Doppler?

[firsttimepregnanthelp]

I know it is advised not to get your own Doppler but I am 16 weeks and feeling worried about turning up to my 20 week scan to find no heartbeat. I recognise that this is my anxiety as I heard the heartbeat at my 16week appt on Monday and have no reason to think anything is wrong but the perinatal mental health team haven’t been in contact despite me chasing them and I feel getting one and hearing the heartbeat would ease my worries a bit. I also have an anterior placenta so won’t feel baby for a while. Is it really that bad an idea?

It is. You don't know what you're looking for or what sounds you're hearing. I know pregnancy is a time of worry but something like a Doppler could actually exacerbate your fears rather than alleviate them.

It will do nothing for your anxiety. They are dangerous machines in the wrong hands for false security and I wish they were banned from sale to the public.

You could end up listening to your own heartbeat or the placenta as you are not trained. This will give you false security IF something was wrong with baby.

Keep pushing for help with your anxieties. I hope they can see you soon.

Don’t do it please, coming from someone who has recently had a stillborn I wouldn’t it gives a false sense of reassurance, you can hear things which you may think is the baby but isn’t

Read the kicks count website

Hard no. Heartbeat alone doesn’t indicate baby is well or that you’d even be hearing the right thing.

I’ve been there with losses, I’d still never get one of these

I'll echo what everyone else has said - you might just find your own heartbeat or the placenta instead, or panic yourself because you can't find baby's heartbeat. If you're ever worried call your maternity assessment unit and they'll have a listen. They'll be able to find baby's position in the womb and listen in the right place.

My friend is a paediatrician and she told me many years ago when I bought one- if you saw someone collapse on the street you wouldn’t check their heart and then leave them if you heard a heartbeat. It’s a false reassure unfortunately.

Thanks everyone for talking some sense into me!

@dollygray2 if that is the case though, out of interest why did my midwife listen to it at my 16w appointment? She didn’t measure it or anything. I felt reassured by hearing it but maybe that was misguided!

I do know to be honest but I’d imagine they would be doing a range of checks and have been to uni for years not like me and my Amazon Doppler 😂. Thought it was a good way to think about it.

The midwife isn't just checking that there is a heartbeat but also whether it's a normal rhythm and frequency.

I used a Doppler for added reassurance when I was being monitored for still birth. If you were to use it, be sure to also monitor for other symptoms. Change in movement etc and never just rely on the Doppler. If something feels off, get checked.

I probably sounded insane when I called maternity assessment saying something was wrong, I didn’t know what but I’d like to be checked. I had to really push for it. 3 hours on a CTG showed nothing amiss, I pushed to be kept in and continuously monitored as I couldn’t shift the feeling- baby was born extremely premature hours later. The CTG had started to pick up prolonged decels where as a Doppler spot checking wouldn’t have.