Thoughts on fetal heart dopplers?

mrsjjohnson2010 · August 2012

Im considering getting a fetal heart doppler. I know its a great way to bond with baby, but I want to make sure my baby is ok between OB visits.

What are your thoughts?

RachaelMarieB · August 2012

My DH bought me one as an early Christmas gift when I was pregnant with DS. He found a Baby Sounds fetal doppler on Amazon for somewhere around $30. I loved being able to listen to his heartbeat. It also came with a cord so I could listen via computer, so I was able to record it for others to be able to hear ! Very cool to share with Grandparents.

RunningGal900 · August 2012

I think they are a horrible idea personally. The bean is so small it can e hard to find aneartbeat from time to time and if you can't find it, it will freak you out just cause you more stress. There were times it took my OB 5 minutes to find the heartbeat and she's trained.

benmel31 · August 2012

I am not interested in getting one. I think it is easy to go overboard with keeping track of the baby and would not want to give myself an unnecessary reason to be concerned if I had trouble finding the hb. Monthly checkups are enough for me.

LiteraryFoodie · August 2012

I know that some women like them to provide peace of mind.

Personally, there are other things that I'd prefer to put my money toward--like a doula, lactation consultant, or birth ball. I also know that a doppler would just make me neurotic, esp since I don't really have any idea how to interpret it.

I'm in the camp of less interventions and "don't borrow trouble." So I try to research and be informed, while also reminding myself that, logically, I have nothing to worry about. The combo helps keep me calm, relaxed and eliminate anxiety. For me, sometimes less is more. :-)

ChevyFam717 · August 2012

I just bought one on Amazon - but at 9 weeks I am still to early to find the heartbeat... shouldn't be able to until about 12 wks (according to the box)... but I've still had some fun with it... my DH is joking now about how a duck is going to come out in 7 months because of the squeeking noise it makes when you move it too fast... he just shakes his head at me when I try to see if two days will make a difference...

The major thing though is to not TRUST it... I take it as a fun bonus... If I hear the heartbeat, that's cool, but if I don't that's OK too... I'm not running to the OB because I can't find the heartbeat because I know I am not a professional and that unless I have another reason to worry everything is probably fine... So far I've just had fun listening to my own heartbeat LOL!

stilts1 · August 2012

I used one for my first LO and I'll be using it again for this one. It's an excellent thing to have and keeps me sane between appointments. I think I began using it around 13/14 weeks. The baby was much lower than I anticipated, but once I located her, she was easy to hear after that. Also, you can record the heartbeat onto a CD. We did that and it allowed my Dad to hear his first granddaughter before he died. That to me is reason enough to use one.

Mrs.DeliaMarieP · August 2012

I was debating getting one this time around, and did decide to once I hit about 13 weeks, when I knew I should be able to find it. I didn't want to have it on hand and then try too early and worry myself even more than I already was. I use it about once/week. Now that I've started feeling some movement I will probably use it less and only on days that I don't feel as much.

Bbelle88 · August 2012

I bought a Sonoline B Fetal Doppler when I was pregnant with DD and loved it. I was a nervous wreck from the miscarriage I experienced before getting pregnant with DD so I really wanted to be able to check on baby between visits.

For me it was great. I was able to find my DDs HB from 9 weeks on....after about 11 or 12 weeks it was so easy to pick up her HB with out looking for long at all.

kelly321 · August 2012

I got an Angelsounds one from amazon when I was pregnant with DD and loved it. I don't go overboard with it - I use it once a week, find the hb, listen for max 10 sec (usually closer to 5) and then turn it off. For me I don't feel like I'm "bonding" with baby, it's just reassuring to know that the baby's still alive. Don't get one, though, if you think you will stress out if it takes you a while to find the hb.

BLPL101 · August 2012

I never bought one because it would just have made me more nervous if I couldn't find the heartbeat. I don't miss not having one.

dande2129 · August 2012

kelly321:
I got an Angelsounds one from amazon when I was pregnant with DD and loved it. I don't go overboard with it - I use it once a week, find the hb, listen for max 10 sec (usually closer to 5) and then turn it off. For me I don't feel like I'm "bonding" with baby, it's just reassuring to know that the baby's still alive. Don't get one, though, if you think you will stress out if it takes you a while to find the hb.

All of this! Exactly.

We have a doppler because from the very beginning, my anxiety was through the roof. FI bought one and I was obsessed with it initially. (He could find the HB, and I never could on my own) I was that way for a couple of weeks, but now, I barely even think about it. I'm like kelly-- I use it once a week, find the heartbeat, smile and put it back. So in that regard, it's a nice resource to have.

The con about it is that I don't look forward to OB appts at all. With my first, it was always really exciting to go in and hear the HB before I could feel him move around. Now I feel like I'm telling the nurse where to place the doppler wand because I know where baby likes to hang out.

KristyVit · August 2012

I wanted to get one too but my husband told me that his coworker had one and there were times she couldn't pick up the heart beat which would case a panic and a several unnecessary trips to the ER. I think I might get one anyway because I am totally neurotic (I already have my third ultrasound booked for 12 weeks preggers ).

00jennifer00 · August 2012

I think they're a great tool. We've had one with all but one of our pgs, and I really enjoy the peace of mind of not having one. I think if you can't find the hb (and you aren't like 9 weeks or something...I'm talking later, like closer to 20 weeks), you drink some oj or eat something, and come back later and try again. You're going to get stories on both sides of the fence about whether having one would freak you out, or whether not having one would freak you out. Only you know you, and how you'll react. But for me personally (and most of my friends), we like having one. And they're so cheap now. I just bought a new (gave my last one away to a friend) for $55. A few years back they were all over $100, and before that they were like $200 or $300!

Want a personalized experience?

Thoughts on fetal heart dopplers?

Re: Thoughts on fetal heart dopplers?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards