Doppler experiences?

LO95 · October 2014

So, I caved and bought a Sonoline B because someone on my BMB was raving about picking up a heartbeat at 9 weeks. Since I'm 10w5d tomorrow I took the plunge to calm my nerves. (lol because when you have an anxiety problem that's just an lol concept) After 10 minutes I was starting to feel awful- nothing.

But DH moved the doppler and all of a sudden we're picking up 186 but not really hearing much. (DH says he heard something very light, but I didn't hear anything with the volume turned to max.) We never did get it to stay that high again, but later when I moved to the other side of my belly button we were POSITIVE we heard that fast galloping sound we've heard at our appointments. But of course the doppler number never went above 136.

I know 10w is early; has anyone had a similar early experience? Any opinions on dopplers? I felt like I was going to hurt the baby by pressing too hard for too long. Is that paranoid or something to be concerned about? (I mean, okay, I've already technically done it so yes, but for future reference.)

southernyankeegirl · October 2014

Mine wasn't reliable at reading the speed, but you can bet anything over 120 is baby and not you (if you haven't just finished a spin class!)

I didn't get mine until 14 w and I still had to point the damned thing under my pelvic bone for awhile. It causes more stress for some, so if it worries you more than it helps, shelve it for a week or so until it's easier!

ETA: As far as hurting baby, imagine s/he is in a balloon filled with water with a baby carrot floating - poking the balloon isn't going to damage the carrot, just perhaps move it around!

AMShark · October 2014

I have not caved to the Doppler yet, (although, now that my appointments are so far apart, I imagine I will).

... and then I read your posts, and I wonder if it will just cause more uncertainty.

(Sorry - that wasn't helpful at all - but I will be stalking your post later for some real answers).

LO95 · October 2014

Yeah, I agree. Out of curiosity, do you think there's anything to worry about with using one?

I've seen mixed things on the Internet, and obviously, I've already used it but now I'm feeling very worried about ever using it again if some of the things I've read are true.

southernyankeegirl · October 2014

The internet is a scary place. There's no reliable research that indicates there's a risk. It's just sound waves - once baby has ear drums, I'd use it a lot less. But at this point, you aren't doing anything except sending sound waves, and there's no hearing to even consider damaging.

Now at 26 w, baby kicks when I do the Doppler but he moves so much that I very rarely feel the need.

beachy6 · October 2014

I LOVED mine. I was very lucky and heard the heartbeat early, but that's kind of rare. I had to keep it down by my pubic bone for a long time. Sometimes, if I tilted it down while it was on the bone, that helped. And, I had to push hard. Baby is just fine! After awhile you will get to learn the different sounds and it's pretty cool! However, if you don't hear it, just put it up for a few days and try later. It's very possible that the baby is hiding/too small/positioned differently and you won't be able to pick it up.

LO95 · October 2014

That's helpful! Thanks for the reassurance. @beachy6 Out of curiosity, do you remember how far you were?

pblge · October 2014

LOVING mine, too! I used it earlier and probably will again tonight...and maybe tomorrow. (I'm a little nervous about the NT scan tomorrow.) I don't buy the numbers at all. It's read around 170 for just the whooshing noises, so I know it's BS. Often I can't isolate the heartbeat on its own, either, so the measurement is clearly conflated with the other noises.

I read up a lot on this, and it seems like the biggest risk is from heating baby up with the sound waves. That will only happen if you keep the wand there for a while. I don't know how long, though. I get really nervous about using it too long, so I've probably never had it on for more than 5-8 minutes at a time. I don't think you're going to do any harm with the pressing down at all!

LO95 · October 2014

@pblge Glad it's not just me! Aren't you an April? I can't remember. I think we probably used the doppler between 10-15 minutes. Sigh... I guess in hindsight we should have tried for five minutes and then quit. (I don't think we held it in the same place for any amount of time so hopefully that counts...) But when I didn't hear anything it of course freaked me out-probably part of why so many people are against these.

Pregnancy is scary. I just want to be a mom. No one said it would be like this.

chrissynena · October 2014

I have that Doppler and love it. It never matches the actual heart beat tho. That early you are still really far down, so keep checking there. I wasn't able to hear anything until 11w. At my 12 week appt my ob wouldn't even attempt to listen for both heart beats, even tho I had found both at home. Plus they have so much room at that point they are bouncing all over the place it takes awhile to get a good read. Sometimes would take 10 minutes or so to find.

Saintelizabeth · October 2014

A friend let me borrow her Sonoline B during my first trimester and it was a life saver when My IF brain was in overdrive. The Sonoline B is SO sensitive it was hard to get a good spot. There were a few times I thought I was listening to the hb, freaking out because it was so slow but it turns out I was listening to one of my arteries.

Neesey · October 2014

You can listen to your arteries and your placenta too. Watching YouTube videos really helped me to learn what I should be listening for. I stopped looking at the read out and just started listening. It helped a lot.

dp21 · October 2014

Loved my doppler, started to hear the heart beat after 11 weeks. Everyone is different. I got my doppler around 8 weeks, so I'd try once a week and finally found it after a few weeks. I used it frequently up until 22 weeks or so. Now I can feel baby move all the time, so no need to use it. It was a life safer during those first 4 week breaks between appointments. In the RE office, I was use to living there and getting seen every week. It really helped calm my nerves. It is still early on, you will be able to pick up baby better as you get further along.

MissEm15 · October 2014

I heard mine at 9w+ It takes patience. They were really lowon my body and both babies were to my left side kind of on top of each other for a long time. So I only every heard one (to my knowledge bc both were always same at my apts.). I did put some pressure on it too & you kind of have to tilt it different directions bf just moving it around. If you hear any noises at all, that's a good sign. My SIL did it just for fun & there was nothing to hear. I did think the hb rate was similar to my u/s apts though. I always found them to be around 170 & I could hear it. Good luck!

hopeby2015 · October 2014

I only ever saw the hb (around 135) but could never hear it. Mine was a hand-me-down and figured maybe the sound was broken? Idk .. but it worked me when I couldn't hear anything except for the white noise. So we just put it to the side. Doppler are great if they are easy enough to use. If you can't figure it out, it's really a lot more stressful than its worth!

Momarazzi007 · October 2014

W DD I heard her at 9 weeks, with this one it wasn't until 12 weeks. It depends a lot in location. DD was right up front to left. This one is all the way back and center- so I think that might have de the difference.

ladyteach0505 · October 2014

(LO95 mobile account) To those who have responded, did you worry about overheating? I guess because I've got the idea in my head now I'm wondering if that's an actual thing or if there is reason to not use it again. It sounds like most people are using without any mention of a problem.

hopeby2015 · October 2014

Gotta say that never crossed my mind as the copper is typically used on very cold gel.

ekc0630 · October 2014

I found heartbeat at 9 weeks. It was very low close to the pelvic bone. Make sure you are using gel. I just went to walgreens and picked up some astroglide. I couldn't find it if I didn't have the gel. Even at 28 weeks it still needed to have gel or lotion on it. Gel def worked much better though.

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