Help! Question on fetal heartbeat with a doppler in early pregnancy?
I am 9 weeks 3 days and got my rented doppler in the mail today. In the center of my stomach under the belly button (where the instructions say to start) all I can hear is rumbling and noise like that - I think its my stomach digesting? Then on either side of my abdomen I hear a steady "swish swish swish" which is about 85-90 bpm. It is the same rate as my heartbeat, although when I have the probe nearer to my heart it is more like a "knock knock knock" sound.
Is the swishing sound my own heartbeat? Am I just too early to hear the baby now? Thanks!
oops…I just looked at a bunch of videos on YouTube of people using dopplers, and I don’t think I did it right. Everyone else is holding the probe way below their belly button and just keeping it basically in one place…here I am searching my whole entire stomach! I think I’ll try once more tonight and if I can’t find it I’ll wait a few days.
Filed under: Fetal Doppler FAQs
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the swishing is most likely the placenta, i heard my baby’s heartbeat from exactly 10 weeks using one of those dopplers, and to find it you have to put it down just where the top of the pubic hair starts
this was my baby heartbeat at 10 weeks with my doppler
http://s284.photobucket.com/albums/ll3/nic2oo8/?action=view¤t=SV_A0125.flv
You couldnt hear my babys heartbeat on one the the dopplers at a doctors office until i was about 14 weeks. I went there when i was 12 weeks and they couldnt hear it so they took me to ultrasound room and i got to see the heartbeat that way. it will be a fast swish sound
the fetal heart-rate sounds like a galloping horse kinda its much faster than 90bpm more like 150-170bpm and my obgyn didn’t hear mine till i was 13 weeks and it still took her a while to locate it
It is your heartbeat if it is that low. Usually a baby has a heart rate up in the mid 100’s. I know there are arteries in your lower abdomen where you can hear your heartbeat pretty loud. At 9 weeks, your baby is still teeny! The doppler probably won’t pick it up yet.
Yes, you are hearing your own heartbeat and it sounds different when you have the probe nearer to your heart because it is closer and louder. Most people can hear their baby’s heartbeat at around 10-11 weeks, which means that you should get to hear it soon! Good luck:)
your baby hasn’t even come out of the pelvic bone, it doesn’t happen until you’re 12 weeks, the doctor heard our baby at 11 weeks, and the heart rate is twice as fast as yours.
It is probably to early to hear the baby. Doctors don’t even try to hear the heart beat that early. You probably won’t be able to hear anything till your about 12+ weeks along.
Good luck and Congrats!!!
it may be too early to pick up the babys heartbeat. You may have to wait another few weeks.
The 85-90 BPM is probably your own heart beat. It will sound like a swish swish sound, but it will be much much faster than that. The first time my Dr. was able to find my little one’s heart beat, I was at 16 weeks.
9 weeks may be too early to find it. So don’t panic. The baby is still really small at this point. Check out babycenter.com and they have a pregnancy calendar that gives you a week by week graphic of what your baby looks like and it’s general position in your body. It could be useful to help you find your baby’s heart beat.
you too early to hear the heart beat.
i couldnt even hear my babys at 11 weeks.