At home doppler

ohhitsstaciee

I'm 17 wks and 5 days we just got an at home Doppler. On Wednesday and Thursday we were able to find the baby's heartbeat pretty quickly. It was a strong 150. We tried again last night but had a hard time. Is it normal to find it one day but not the next? Should we be worried?

suchaglencoco

ohhitsstaciee said:

I'm 17 wks and 5 days we just got an at home Doppler. On Wednesday and Thursday we were able to find the baby's heartbeat pretty quickly. It was a strong 150. We tried again last night but had a hard time. Is it normal to find it one day but not the next? Should we be worried?

This is why a lot of doctors recommend not purchasing at home dopplers. A lot of the time, they cause more worry than anything else.
It is fairly common for people with at home dopplers to not find their little ones heart beat. It depends on their positioning, your patience and your knowledge of how to find it effectively. I do not think you should be worried about not finding it and I would also suggest putting the doppler away for the time being.

jonesl12

I HATE home dopplers here's why:

I work in a family practice/sportsmed and ob/gyn office. I can't tell you how often patients call freaking out that they can't hear the FHT at home on their "funzie" Doppler. I spend a lot of time I don't have on the phone with these women and sometimes have no choice but to tell them to come in for a quick check. Not only is it inconvenient for me to fit all these women into an already full schedule (because I have no choice )but it is an unnecessary stress to the mother as well. Why add stress to your life?
99% of the time the patients aren't using it correctly.

Successful FHT depends on how far along you are, how much belly fat you have, and your ability to understand how the waves of a Doppler work.

If you MUST keep using it at home for whatever reason I highly suggest you ask your dr/nurse how to properly use it and where to listen depending on your anatomy and gestational age.Spare yourself and your dr the stress of the " I can't get heart tones" phone call and unnecessary office visit.

mcklough

I have one too and haven't used it since I've started feeling movements but after an early loss it made me feel better if I started to worry. I did read that you aren't supposed to use them for more than 10 minutes at a time and to not use them frequently. I made a limit on it for myself of 5 min max and once I found it after about 15 seconds I just turned it off and not more than twice a week.

It was very helpful for me, but if I couldn't find it I would just try again in 3 days. If it makes you more worried to not have found it I'd rethink it or try to reframe your thinking for the reasons that people listed above.

wallberry

I'm 24 weeks and still not able to find it 100% every time I try, but I know the baby is ok. At 17 weeks it took a lot of patience to find it, and if I couldn't find it very quickly I would just put it away and wait a few days to try again!

seasalt123

I love my home doppler and think they are great. 

I haven't been able to find my baby's heartbeat a few times. Often if I'm full, bloated, backed up, have had too many liquids etc, I can't find it. I have best success in the morning after I've gone to the washroom and haven't eaten anything. The baby moves as well so don't try to use 'where you found it last time' as a starting gauge for where to look. Always start low, above the pelvic bone and do the same search each time.

If you get it, you need to know and accept that not finding the hb from time to time is totally normal. You also need to know that if you're experiencing symptoms that would normally MAKE you call your doctor (cramping, decreased movement in the third trimester etc) that finding the heartbeat on your doppler should NOT replace that visit to your doctor. Dopplers are for fun only and it's always a bonus if you manage to find the hb. 

Have fun and relax!

AlissaLee17

At this stage (26wk), when I try to find baby's heartbeat (only try if he hasn't moved much/at all for like a whole day), 4 out of 5 times I can barely make it out, BUT he kicks the heck out of the wand. Lol

tripledaggerWed95976

generally babies will always move away from the sound of the dopplars. I have one, and my son always moves away from it within about 5 seconds of when I find the heartbeat. As others have pointed out this is the unfortunate danger of at home dopplars, sometimes the baby is in a bad position or the placenta is in the way or any other number of things which causes unnecessary worry.

saladflambe

ohhitsstaciee said:

I'm 17 wks and 5 days we just got an at home Doppler. On Wednesday and Thursday we were able to find the baby's heartbeat pretty quickly. It was a strong 150. We tried again last night but had a hard time. Is it normal to find it one day but not the next? Should we be worried?

Normal.

They move.

Happened to me.

Took me 3 hours and 6 tries.

I freaked out.

seasalt123

They move around. Also if you've eaten or are constipated it's hard/impossible to find. Give yourself five min to find it each time you try and, if you can't, accept that everything is fine but that the baby is hiding today. Also always start looking low and across your whole abdomen as opposed to just where you remember finding it last.

Knottie13846354

I have a home doppler and it's the best 40$ I've ever spent. I'm horrible at finding the heartbeat but my husband can find him everytime. Just be patient.