t mean it sounds normal!

@kyra86 my only thing is am thinking if I call at this point they will tell me to wait a few weeks until things establish abit more as I’ve just been having intermittent rumbles for about a week