For those who had a doppler... a POLL! (XP w/ SAIF)

pblge · September 2014

I know there are a billion doppler posts here, but I couldn't find a poll regarding how helpful people found them with PgAL brains. Trying to decide if we should get one.

Having a doppler was....

smcniff · September 2014

I love mine. I use it nearly every day and haven't had much difficulty finding the HB since the first time at 10w5d. A few times though I had to go back later in the day, or I only got it for a couple seconds.

arschm02 · September 2014

My doppler is the reason I knew we lost our LO. I consistently found the heartbeat every day from 9w-11w. Then nothing. My appointment wasn't until 12w5d and I waited that whole time. Everyone told me everything was fine and that they're not reliable. I tried to be optimistic but went in to the appointment with a heavy heart, knowing deep down what they'd tell me. I was a mess, but I can only imagine that it would have been 10 times worse had I not been tipped off by the doppler. I'm counting down the days when I can try finding a heartbeat with this pregnancy!

Mom2anAngel2 · September 2014

I still use mine every night at 21 w 3 days, even though I feel regular movement now. I have used it every night from 10 weeks on and would have lost my mind without it. There were so many times that I was positive it was over (even though there was no reason to think that) and would run to my Doppler (positive there would be silence) only to hear a beautiful heartbeat and was able to sleep that night.

KJsbabe · September 2014

I love my Doppler. It has given me so much peace of mind with both DD's and this pregnancy. To me, you can put a price on peace of mind, and $50 to spen on a Doppler is well worth it.

MrsTuna08 · September 2014

I love love loved my doppler before I could feel her moving reliably. I have a tilted uterus and anterior placenta (which I knew about prior to attempting to find a heartbeat), so it was almost 12 weeks before I was able to detect the heartbeat. It definitely helped to ease my PGAL anxiety during the stretches between appointments.

E&B0811 · September 2014

Hawkward said:
I never got a doppler because I was worried it would drive me crazy if I couldn't find the heart beat. I think it was a good decision because I have an anterior placenta, and it takes the OB several minutes sometimes to find the heart beat.

I have both a primary doc (loss dad) and an OB who've invited me to come get a doppler check whenever, so that also influenced the decision.

All of these things. @Hawkward‌ speaks the truth re: anterior placenta. Last Friday at 26 weeks it still took my ob a minute to find vigorous baby's hb.

stefani103 · September 2014

I only use mine every few days because it worries the hubs. But it has kept my PGAL mind at bay. My first tri, I went in for u/s every week. I haven't had one in 6 weeks now, so I'm glad for validation.

But I'm also plus size, so it took me until almost 12 weeks to pick it up, and then another week or two to be able to find him regularly.

This all goes in the "every lady is different, ask and figure out what's best for you" file.

pblge · September 2014

This is a pretty convincing vote! I expected it to be much more mixed than this. Guess we're buying one!

@arschm02 - I'm so sorry. That must have been devastating. ((hugs))

arschm02 · September 2014

@pblge‌, thank you. It was, but like I said, I'm glad I had a bit of a warning before my appointment. It really will be my lifesaver this pregnancy. Good luck finding the heartbeat when you get it!

KMW08 · September 2014

I have one & it helped me quite a bit. I wasn't able to consistently find the hb until about 12wks. I did give myself guidelines though. I would only allow myself to use it once a day, only gave 30mins to find the hb, I had decided if I couldn't find the hb 2days in a row, then I'd contact my doc for a check.

intheplanningstage · September 2014

After 2 losses, this is the best 40 dollars I've ever spent. Yes, I've had a few anxious moments when I couldn't find the heartbeat (before 11 weeks) but since then, I've been good to go (and I have an anterior placenta, which makes it harder). Even if you can't find it, take a break and try again later. I told my DH it was his job to calm me if I started to freak out.

Drgn30 · September 2014

E&B0811 said:

I never got a doppler because I was worried it would drive me crazy if I couldn't find the heart beat. I think it was a good decision because I have an anterior placenta, and it takes the OB several minutes sometimes to find the heart beat.

I have both a primary doc (loss dad) and an OB who've invited me to come get a doppler check whenever, so that also influenced the decision.
All of these things. @Hawkward‌ speaks the truth re: anterior placenta. Last Friday at 26 weeks it still took my ob a minute to find vigorous baby's hb.

same. i had to show my ob where to find the heartbeat due to my anterior placenta. i had lots of practice thanks to my doppler

Junebug060609 · September 2014

lurker

I've done PgAL both with and without one. Both my kids were post losses.

Didn't have one with DS. There were a few times it would've really helped, most notably around24w when I ended up in l&d for lack of movement.

I got one with dd bc I knew it would be exponentially harder to run to l&d with DS to look out for and DH deployed. It helped on about a half dozen occasions, both early on and then later with movement changes.

I think as long as you keep in mind that before like 15w it can be hard to find the hb on doppler that they are worth it. Basically take not being able to find it at 11w as "its probably just too soon" instead of "zomg it's all over!"

nohalo21 · September 2014

I borrowed one from a friend and it has helped eased my mind. I also set guidelines as to how often I would use it, etc. I am a worrier by nature so I did not need the added stress. Now that I am feeling movement more, I still use it but not as frequently. I do have an anterior placenta which explains now why some times it sounds soft. My doc tried at 10 weeks and was able to find it. I made sure to watch where she was aiming so I could try on my own and got it.

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For those who had a doppler... a POLL! (XP w/ SAIF)

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