Anyone use a home Doppler?

bard37

Hey everyone! Hope all is well. I just was curious if anyone is using a home Doppler and if/when you’ve been able to pick up your little ones heartbeat yet! Let me know what your GA is! I am 9w3d and still haven’t found it yet and I remember finding it by then with my 2 boys. I know it’s early but just wanted to know what others experiences are! 

emmylou78

As a nurse who finds fetal heart tones, a lot of it will depend on body shape, uterus, etc but the earliest would be 12 weeks. Maybe 10 if the person were small. Start mid line above the pubic bone. Also, read up on cautions about use of Doppler in the first trimester! 

bard37

Thank you! I am actually a labor and delivery nurse lol I know it’s super early to find heart tones! Just was curious if anyone else has tried and was successful. I know I was able to find them earlier on with my boys (probably because I am a nurse). So just was wondering if anyone else was trying or did with previous pregnancies.

thank you tho! I’ll just be giving it more time! 

emmylou78

Ha. I work ER so you are WAY more qualified! I had one for my first pregnancy but I heard it right around 13 weeks and I’m average frame. 

bard37

@emmylou78 It’s just me having anxiety. I was much larger with my first 2 kiddos and found it at 9 weeks (I remember it being ALOT of effort and time lol) and I had lost a lot of weight before we then decided on #3 so I’m like 60lbs lighter now and can’t find it. But it is a different Doppler so maybe that’s it. But it’s fine. Just like that little bit of reassurance. But all my friends who are nurses who also have Doppler’s all said the earliest for them was 11 weeks lol so I need to just calm down 😂

ladyk127

I am 11w3d and I heard it yesterday for just a second and then babe must have moved because it was gone.  It took me a while to find it so I seriously doubt I would have found anything before 11 weeks.  I don't think I checked with my first two pregnancies until after 12 weeks, but I don't remember exactly.  Now that I've heard the heartbeat again, I'll likely just wait until later in the pregnancy before I try again (since I have an ultrasound on Tuesday)

bard37

@ladyk127 thank you for your reply!! I know I just need to give it time! I have no idea how I was able to find it with my first 2! Determination maybe. Or maybe I just remember wrong haha it’s been a while!! I just want to hear it one second to feel better. I might just sneak an ultrasound at work on Thursday 😂

bmo88

My OB told me that the majority of at home dopplers cannot detect fetal heartbeat before 16 weeks. That often, when people try, it's their own heart beat. If one legit finds it (and it's above 130 beats per second), then that's awesome, but she said that many at home ones aren't reliable or accurate so early on.

obsessedwithoranges

I used it with my first but waited till 13 weeks to avoid not being able to find it. 

litzi-2

I used it for my first two in the 9-10 week zone. It sometimes took a good 10 minutes to find it, and sometimes I needed to come back to it. It drove my SO crazy, so I'm going to *try* to not do it this time (so much...)

emily1052

With DS I was able to find the hb right at 8weeks.  It took a while to find though. 

With this baby I tried 8+2 and couldn’t find it. Was able to at 8+4!!  I watched a lot of YouTube videos on placement.  I’m 100% sure it’s the embryos because it sounds like a train chugging along.  

bard37

Thanks ladies!! Glad you’ve had some luck!! I ended up ultrasounding me for a quick second at work last night to see the heart beating away and moving all around. Going to give it some time now before I try again (now 10w1d). I know for sure I found the HB with my other babies at 9 weeks so it’s just so funny being so much smaller with this baby that I can’t! Haha but it is a different Doppler. Maybe my first was better! 

My husband also gets super annoyed with the searching with the Doppler haha