When could you hear the heartbeat on the doppler?

ktkoala · July 2014

So, the title says it all. I had my NT scan on Wednesday and everything looked great - happy, healthy baby measuring ahead of schedule (~12 weeks). But, then my 12 week appointment yesterday, and the midwife couldn't find the heartbeat on the doppler. She said not to worry because it was still early, but even she seemed a little concerned. So, when was your Dr able to hear the heartbeat on the doppler? We probably won't hear it until 16 weeks now at our next appointment

longcat07 · July 2014

i was 10w on the nose at my last appointment when my OB found it. well, 10w by LMP, which is what my OB is using...going by how bean measured, i was more like 9.5w. this is my second. with my first, my doctor didn't even try to look for it till my appointment when i was 13.5w (and she found it easily).

atrinh11 · July 2014

I put 10 weeks into the poll, but that was with my first. Honestly they haven't tried with this pregnancy yet. With my son, I just happened to have a 10 week appointment, and my OB did struggle to find the HB. I think she was about to give up when she finally found it. It was really faint and quiet, so I wasn't sure what to think. She was able to tell the heart rate from it, so she was happy. She did warn us in advance of trying that it was early, and that if she couldn't find it we shouldn't worry.

With this pregnancy, my last appointment was actually at 11w6d. I had scheduled my NT scan and Dr. appointment the same day, back to back. The two offices are in the same building, so it was convenient for me to do them the same day. Anyway, when I saw my OB, she said she wasn't going to use the doppler because we had just been watching the baby's heartbeat on the screen for the better part of an hour. It made sense to me. So this time she will try when I am about 16 weeks.

SpaceGirlSpiff · July 2014

I was 12 weeks the first time the doc tried to find it and we picked it up (it did take a minute or two though until she found the very specific spot finally).... so not sure if we might have picked it up sooner if we tried.. probably. I've heard as early as 10w I think it can be picked up on the doppler.

YaMrWhite · July 2014

I said SS because I was personally able to find it at 9w5d but my dr. didn't even attempt to find it until today at my 14w appt. She found it right away.

WillCMyInk · July 2014

I found it myself at home at 10w on the nose. The Dr. found it at my appointment at 10w6d, though she warned me that we might not be able to find it.

ktkoala · July 2014

Eck, this is making me more nervous, not less.

ktkoala · July 2014

@heidih21 - we had an ultrasound the day before with the NT scan and everything looked great, but I'm still nervous.

sis180 · July 2014

I'm 13 weeks now (and won't know about the doppler heartbeat for 2 more weeks), but when I was 10w 5d, they couldn't find the heartbeat with a doppler. My OB said usually around 11-12 weeks is when the doppler will pick it up, and not to worry about it. she then did an ultrasound just to make sure, and everything was fine.

LooneyLife · July 2014

We heard it the first time it was attempted, which was at 13w. I don't know if we would have heard it sooner if my OB appointment had been sooner.

Josie400 · July 2014

LooneyLife said:
We heard it the first time it was attempted, which was at 13w. I don't know if we would have heard it sooner if my OB appointment had been sooner.

This is exactly what my answer was going to be.

nmrd · July 2014

ktkoala said:

@heidih21 - we had an ultrasound the day before with the NT scan and everything looked great, but I'm still nervous.

So, does this mean you saw and/or heard the heartbeat at the ultrasound? I would try not to worry, though I understand. My OBGYN found mine at 11 weeks but it was difficult and she almost didn't find it. My understanding is that it's not uncommon to have trouble finding the heartbeat this early. To put your mind at ease could see about going back in sooner or getting an at home doppler? Fingers crossed for you that everything's fine but I'd lean toward assuming nothing's changed in the past day if you haven't had any other symptoms and the midwife didn't seem concerned enough to set a sooner follow up.

ktkoala · July 2014

@nmrd - yes, we saw the baby dancing around and heard the heartbeat at the ultrasound (it may have been computerized). I am trying not to give in and spend $50 dollars on a home doppler, but I may have to. The midwives didnt seem concerned at all, so I doubt that they would be ok letting me come in just to calm my nerves.

Thanks for letting me whine.

JerseyHopeful · July 2014

I LOVE having the home doppler. We are pretty frugal but after my mc I know I would want one and I love checking in and listening. Worth every cent of the $50

ktkoala · July 2014

I can't seem to find the thread where everyone said what kindof they had. What kind do you have @jerseyhopeful?

elleswarth · July 2014

10 weeks with my home doppler I found on groupon. AngelSounds fetal doppler for $27, it works amazingly. You can find them on amazon as well. So nice to be able to listen in and put my mind to ease after a series of bad cramps or anything that worries me.

JerseyHopeful · July 2014

Sonoline B....it seems to be the one most people get. I think it works well. My hunny loves it too I think it really helps him connect to the pregbancy!

lunamishka · July 2014

I heard it at 9 weeks on the dot. The midwife did warn me that it may be too early. It took a few minutes but she was able to find it.

alexandrac86 · July 2014

First trans vaginal u/s w/hb 7w2d 157bpm

First at home doppler reading 9w 154-159bpm steady range

First doppler reading at Dr. 12w (only because that was my next scheduled apt) 156bpm

Vanval10 · July 2014

I heard my baby's heartbeat at my 10w appointment but at my appointment today I wasn't able to. My doctor said it was probably because the baby was moving around or hiding. So we did a quick ultrasound and baby was fine, moving like crazy.
Maybe we both just have lil hiders.

storm08 · July 2014

We just heard the heartbeat on Wednesday - 11 weeks, 1 day.

However (hoping to make you feel better) - with my first the OB couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler at 11 weeks, so she did a quick u/s and everything looked good. At 15 weeks we went back, and the nurse practitioner couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler after looking for what felt like forever, and then it took my OB another couple of tries before she found it too. Sometimes baby just likes to hide!

AlfiesMOM · July 2014

On my at-home one I could hear in a little after 9w and the doctor tried at my 12w appointment and heard it...

JoaPata · July 2014

Don't worry, they did Doppler for me at 13 weeks and could not find it so did Ultrasound and baby was just moving around a lot and flipping and was just so active that it was not easy to find on the doppler but easy on the Ultrasound. Nothing to worry about!!

MrsL8487 · July 2014

I was 12 weeks with my first son. And I was 10 weeks with this one. Everyone baby is different. Just depends on where they are hanging out. I just now found the heartbeat using my home doppler. It took forever, too!

caraleeb · July 2014

We couldnt get it at my 10w appt and are going to try at my 12w but said even then it can be hit or miss so not to worry

MNgirl326 · July 2014

Heard it today - 12w5days
She had some trouble finding it and had to go quite a bit lower like down by my pubic area. But she found it
S

llambrose · July 2014

I just had my 12 week (almost 13weeks) appointment today and the doctor said she may or may not be able to find it with the Doppler. She tried for a couple of minutes and never found it so she said she would just send me for a quick ultrasound they did the ultrasound and found it and the ultrasound tech said that she wasn't surprised it didn't show up on the Doppler because the baby was wiggling around a lot.

jmcmoe · July 2014

I just had my second appointment and am 14 weeks and some change, and my midwife couldn't find the heart beat, but every once in a while you could hear a watery movement noise so she said it's likely because the baby is super active and hard to track down to pick up the heart beat. I'm not concerned as my last baby was super active and hard to peg down too. Also I have had an ultrasound and the heart rate was normal on there.

SRose1005 · July 2014

I heard mine at home at 8 weeks, and at my next doctors appointment at 10 weeks also. The nurse who tried to find the heartbeat first couldn't find it though. She was looking way farther down than where I'd found it before (but I felt silly telling her what to do, since I'm a FTM and she's the nurse). Anyway my OB came in right after that and I feel much more comfortable with her so I told her where I'd found it before and with a bit of effort she found it too.

I wouldn't worry about not finding the heartbeat on the doppler though if you had a good ultrasound, maybe the little one is just farther back and hiding.

newguardwife · July 2014

I heard it at an appointment at 11w1d, but f two weeks later baby was less cooperative and it took quite a while for her to find it. With DS they couldn't find it at 15w and I had to get a viability scan. Sometimes the babies just don't want to cooperate.

Mrsbond1985 · July 2014

I have a doppler at home. I tried for three days to find it with no luck. At 9w5d I was able to find it and now I check on baby every day. Some days it's much harder to find than others, so I wouldn't be worried at all. I agree with PP. Completely worth every penny of the $50 I spent this month.

ktkoala · July 2014

Well, I emailed the parents list serve that I am a part of looking for a Doppler and someone sold me one for $10 dollars. $3 for a bottle of aloe vera gel, and we heard a heartbeat! Best $13 dollars I've spent all pregnancy! It was pretty easy too which doesn't give me too much faith in the midwives!

kilayla13 · July 2014

(I'm 12 weeks today)Two days ago , I had my appointment. He checked the heartbeat and found it right away! It was 164 bps (not that he told us..) and it was loud and thumping like a champion

that was the first time we had that done... they didn't even try earlier. If I become pregnant again I'm definitely doing things much more differently and intimately.

letsgox · July 2014

I bought a Doppler to use at home and found the HB at 8w3d I think. The dr didn't check for one until my first official appt at 11+ weeks.

sanbry · July 2014

Haven't had a Doppler check at drs yet and wont until my 16 week check, but I bought a sonoline b Doppler this time around and found it this week(12 weeks). Mind you it took a lot of digging and is still faint enough that my Doppler won't give me a beat reading. I had to count it myself. Don't stress, especially with the great ultrasound you had!

ktin987 · July 2014

I'm 12 wks today and decided to try and find it. I found it almost right away! I'm so happy I've made it to this point. After 4 early losses, this is a huge step! Thank you angel sounds for my sanity, I can make it to my next appt!

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