Doppler

brokensmyl

I ordered a Sonoline B doppler off of ebay the other day and it just got here! They gave me a 20 gram ultrasound gel too. I didn't realize how small that is. It says it is for single use. I'd really rather not have to buy something else off of ebay and wait for it to be shipped, so what other gel can I use that I can buy at a store?

I tried to use a tiny bit of the gel, so I could get the most usage out of it, but I didn't hear anything, so I'm assuming I'll need more. I'll be trying it later with more gel when DH gets home. 

I'm 14 weeks today, in what general area should I expect to hear the heartbeat? By my pubic bone or closer to my belly button? I have no idea what I'm doing! :P

FallFabulous

We have the same due date!

My midwife used the dobbler on me a couple days ago, and it was definitely closer to the pubic bone area. She had a hard time getting a ready though 'cause the baby kept moving ! So she would get a read, and then loose it, get a read, and loose it again! It was so cute and funny it took all of me not to laugh since she already had a hard enough time getting a read!

 Hope this helps and it works out for you!

vanessa11411

I read something on a post about using KY.

Karen1998

You can use any water based gel with it (i.e. KY or aloe gel).  Use it really low, down by your pubic bone.  Make sure you have an empty bladder.  Also, it takes patience to find the heartbeat and you'll also likely need to slowly move the wand around and change the angle to find it.  It'll sound like galloping horses.  The reading on the panel of the hb rate is not very reliable, so I just listen for the sound.

mandyhall2882

It was tricky the first time I used mine, too. Maybe these links will help:

https://www.ehow.com/how_4460816_use-fetal-doppler.html

https://www.howtodothings.com/family-relationships/how-to-use-a-fetal-doppler

dinonugget1517

Ever since I ran out of the gel it comes with, I started using  aloe gel that you put on sunburns and it works great!  Start reallly low at 14 weeks....I had trouble at first, but you will get used to it!  Move the probe really slow all over and you should be able to find it!

GdAsAu

I had alittle trouble at first and not because I was doing something wrong...this may sound stupid but if you heard absolutely nothing at all and it would turn itself off after like a minute or two of the screen flickering with the 3 lines...check that the probe is fully plugged in to the base. I got mine on monday and got mad at first bc I thought the thing was broken and I was going to have to return it...but then I checked the probe and even though I thought that it was in all the way...it wasn't. I also found it helpful to look use the little heart in the left corner as a guide. It has a stronger flicker the closer you get and you will hear the sound more clearly as well. And as all the PP have said, at 14 weeks just be patient and don't assume there is something wrong. The little bugger might just be hiding. Good Luck!

brokensmyl

This was my problem! The little instruction booklet it came with kinda sucked. But when I plugged it in, I heard what I wanted to hear!

 My babys HB doesn't sound like horses though... it sounds like a weird scraping noise over and over again. Is that normal? Or am I just hearing something else? 

Is it bad to use it a lot? I read that you shouldn't use it often.

GdAsAu

brokensmyl:

This was my problem! The little instruction booklet it came with kinda sucked. But when I plugged it in, I heard what I wanted to hear!

 My babys HB doesn't sound like horses though... it sounds like a weird scraping noise over and over again. Is that normal? Or am I just hearing something else? 

Is it bad to use it a lot? I read that you shouldn't use it often.

Its just sound waves so it actually shouldn't hurt the baby at all. My ob said its safe to use everyday if i want. And as far as the sound, not sure if it sounds different at 14 weeks but it def sounds like galloping horses at almost 20 weeks. You may just want to make sure that you aren't hearing the placental blood flow or the umbilical cord blood flow. I think the scraping noise you hear is just like "static" from the device bc after all, it is sound waves. A good way to test it is put the probe over your heart and hear what it sounds like. Then try to find the same sound, but faster down in your abdomen.

brokensmyl

That was another thing I was wondering. I don't want to think I'm hearing babys HB when really I'm hearing mine. I know a PP said not to trust the monitor thing tell me the HBs per minute, but if it is high (like 160) does that mean that is is baby's heartbeat? It couldn't be THAT far off could it?

Also, when I was doing it, I first heard a beating right in the middle of my abdomen, but then it seems to disappear. It was quiet and slow. Then I moved to the left side, and I heard it again, faster and louder. Is one of those mine and one of them baby's or is the baby just moving?

 I think I am just worried because it seemed too easy (once I got the probe in all the way).

GdAsAu

anything at 160 is your baby   

neither your heart beat (which will be the same as the placental blood flow) nor the umbilical cord blood flow will be that high. And my babys heart beat comes and goes too (disappears). For me, its always in generally the same place but not always exactly the same place. I will find it and then one second later the doppler stops registering it. That just means baby is moving around...and for you at 14 weeks...baby is doing a whole lot of moving since baby has a ton more space to move around in. The faster, louder one that you heard once you moved to the left side...that was most likely baby. When I accidentily find my heart beat, its usually 80's-90's. Then my babys jumps to 145-155. Hope this all helps you! 

pettycrocker

The sonoline can be tricky in the early weeks because it's really sensitive, and picks up every little sound. I used it for 2 weeks thinking I was hearing the baby until I actually found the baby! Like PPs said, it really does sound like galloping apposed to an actual heartbeat, because it's so much faster. You have to be really patient though because baby is still tiny, and jumping all over the place. I started getting good readings with mine at 14wks (with anterior placenta), but it took a long time to find baby then. 

The angling helps a lot more than moving will this early.  Don't get discouraged, it takes a while to get used to everything you will be hearing. Good luck with it!! 

Nikki1007

I use aloe gel.  Anything that sounds like a galloping horse is the baby and not you.  If the read out is in the mid to upper 100s its the baby.  Mine is still much closer to my pubic bone than belly button.  He hangs out right at my c/s scar.