At home doppler

tropical1982

I had an at home doppler I used with my first two kids.  Anyone else remember how early you can actually use those?

It's currently on loan to my SIL and brother who had their baby in Nov.  I haven't told them I'm pregnant so there's no real way to ask for it back without being suspicious!!!

knottieamusements

@tropical1982 - Can you tell them that you are hoping to have another and would like it back so it doesn’t accidentally get disposed of with other unused baby gear?

princessandthegator

@tropical1982 I know my Dr was able to hear DD at 10 weeks but when he used the in office one he warned me that he may not be able to hear it just yet. So you could try at 10 weeks but will for sure find it at 11 or 12. 

And I agree with @knottieamusements . Say that or that you need to let a friend who is pregnant borrow it 

sammierose464

My dr said that we won't be able to hear it on the doppler in his office until about 12 weeks.

tinattt23

My last OB used ultrasound before 14 weeks since it’s hit or miss if Doppler will work until then. 

tropical1982

Seems I won't be able to use it until 10+weeks, I'm planning on telling family during Easter weekend so that'll be around 8 weeks.  After I tell them the news I'll be able to ask for it back with no issues. 

Gizmo1231

I was in the hospital all weekend and they had to use bedside U/S as the Doppler didn't pick up baby and I'm 10 weeks tomorrow. I would wait until I was 12-14 weeks before trying at home. 

DunkinDecaf

I’ll start trying around 10 weeks with mine. 

muchwanted

I found my daughter's reliably from nine weeks, but I think that was pretty early. So much depends on the placenta location and your body type that it can really vary. Some people with anterior placentas may not find it until well into the second trimester. 

sliztee

Well, thanks everyone. Just dropped $60 on Amazon so I can obsess over something else!

concreteayngel

I couldn’t hear DS reliably until around 15 weeks. Even then, it was tricky to tell the difference between the HB and the whooshing sound of the placenta. 

nasalot188

I was able to find DS around 10 weeks. I did try recently at 8 weeks just to see, of course found nothing. I'll try again around 10. I have the Sonoline B home doppler.

drb2424

Any brand suggestions? I didn't buy one with my first and kinda regretted not getting one but I found it hard to decide which one to buy.

Mylitta

I also have thr sonakine b. It worked great with my last. +1 on the 12w or later is what I heard. I'm telling myself that constantly so I don't try anyway. At least not until ny u/s where I know everything is fine. 

DunkinDecaf

Another vote for sonaline B.

lilyaster

I found our heartbeat last time at 9 weeks but it was hit or miss at first.  ***TW **I couldn’t find the heartbeat at 13 weeks and went in to find out we had miscarried.  So, I am trying not to use it as much this time so I don’t panic, and also because I’m getting more ultrasounds anyway.  

nasalot188

So I tried the doppler again tonight and found it! I'm 9wks 2 days. I couldn't believe it I rly didn't think I'd find it this early. I am a STM and I started a little higher up knowing my uterus is expanding faster this time...and sure enough I found it an inch or so above my pubic bone. It was too soft for doppler to read BPM so I counted on my phone and got about 175BPM. 

I spent all this wknd throwing up but that just made up for it 

rossynotreadyfor3

I just heard it today at 10w 5d. What a great feeling.

sliztee

I must have a crappy doppler. Still haven't found a heartbeat at 11 weeks and 3 days 

muchwanted

stithof said:

I must have a crappy doppler. Still haven't found a heartbeat at 11 weeks and 3 days 

You might have an anterior placenta. Some women can't find a HB until well into the teens with that.

ninji15

I am having no luck finding a HB on my home Doppler as well. I have to say even though it’s early (8w and some odd days) I thought for sure twins would be easier to find on top of this being my second time around. Nope. I hate the not knowing! I need to hide it from myself until I can find things more reliably. It helped so much my last pregnancy to just check in before I felt kicks at like 13-19 weeks.

lilyaster

I’ve never been able to find it before 9 weeks.  Now at 10.5 I can find it immediately most of the time.  I’m listening daily for just a few seconds until I start feeling movement.  

muchwanted

ninji15 said:

I am having no luck finding a HB on my home Doppler as well. I have to say even though it’s early (8w and some odd days) I thought for sure twins would be easier to find on top of this being my second time around. Nope. I hate the not knowing! I need to hide it from myself until I can find things more reliably. It helped so much my last pregnancy to just check in before I felt kicks at like 13-19 weeks.

Interesting, it hadn't occurred to me I could find it sooner with twins! But I guess the uterus does expand more quickly. (***Loss warnings***) With my last pregnancy, I never found it at all, though I tried regularly from 8-10.5 weeks, when I found out the HB had stopped. I assumed the extra bit of belly I had being a STM was going to interfere. I found it with my daughter easily from 9 weeks on (didn't try before 9). I also used it pretty much every day with her pregnancy until I could feel movement. It was SO HELPFUL for my anxiety.

sammierose464

I saw my dr on Wednesday (9w5d) and he told me he wouldn't even try because it was too early. It kinda sucked because I'd love that reassurance.

chyvie

So my fertility clinic told me they don't use the Doppler technology until after the 1st trimester as it isn't safe. Why would they say that but yet you all have in home ones? Surely they would not sell them to use at home if they aren't safe? 

sliztee

@chyvie There is certainly something to be said for using in moderation. I think that doctors and others are typically more sensitive to utilizing dopplers in the first trimester due to the increased chances for a miscarriage (whether that has anything to do with the doppler or not, I can't say).

knottieamusements

@chyvie - I’ve also read that the home dopplers aren’t FDA approved.  Their use at home is discouraged because there hasn’t been enough research on their effect on the fetus. 

That said- we also aren’t supposed to dye our hair or eat cold cuts.  I’m not planning to let my grey grow out.

jennybean80

I also think at home Doppler’s give people a false sense of security. There are a lot of atypical patterns I can pick up on a monitor (as a L&D nurse) that would be worrying and require extra testing, that a layperson wouldn’t catch. So you get worried because baby’s movement has decreased, heat an atypical heart rate without recognizing it, feel reassured that you heard baby, and so don’t go in for follow up. Without the Doppler, if you were worried about movement, you’d go in and be seen and maybe have a potential problem identified and dealt with. 

chyvie

@stithof @knottieamusements and @jennybean80 all great answers, thanks for clarifying. Perhaps because I'm also getting transvaginal ultrasound every other week they didn't want to add to the Sonic wave count. I can't wait for the day I can hear the heartbeat!    

knottieamusements

Because toys, I’m buying a fetalscope- which is basically a specialized stethoscope.  Super cheap, and I expect that I should be able to feel baby kicking by the time the fetalscope is useful, but toys...

purplegoldfish2

@chyvie   I’ve also heard they don’t know for certain ultrasounds are completely safe either.  They appear to be but there haven’t been conclusive studies showing that they are harmless and it’s recommended that you not have them unless there’s a reason (she says as she has 4 scheduled before 11 weeks and previously had twins so there were about 783 with that pregnancy). Basically, don’t go to the boutique ultrasound places to get “for fun” ultrasounds.  I’d imagine the home doppler would fall into that category as well.  Of course, high risk pregnancies get many more scans than normal and many of those babies are perfectly healthy, so who knows.

toute_cute

I just found mine! I took a video of it in case anyone is interested in hearing what it sounds like. Its with the sonoline B. 
https://youtu.be/v2zVfTEmp98

cdepperschmidt

Doc found mine at my appointment today. 12 weeks.