Dopplers

[meandthebump]

I have been reading through the posts in this section and have seen some of you mention a doppler to listen to the baby's heartbeat. I've never heard of these (i know nothing!) but it sounds amazing and i am tempted to get one.
I am only 9 weeks pregnant now and, like many of you, am worrying until i get to that 12 week milestone. When would i be able to hear the heartbeat with one of these devices? Would it reassure me that all is ok or freak me out if i couldn't find it?
Any thoughts or recommendations of which to buy would be welcome.
Thanks

 

[kayzee]

Hi

I would recommend getting one as ive been able to hear my little one from about 11 weeks ish but i know some ladies on here have heard them at your stage

I must admit when i tried mine earlier than the recommended date of 12 weeks and i couldnt find it i was more disappointed than worried tbh and jealous of thos who could hear it earlier than me
I was so pleased in the end that i got one because i find it so reassuring if i have a twinge or i dont feel it move for a while i just lay down with my headphones on and have a listen, The reassurance value is priceless if your a worrier like me

I would recommend the angel sounds doppler as you can use it from 12 weeks and lots of ladies on here who have heard it earlier have used the angel sounds. Argos do one called the summer or something like that and ive heard its really rubish

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Angel-Sound-Fetal ... 286.c0.m14

This is the sort of one you want if your going to try and find babys heartbeat early

 

[EllieBelle]

Ok my advice would be to get one, but to hold fire for a few more weeks, and definitely wait until after your 12 week scan.

I bought mine at 16 weeks, and to be honest I did use it regularly but only until 20 weeks - since then I feel my little one moving constantly and a big kick in the belly is much more reassuring than trying to find babies heartbeat with a doppler!

A midwife will not try and listen to babies heartbeat before 16 weeks as it can be impossible to find, even for the professionals

It took me nearly 3 hours in total to find babies heartbeat the first time I tried - if you decide to buy one I can PM you some useful info on how to find the heartbeat.

I bought the following one, liked it as it digitally shows the BPM, rather than having to count, as many people pick up their own heartbeat at first and not babies.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FETAL-HEART-D...1QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

 

[JayK2387]

I got an angel sounds dopler and heard the baby from 9 1/2 weeks!!

My doppler has been a god send. I would deffo reccomend getting one! BUT dont panic if you dont find the heart straight away cause ur baby is still sooo tiny xxxx

 

[Anna23]

the angel sounds doppler is great i'd recomend it too however make sure you go into listening for the hb not expecting it, the likelyhood is you won't hear it till 11 weeks or even later depending on how you do it, and yes it can scare you but if you find the heart beat you'll be so happy and it'll help reassure you, also if you can't find it don't worry it doesn't mean anything (my scan lady told me off today for getting one ) i'd also recomend having a full bladder when trying
good luck finding it if you do get one and remember the hb is very fast

 

[Dustydog]

I would def recommend getting one. my OH works away so may miss a lot so a good idea. like you I am abit of a worrier as I had really mild symptoms. So find it reassuring I don't use it everyday coz that maybe obssesive for me, just every other week. as long as you are in the frame of mind you may not find it first time (its like looking for a needle in a haystack!) then you will be fine. Lots of midwives dont like home dopplers coz it worries mums when they cant find it, but it is tiny!! I got the hi bebe but they are more expensive, the angelsounds are a good cheaper version. couldnt find mine for the 1st week was under 10wks found it at 11wks, but the one i got does posibly detect at 10-12wks. got mine on ebay from mums&bumps they on amazon too xxx

 

[kaybee]

I got my angelsounds from amazon for about £25. I first listened at 9 weeks, not expecting to hear, but after a bit of slowly moving it round and changing the angle gradually we heard it first time, really low down near my hair line.

Glad I wasn't expecting to hear though as I didn't feel too disappointed when we couldn't hear it immediately.

Had some pains a couple of weeks ago and it was so reassuring to listen in and check all was OK.

 

[meandthebump]

Thanks for all your replies. I now have a scan date and it's not for another 3 weeks so i have ordered a doppler (angel sounds) from Amazon to keep me occupied. It should arrive later this week/early next week so I'll be about 11 weeks by then. Fingers crossed i will hear something. Any tips on how to use it would be great

 

[Sherlock]

Low down right on the pubic bone. Just around the hairline area, a bit above. Lots of gel and move it slowly from side to side.

Don't panic if you can't find a HB. Baby is less than 5cms at this point and can move around.

You can usually hear three things. Baby heartbeat, which is fast. Your own heartbeat (check this if unsure with your pulse and you will find it in time) and also the placenta whoosing.

 

[kiki]

Hi, I got my doppler in the post today. But my question is how quick should the babys heart beat be?

 

[Sherlock]

Hi, I got my doppler in the post today. But my question is how quick should the babys heart beat be?

140-160 bpm on average iirc. A lot quicker than your own. Sounds like a train or galloping horses.

 

[kaybee]

Ditto the above, about double your own heartbeat. Good luck!

 

[HollyHobby]

Argos sell monitors but they are for later on. Not too dear either.

 

[meandthebump]

My doppler arrived in the post today

I've just had a quick go with it and can very clearly hear a whoosh whoosh whoosh noise. What's that? I'm not sure i can hear any galloping I had a listen to my own heart just to check what that would sound like and got slightly worried when i didn't find it straight away

I will have another go in a bit, the whooshing is quite exciting!

 

[meandthebump]

I can hear it! My DH found it - he counted 180bpm.

 

[clucky77]

I got my doppler today and found the heart beat straight away (yay!);

but i think it was slower thani expected - i counted around 80 per minute - but not sure if each "woosh woosh" sound i heard was infact 2 beats (ie 160 per minute).

Am concerned because at the 8 week scan it was over 150 per minute

is it possible to go down this much? or am i miscounting the beats? Could there be something wrong?

 

[meandthebump]

Clucky77 - I don't know but maybe the heartbeat you found was yours as 80bpm sounds about right for you and apparently you can pick it up down there. If you've already had a scan and heartbeat was ok then i'm sure all is fine.

When i used my doppler i thought i'd found the heartbeat, then i listened to my husbands belly and it sounded the same I think i was listening to the sound of blood rushing around. After more searching we're pretty sure we found the baby.

 

[clucky77]

I think you are right- I put it on my heart and it was the same count

I then found something faster by pushing down a little firmer but it was pretty unclear. Definitely something faster so think that was it!

 

[kaybee]

I then found something faster by pushing down a little firmer but it was pretty unclear. Definitely something faster so think that was it!

That sounds like it! At first, I had to go really really low down, press quite firm and change the angle of it so it was kind of tilted, and I'd just get to hear it briefly until I moved slightly and I'd lose it.

The woosh woosh you heard was probably the placenta, especially if it was about the same as your own pulse. It'll get easier and easier, and louder, too, as the weeks go by

 

[clucky77]

My midwide told me off for using it!

Today found a real 'galloping' sound so am 90% sure that is it. Lots of oterh woosh woosh (prob bowels) + my own heart beat, but there was also a definite fast gallop sound isolated in the right spot! It MUST be it! What else would sound like that!?

little parasite