2 heartbeats on home doppler: Could it be an echo?

dorothy&gail

So today for the first time while using my home doppler I picked-up a heartbeat much faster than the one I had normally been finding.  For a few weeks now I could find our babies heartbeat with no problem at all within seconds, and it has always been between 160 and 165, mostly right at 160 every time.  So today I found it at 160, but I think the baby was moving and I couldn't hear it as loud as normal, so I kept looking and moved further up and to the right.  Then I found a heartbeat that sounded a lot faster and when DH and I counted it out, it was at 180.  While listening, it started to fade and moved down and got it again, at 180.  I moved back over to where we normally find the heartbeat, and found the 160 again.  I started looking online and found some websites that put 180 at the high end of the normal range, and some that would say 180 is too high and not normal.  I also tried to search to see if it could have just been an echo of the 160 heartbeat, but everything I found was message board posts and the people answering would say that you can hear an echo of the baby, but it would be the same rate if an echo and different rates if twins. 

So, my question is really if anyone else has experienced this or something similar.  Our 19 week big u/s is on Nov. 5th so we will know for sure then, but this is just so weird to me.  Also, does anyone have any input on if a 180 heartbeat would be in the normal range at 17 weeks, as I found conflicting info online.  Thanks in advance!

thebigmare4

This is exactly why I don't have a home doppler....

pixieprincss

I'm guessing you are hearing a combo of your slower HB overlaying with LOs faster one and getting extra beats in that way.

jarobinson21

I don't think the read out is very accurate on the home dopplers. The rate on mine jumps around alot when I use it. I am just confident as long as I hear a fast heartbeat everything good. 

dorothy&gail

jarobinson21:

I don't think the read out is very accurate on the home dopplers. The rate on mine jumps around alot when I use it. I am just confident as long as I hear a fast heartbeat everything good. 

Yeah we don't relay on ours either, we always count it ourselves to figure out the beats per minute.

dshoop7

My doctor says that 125 to 180 is normal. I have no clue about the two heartbeats though. Good luck at your U/S!

hmontty

pixieprincss:

I'm guessing you are hearing a combo of your slower HB overlaying with LOs faster one and getting extra beats in that way.

 

This. Good guess.

Also, yeah, I find that my doppler isn't great at giving an accurate rate. I don't even count at this point. I know what it should sound like, and it always sounds strong and fast, and that's good enough for me.

missfire

I can tell you that in the midwife's office with my twins, they have a heck of a time finding both babies' heartbeats using two dopplers. You have to angle the second one just right to not get the first baby again, and you have to hold the first one on the first baby to compare the two and make sure they're not echoes. They move around so much, too, that they have to start over when the first baby moves.

So basically, if you're wondering if you have twins, I'd say to not count your chickens just yet! But an ultrasound will tell you for sure.

jmcdow

I don't know that much about the home dopplers, but my personal take on them is they really shouldn't be used by anyone not in the medical field.  Just my personal opinion.  With that said, I am a sonographer and you can read the heart beat from almost any angle of 1 baby and their heart rate can go up and down with activity.  Not sure about the 20 beat difference... might be faulty equipment or user error, but 180 is still considered normal.  I would stop using the doppler until after your regular ultrasound so you quit worrying yourself.