doppler yes or no?

hollyglight · February 2013

i am thinking of getting a doppler for piece of mind. who has a doppler? what are the pros/cons of having one? if you don't have one, why did you decide not to get one?

leahaustin · February 2013

I was going to get one for peace of mind as well but didn't want to have to buy it online and wait forever to get it. By the time it would come I would be so close to my 2nd tri and will not be worrying as much.

FatimaJimenez93 · February 2013

I bought one online and it's frustrating because I don't know if I'm doing something wrong but I can't ever find a heartbeat. I feel like it adds extra stress that is not needed.

leahaustin · February 2013

FatimaJimenez93:
I bought one online and it's frustrating because I don't know if I'm doing something wrong but I can't ever find a heartbeat. I feel like it adds extra stress that is not needed.

I have heard this from a lot of women. If you do not know what to listen for you can end up just skipping right over it. I have heard it doesn't sound like what you'd think a hb would sound like but more of a swishing noise. I have also heard sometimes it is hard to distinguish your own hb from your baby's when using a doppler.

JocelynB0911 · February 2013

My doc said unless you have a hospital grade one that it can be hit and miss on if you get a good one or not. We had one with our dd and we could never hear anything so we just skipped it with our ds. Waste of money imo. Once you start to feel movement (for me 16 weeks with dd and 14 with ds) your nerves calm because you have regular movement. HBs arent 100% detectable with a doppler until 10ish+ weeks. Personally, I never went in for doppler scans until 14 weeks and that was the very earliest my doc would do them. Some people may have different experiences though.

kdjudd · February 2013

I didn't get one with my last pregnancy and I want to avoid getting one with this. I would stress out way too much if I couldn't find a heartbeat. Plus, the FDA and the AIUM discourages the use of ultrasounds and dopplers for non-medical reasons and by untrained persons.

SuperSecretStatus · February 2013

My husband deployed shortly after I found out I was pregnant the first time so I bought a doppler so that he could hear the baby's heartbeat and movement while we Skyped.It was the best $80 I've spent. I bought mine on Ebay from the Prenatal Comforts store. It arrived really quickly, and it came with gel so could use it right away. Once I ran out of that I just used Walmart brand water based lubricant.

I wouldn't recommend it if you're prone to freaking out or worrying. Bottom line. I'm not that kind of person so it never worried me if it took me a little longer to find the baby's heartbeat. I was able to find it successfully starting between 9 and 10 weeks, and I was not (and still am not) a skinny woman.

The important thing is to know what you're listening for and to remember that there are a ton of variables that could cause you not to be able to find the heartbeat. Baby's heartbeat will sound like a galloping pony/horse. Your placenta will sound like a swish/whoosh. In the earlier weeks it helps to have a full bladder and use pillows under your butt to elevate your pelvis/uterus. Also, you have to press the doppler down harder than you'd probably think.

Those are just a few tips/tricks I used until I got further along. To me, it was way more fun to me to hear baby swimming around in there before I could feel it.

katharine25 · February 2013

I love mine and it's really helped calm my anxiety and be able to enjoy just being pregnant. But I also had a loss history with a late first tri milestone, so my fears are more validated then others. I also tried it right after my 9w u/s when we had confirmation there was a heartbeat to find.

I have the sonoline b, and it's very sensitive, and I've always found the HB, though there are days it take longer or I have to try twice.

katiebenes · February 2013

I did not get one because I would freak out not finding the hb. (and I know I'd be bad at finding it.) So for my stressyness I went with no, even though I'd love to

Singer987 · February 2013

I have one and love it. Like others have said, if you're prone to freaking out then you might not want to get one. Since week 10, I have been able to find the baby every time but I know where my placenta is and the baby is always near it.

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