Can't find heartbeat on Doppler 13 weeks

[elle6]

Hi everyone

I can't find babies heartbeat on the doppler I've bought, a lot of Internet forums say from 11-12 weeks you should be able to find it and I'm 13 weeks.

Panicking a bit!

Shall I just not attempt to use it again and trust that all is well as no pain or bleeding/cause for worry or persevere?

Step away from the doppler!!! My midwife wouldn't even use hers (and she is professionally trained!!!) until 16 weeks. I had a low anterior placenta and there were plenty of times at my appointments it took ages to find a heartbeat at all. If I'd tried to do that at home I'd have had a heart attack. The advice is to NOT use home dopplers, for your own sanity

This - many people mistake the sound of the mother's heartbeat or even the placenta and are falsely reassured. Infuriating that these are allowed to be sold.

Bin it. I saw a woman on TikTok who didn't get reduced movements checked out because she heard what she thought was baby's heartbeat on the doppler and thought everything was ok, she then had a stillbirth.

They're awful things and even midwives struggle to use them

You are not qualified to use an ultrasound, and home dopplers are basically toys. Having one is not going to ease your anxiety, it needs to be binned.

Throw the Doppler in the bin!!

A doctor once told me that during training when he used a doppler he should always say that the heartbeat sounded strong so not to worry mum. Half the time they can't hear a thing. Throw it out, it's not fit for use and the anxiety isn't fun for you.

HCPs will tell you that you should not be using them.
If you did hear a heart beat, would you know if what you was listening to is your heart or the fetus?
What is a normal regular feart heart rate and what does it sound like?

I will always remember a woman I cared for who sadly had a stillbirth. She hadn't had any fetal movements but took a very long time to make contact with the hospital and it transpired that she had been getting reassurance at home by listening to "baby's heart beat". So although she was concerned by the lack of movements she used the doppler she had and reassured herself by the heartbeat she had heard. Sadly, she wasn't aware at that time, the heart beat was her own. Her baby had died.
Not to be dramatic but this is why dopplers shouldn't be used.

And then there's women like you, your going to send yourself crazy wirh stress worried about not hearing the heart beat when in all likelihood it's there but you are too early and or not trained to find it and understand exactly what you are listening to.

Thanks everyone.

I know I'm not a professional or trained in this, thousands of women still buy them and use them.

I won't try again, I have worried myself but lesson learned. X

We bought one and I tried first at 10/11 weeks and I have used it about 3 times. First I had to get use to what the sounds were and how to differentiate my heart beat from baby. Baby sounds like a galloping and is double the speed of your own heart beat. I can search the whole area they “recommended” and in all honesty I didn’t find anything until I got to a certain position. 2nd time I was trying for what seemed like ages and ultimately didn’t find anything, even the usual sound I found the first time. I have up as I know they are not always reliable. Last time I tried was a few days before my scan and again took a while to find but finally got it, I noticed it was always the same place so tried to move it around and slowly found it again but each time I end it saying that it possibly wasn’t the baby we heard and could be anything. At my scan we heard the exact same sound so knew it was the right noise we was hearing but it was incredibly heard to find with the home Doppler!

like others have said, don’t use it for reassurance because it’s quite unreliable, I wouldn’t say to throw it in the bin as that’s money gone to waste and when you get later in pregnancy when you can feel movement you might have better luck but don’t go into it with hopes of knowing if your baby is alive or not because the true results could be the complete opposite.

try not to stress yourself, put it away and go for a reassurance scan if you are that worried because they are able to see the heart through scan and able to catch the sound a lot easier than a Doppler.. If you can wait though then you will be able to hear your LO at your booked scan appointment.