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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Angelsounds doppler - 11wks no heeartbeat but placenta? Arrghhh

25 replies

Millie26 · 30/08/2008 12:58

Typical I bought something to calm me down and now MORE stressed...

Can hear that whoosing sound that people talk about - is that the placenta? If I can hear that, is the baby ok?

Has anyone else not heard the heartbeat at 11 weeks? My stupid Pampers pregnancy diary says a doppler should pick it up this week, so am a bit worried....

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lulumama · 30/08/2008 13:00

very often , a MW will struggle to pick up the hearbeat at 16 weeks.. depends on how high up the uterus is, if it is still low down in the pelvis it can be really hard to hear it

how fast is the whooshing? a placenta is slower than a hearbeat

this is why i think using dopplers at home can be a very bad thing , they can raise a lot more questions than they answer

scorpio1 · 30/08/2008 13:02

11 weeks is early. better from 20 yourself i would think.

placenta whooshes similar to your heart rate

NatalieJaneIsPregnantAgain · 30/08/2008 13:02

Some fully trained MW's will struggle picking up a HB till as late on as 16 weeks, and I guess even after that in some circumstances with a proper unltrasonic doppler. IIRC the angelsounds one is just a 'sound amplifier' just makes whatever sounds are in your belly louder. Have read reviews on it saying that the HB couldn't be heard until 22+ weeks.

AFAIK, if the placenta is whooshing then all is well.

Funbags · 30/08/2008 13:03

Nothing unusual to not hear it - my MW could pick not one up at 12 wks - said its quite hard early on cos baby is so tiny - also said they dont even refer for scan when they cant hear until 20 odd wks as so common a problem.

I had a hospital ante natal where they couldnt pick it up at 16 wks - they scanned me as there was a scanner in the room and there was baby kicking and jumping. Its really early especially if you are doing it yourself so please dont worry at all. x

doggiesayswoof · 30/08/2008 13:04

Like lulumama says - this is why I didn't buy one of these when I was pg.

Do you have a mw appt coming up so you can be reassured? In my area we get a dating scan at 13 weeks, so I got to see the heart beating at that point. Not picked up on doppler till later.

belgo · 30/08/2008 13:06

A student doctor couldn't pick up my baby's heart beat at 15 weeks, even though the baby was kicking the doppler!

Agree with lulumama - these home dopplers just cause more stress in some cases.

Snaf · 30/08/2008 13:09

Your Pampers pregnancy diary is indeed stupid It is virtually impossible to pick up a heartbeat at 11 weeks - it's hard enough at 16 with a good doppler and a trained mw!

Am tempted to suggest you put the blasted thing away until you are well past 16 weeks. Agree wholeheartedly with lulu that home dopplers are generally not a great idea, but can understand why people find them tempting. Your baby's regular movements (from 20 weeks onwards) are a much better indication of health than hearing the heartbeat, anyway.

Snaf · 30/08/2008 13:10

I never, ever listen in before 16 weeks - it's just too risky (in terms of worrying the crap out of someone for no reason, I mean!)

belgo · 30/08/2008 13:10

A sonographer told me they never tried to listen to the baby's heart beat in the first trimester as it could upset the baby.

DontNeedAnything · 30/08/2008 13:12

At 11wks I would not worry - as at this stage there is no guarantee that medically trained inviduals and equipment would pick up the hb. My MW wouldn't even check until 16wks.

Can I clarify though - the wooshing sound in the placenta is actually driven by the babies heart - so means all is good.

Using the doppler you could hear one of 3 things (as taught by senior MW to a student MW using my bubba as a patient)

The mothers abdominal bloodflow. Would have a rate of 60-90bpm. I think this is wooshy.
the Placenta (the babies heart is driving this). Would have a rate of >110. Tends to be wooshy. Indicates babies heart is beating.
Babies heart directly. This is a bit more clicky and like hte placenta is >110bpm.

It is the rate that is important for distinguishing between baby and mothers hb rather than the type of sound.

Also if you have an anterior placenta (i.e. at the front) you may never hear the heart directly as the placenta gets in teh way.

Original poster

Millie26 · 30/08/2008 13:16

Thank you so much for all your replies - you are all right, of course.

Think I will just put it in a drawer for at least a week or two. Have a 12 week scan on 8th Sep (just over a week) so not long to wait. Have some funny cysts so already seen the heartbeat on scan at 9 wks, I'm sure he's fine in there, I just got really excited about being able to hear a heartbeat and now, as you say, it's just made me feel worse so its a bit debatable how much benefit they give when you are less than 20 weeks...

Thank you again, Ill just wait for my scan with fingers crossed.

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Original poster

Millie26 · 30/08/2008 13:18

Thank you dontneedanything - that's really useful!

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spicemonster · 30/08/2008 13:21

I'd leave it for more than a few weeks (or send it back). They couldn't hear my baby's heartbeat at 15+4 when I was rushed into A&E with heavy bleeding and I spent an agonising weekend waiting to be scanned on Monday. That baby is now nearly 18 months old.

terf · 30/08/2008 16:07

My husband bought one of these and it kind of annoyed me - mostly because I knew we'd stress if we couldnt hear the heartbeat. My GP couldnt pick up the heartbeat at 17 weeks. A week later we went back and heartbeat was nice and strong - now close to 20 weeks its easy to pick up the baby's heartbeat on the doppler machine - but if I were you I'd certainly put it away for a month or so at least!

tinkhasanacrobatic · 31/08/2008 09:11

far too early!! i picked up mine on anbel doppler @ 14 wks.
midwife couldnt find babys hb @ 11wk appointment

lollipopmother · 31/08/2008 10:41

I think a lot of people also try finding the HB in a position that is much too high - AFAIK at 11 weeks it's going to be really really low, right down by your pubic bone. The first time I heard the HB was at my 12 week scan on all that proper equipment, no one tried listening in earlier than that, and certainly not on a dopplar.

sunshine185 · 31/08/2008 12:36

hi,

as said before could be a bit early... we have the angelsounds, find that using our ipod headphones is so much clearer!!

rrrayray · 01/09/2008 13:33

i have the angel sounds, i'm 19 weeks, and first got it at 15. First time it took a LONG time to find it. Now it seems easier as roughly in the same place.

I wouldnt worry, sometime midwifes can't even pick up the heartbeat/have problems finding it, with their more advanced dopplers.

Just be patient finding it, especially as your only 11 weeks, it maybe VERY low in your pelvis, mine was!

cathym · 03/09/2008 15:36

I can't believe this, but my midwife has just managed to find a heart beat at 9 weeks!!!
So excited as I wasn't expecting that at all.

WorzselMummage · 03/09/2008 15:50

I found my babies heartbeat yesterday with my HiBebe and i am 10+3.

Forensica · 03/09/2008 17:16

I also have the same machine as you and I could hear the heartbeat first time at about 14/15 weeks. As said rrrayray, you might need to dig rather deep into you belly as at this point the baby would be just above your pubic bone.

Original poster

Millie26 · 04/09/2008 12:15

Hi guys,

Am ashamed, but caved in and tried again last night - but definitely heard it! Felt like a right wally lying naked, covered in gel, headohone leads all over the place but was worth it and b/f got to hear it too, was going really fast and definitely not mine.

As you say, was SO low down, cant believe its all the way down there, practically falling out.

Anyway, think I'll stop for a while now (really) as they dont really know whether it affects the tissues and fetus and that worries me a bit.

12 wk scan on Monday so I'm fingers crossed he's all ok....

xxx

OP posts:

sarahlstocker · 06/04/2009 16:27

Hi Dontneedanything,

I was wondering if you you knew how to tell the diffence in the placenta and my blood flow!

I've been bleeding for 5 days now, i'm 11+3 and have a doppler. i can here what i think is a placenta but on the other side i can hear something, sounds just like the placenta - no heartbeat tho!

Do things sound ok to anyone?????

If this doesnt have a positive outcome this will be my 3rd mc!

Any advise would be great!!xx

staceydarcy3153 · 26/11/2019 15:09

I used a doppler at 11 weeks with my last pregnancy and was reassured to hear a heartbeat however I noticed it was the same as my own because I could see my belly pulsating with my heartbeat as I was using it. I had my 12 week scan and baby had died at 10 weeks. I am now 15 weeks pregnant again and brought another doppler yesterday and can clearly hear 2 maybe 3 different heart beats. One is really echoey and swooshy similar to my heartbeat which I assume is placenta another is my heart beat and then there is another which is almost double the speed of mine which I assume is babies. I think the placenta and your own heartbeat are the same or very similar as it's your blood that feeds the placenta. So if you can hear 2 heartbeats that are different should be good. Last time I could only hear my own for sure x

sprite25 · 27/11/2019 18:59

Sorry I'm another one here who thinks dopplers should be left to the professionals. A friend gave me one when I was pregnant with DS and I thought it was great until I got to 25 weeks and couldn't find the heartbeat, I tried all the usual things of laying down having a cold drink etc but still couldn't hear it so got myself in a state and convinced myself he had stopped moving. Got my mum round quickly to watch DD, DH raced home from work and we went up to the hospital to get checked out, as soon as they put the monitor on me there was the heartbeat, healthy and strong. I felt like such an idiot and got rid of the home doppler as soon as I got home. Unless you really know how to use one properly, they cause more anxiety than they are worth!

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