What the hecks a Doppler?

[mumtobe23]

Hi, sorry for my stupidness but I've seen little snippets of convo's on here about them. I have picked up you get to hear the babies heart beat, is that correct?
Can someone answer the following questions for me as I'm a first timer and would be interested in maybe getting one if they are any good??

A) How many weeks should you be before you can pick up a heart beat?
b) Are they safe?
C) Are they expensive/which have you found the best?
D) Are they worth it?

I'm 14 weeks today and dont have another scann till end of April so I'm looking for something to reassure me in the in-between stage maybe? Thanks xxxx

Hi I have had a doppler with both my dds and this baby although no longer need it as she kicks me all teh time now!!
A. I have picked up heartbeats between 9/10wks although most midwives refuse to try before 16wks as it can take a while with the baby being so small and of course they dont want to stress mums out.
b, perfectly safe and used by mws/gps
c. brand new can be around £100-150 as you definetly want one with a LCD display to show heartrate so you dont confuse it with your own.
D. I never had one with my son despite having 2mcs before him, however in between him and dd1 I had a missed mc which wasnt discovered until I was 15wks pg and was quite traumatic for me. so for me it was mostly about reassurance, My three children love it at the moment as they 'talk' to the baby and listen to her but then they are only 5,3 and 2 so it is a way for them to bond,.

oh meant to add I bought my latest doppler second hand on ebay for £45 delivered and am hoping to make at least £35 back again.

Please, think very very hard before you go out and get one of these.

What are you going to do if you use it, find the heartbeat, and then next time can't? How are you going to manage that situation?

To be a bit brutal, what will happen will happen in early and mid-pregnancy. It can be false reasurrance to listen in constantly.

It may actually increase anxiety.

Your mid wife will probably listen at your 16wk appointment, the every 4 weeks after that so there's not need to buy one yourself. I agree with rempy It may actually increase anxiety.

I used mine and had a great experience but agree that it can cause worry if you cant find HB. Just need to be open minded.

Other thing worth noting is that babies seem to really hate it. Made mine wiggle like mad when I did it from around 20wks. Felt really bad doing it in the end. MW used to have to chase baby around my womb to get good HB!

But once I got lots of movements I didnt bother with it.

Its better now there is less room for it to wriggle (am nearly 39wks!)

GOod luck

I bought this after the sonographer found a soft marker at our 20w scan. It was really good for my husband to feel included. We use it from time to time when we're down and it's really nice and comforting.
I think it says you can use it without the gel but i have found that you need to use the gel with it to hear it properly.

I don't know how I would react if I couldn't find the heartbeat.

I found this doppler really easy to use and once you've heard the heartbeat with the midwife and you know what it sounds like (horse galloping or train-lie sounds) then I always seem to find it within a few minutes.

I'd bought one similar from tesco but it was utter rubbish, we couldn't hear anything and took it back to get ou money. It looked the same as this one but was another brand (can't remember the name of it).

ps: mine was bought on amazon but sent by Ana Wiz Ltd.

I bought a Dopler machine from Ebay - £35+gel (you can buy them in Mothercare as well) and for me it was a life saver. There were times when I was so worried for not feeling any movement (I know this is common) but when its your first pregnancy you just dont know what to expect - nevermind how many books you read!

You do need to make sure you take your time listening to the babies heart beat and not the general flow of blood pumping sounds, but once you pick up the heart beat the first time it becomes easier.

I am now 30 wks and dont need to use mine so often as I feel the baby move more now, but certainly very reassuring for mum + includes dad as well!

Can recommend Ana Wiz Ltd, you can hire them from them, but after 6 months of hire its yours to keep.