Going crazy with the doppler

NinaLCC

Anyone else in here going crazy with the doppler? Every since I bought one, I have this urge to check on my baby every night to make sure the heartbeat is there! I had a miscarriage before this one, so maybe that is causing anxiety. I thought I was going to be using it every now and then, but have been checking every single night for the past 3 weeks! My husband seems to get a bit frustrated, but will patiently listen with me.

karabearrr

Nothing wrong with that! I listen about every other night. Sometimes when I lay down I'm just too tired LOL.

CecilB93

I was always told not to bother getting one because if baby happens to be laying weird and you just can't find the heartbeat even though everything is perfectly fine, you'll freak out and stress over nothing. 

canavara

OBs are notorious for saying "don't get a doppler." I imagine it's because they routinely hear from people who can't find their baby's HB and of course who's going to complain to them that they could find it? I think the important thing is that if you are buying one, just remembering that it may not always work perfectly... but hey, it may work great--it shouldn't stop you from trying it if you want.

I've been listening to our LO almost daily since he was 10.5 weeks GA and he's currently a bit over 18.5. I have an anterior placenta which people claim can make it really hard but that's not been the case for me. Now that he's getting a bit bigger and he's able to hear sounds, I think the noise from it bothers him (he starts kicking like crazy when I use it) so I've stopped using it as frequently because I don't like the thought that I'm frivolously annoying him, but it was certainly nice to use for those weeks before he started kicking.

Kurtni

I purposefully didn't buy one after my stillbirth because I knew I would torture myself with it. Most at home dopplers can't accurately tell you the heart rate, so if there was a problem with a low or sporadic heartbeat, you wouldn't know. I think they give a false sense of security. If you're feeling less/no movement or having a concerning symptom, you need to call your OB, even if you think you hear a heartbeat with your Doppler. 

leksiL

Yes this is why I didn't get one either. DH told me I was just going to drive myself crazy and I'm sure he was right!! 

clairemwalker

Im totally going to stick my foot in it and say - there are no studies on the long term effects on a fetus from doppler use, and its very common for women to say that their babies react to them, kick, move away etc so ovbiously they affect them in some way. use them if you want (hay its your uterus) but i wouldnt be exposing my baby to the effect daily just for funzies. - OP sorry for your previous loss, and im not saying dont use it, just saying maybe you should rethink using it daily, esp if your hubby is getting a bit impatient, like pull it out once a week or something. 

karabearrr

If it makes you feel better, don't stop using it just because others are against it or don't like it. I have never had a problem finding the baby's heartbeat even with an anterior placenta. The heartrate display can be wrong sometimes, so I just count myself. And I love hearing baby moving around and kicking as well, he also tries to move away from it LOL. But once I've heard him, that's usually enough for me.

karabearrr

That article is also two years old. To each their own!