I thought that I would post this because I see this question alot on here. I think I answer it at least once a week so here is what I found.

The fetal heart
The embryonic heart starts beating 22 days after conception, or about five weeks after the last menstrual period, which by convention we call the fifth week of pregnancy. The heart at this stage is too small to hear, even with amplification, but it can sometimes be seen as a flickering in the chest if an ultrasound is done as early as four weeks after conception.

The Doppler instrument
After the 9th or 10th week after your last menstrual period, you might be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat at your prenatal appointment. Your obstetrical practitioner probably uses a Doppler instrument for this purpose, which bounces harmless sound waves off the fetal heart. By the 12th week, the heartbeat can usually be heard consistently, using the Doppler instrument for amplification.
Listening for the heartbeat without amplification
Starting at about 20 weeks, the heartbeat can be heard without Doppler amplification. A special stethoscope called a fetoscope can be used, or the bell (concave) side of a regular stethoscope can be pressed firmly onto your abdomen. The heartbeat is best heard over the baby’s back, which often seems firm when you feel around on the uterus. If you are overweight or if the placenta is on the front wall of the uterus, it may be difficult to hear the fetal heart by stethoscope. It gets easier later in the pregnancy.

Listening to the heartbeat at home
Some companies now sell Doppler-like instruments to hear the baby’s heartbeat at home. While this might sound like fun, keep in mind that you sometimes can have difficulty finding it, which you might find alarming. Or you might pick up your own heart, which is slower than the fetus’, and worry unnecessarily about how your baby is doing.

Filed under: Fetal Doppler FAQs

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