Comments on: Baby Doppler’s…. to monitor fetal heartbeat. Any suggestions?

By: almost mommy

almost mommy — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:37:15 +0000

Baby Beat…its what the doc’s use. I hope you have a healthy baby…and good luck!!

By: sjeboyce

sjeboyce — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:37:15 +0000

you need to talk to your OB/GYN and see if he/she will rent you one and teach you how to use it…the ones that you can buy at walmart dont work….most high risk pregnancies they allow you to rent the ones they use

By: tmac

tmac — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:37:15 +0000

I had one, but I can’t remember what it is called. However, I have heard that it can be VERY difficult sometimes to pick up on the heartbeat. A lot of times I had trouble with it, but I knew not to panic. So if you are planning on getting one to ease your feelings, my opinion would be not to. Whatever you decide, good luck with your pregnancy and congratulations!

By: Ryan's mom

Ryan's mom — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:37:15 +0000

Ask your doctor. They may have some suggestions. Don’t waste your money on the ones at the drug store…the BEBE ones are crap. I had one of those and all I heard was the water sloshing around.

By: momma2mingbu

momma2mingbu — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:37:15 +0000

Totally agree with Kathryn A on this one.

By: H B

H B — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:37:15 +0000

Hey, they have them at Wal*Mart. You place them on the belly and you will be able to listen to the heartbeat. They shouldn’t be that expensive. I didn’t purchase on because I was having triplets and would not have been able to tell which babies heart beat I would hear. But it should be worth the try because I believe they weren’t that expensive.
Good-Luck- Mother of 6

By: Kathryn A

Kathryn A — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:37:14 +0000

Doppler uses ultrasound, and overexposure to ultrasound has certain risks.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=8105165
http://www.aims.org.uk/Journal/Vol17No1/ultrasound.htm
http://www.aims.org.uk/Journal/Vol16No4/ultrasound.htm
http://www.birthlove.com/free/ultrasound.html

Doppler is a constant stream of ultrasund, while imaging ultrasound uses pulses. One minute of doppler exposure equals anywhere from 20-35 minutes of imaging ultrasound.
http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/birth_preparation/ultrasound-definition.html

When the doppler is close to the baby’s head, it can be perceived by the baby, and makes a sound similar to the highest note on a piano, but at the volume of a passing train locomotive.
http://www.acoustics.org/press/142nd/press_release.html#t16
http://www.acfnewsource.org/cgi-bin/printer.cgi?465

While I understand the fears and worries of pregnancy after a loss (one of my babies died at birth, and my next pregnancy after his death was VERY stressful), there are risks you should weigh against the benefits for renting a doppler, I just want you to be aware so you can make an informed choice.

Since you lost your baby due to umbilical cord accident, maybe you could benefit from a consultation with Dr. Collins? He is one of the most widely recognized experts on umbilical cord compression in the US. Not much study has been done of this topic, but he is working to change that.
Here is his website, please take a look!
http://www.preginst.com/