Fetal Doppler

bnt1023 · February 2016

I just purchased one and tried for almost an hour trying to hear the babies heartbeat (no luck). I'm 12 wks and for my 10 1/2 wk prenatal visit my OB was unable to to find it with her Doppler, however we clearly saw it on the US minutes before. Has anyone else had trouble finding their babies heartbeat with a Doppler?

BurdyGurl · February 2016

I was given a Doppler when pregnant with my daughter, I didn't start hearing anything until about 18 weeks tho!

kyraaD · February 2016

a lot of women struggle to find the heatbeat on their at home dopplers, mainly because they dont really know how to use one & probably find the heartbeat. this is one reason why i never considered buying myself a doppler. while it would be nice to hear the heartbeat when i wanted, i didn't want to panic myself unnecessarily if/when i couldn't find it.

jonesl12 · February 2016

I work at a part ob/gyn office and family practice. I hear this all too often. Take it in and have them teach you how to use it at your next appointment. I spend way too much time on the phone with moms to be who have meltdowns because their funzie Doppler won't pick up heart tones. 99% of the time I have them come in and baby is fine however this takes away from time that could have been spent on moms with legit issues.

Home dopplers more often than not ( early on) cause both mom and her doctors staff more issues than reassurance.

edit: at 12 weeks the tones will be barely above the pelvic bone

bnt1023 · February 2016

Thank you for responding! I wasn't going to get one myself, but girlfriend of mine is 19 wks and has the same one. When she showed me hers it got me excited. But you're right... It put me into a panic mode that wasn't necessary. @jonesl12 @kyraaD thank you ladies!

megstervt · February 2016

At 18 weeks I still have a hard time finding his heartbeat. However, my husband has been able to find it since about 15 weeks. I think it's the angle he can hold the wand at and the ability to see where to move it. Or the baby just likes him more haha
There are some great videos out there that show you how to use it depending how far along you are. Also, like PPs said, see if your OB would be willing to give you a lesson at your next appointment.

ETA: it took my OB a minute or so to find the heartbeat with her Doppler at 14 weeks.

arcanejinx · February 2016

My OB had issues finding her heartbeat until around 16 weeks-always took about 5 minutes from around 12 weeks on. My LO hates the noise of the doppler and runs from it (also hated the ultrasound), she now punches me hard during every check. Some babies really don't like the sound which can make it harder to pick up. It was worrying at first but since it happens every single time I've gotten used to it-and made me feel better about not getting a doppler for home use. Why cause myself the excess stress, you know?

mrsgillham14 · February 2016

Go to YouTube and look for videos showing how to find the heartbeat. That helped me a lot. Also if you have an anterior placenta it will be more difficult to find the heartbeat because of the extra padding in between. I found the heartbeat with mine and then couldn't find it for a week because the baby decided to hide. It's still early and they still have lots of room to move around making it difficult to find.

lalala2004 · February 2016

My OB couldn't find the heartbeat on Doppler at 11 weeks, but I have an anterior placenta. Did you doctor or u/s tech mention that at all?

elizabethannette85 · March 2016

My PCP found my LO's right at 9 weeks with her doppler. We were concerned about losing one of my two so she said a doppler for at home might not be a bad idea to give myself peace of mind that my one is still healthy and trucking along just fine. I got the sonoline b and after spending a decent amount of time trying to find baby's heartbeat the day it arrived, I've been able to find baby's heartbeat (now 168) easily and consistently (had it overnighted after the dr visit). But everyone and very pregnancy is different.

Fetal Doppler

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