November 2016 Moms

The great home Doppler discussion

I bought a home Doppler when I was about 9 weeks with our first son (our little rainbow baby). It gave me such piece of mind to be able to listen to his heart beat every day, and then with our second son as well. I plan to use it with this baby too. But I know some women stay away from them because it gives them more anxiety than it does to put them at ease. 

So what are everyone's thoughts in this group? 

Re: The great home Doppler discussion

  • XmomXXmomX member
    I had one last time and I will NO DOUBT be using it again this time. I used it every other day until I could feel the baby move and it made my anxiety way more manageable. I never had a problem finding his heartbeat so I was lucky, while it would freak me out if I couldn't find it it's worth the risk to me.

    BabyFruit Ticker
     
  • Im definitely interested in one. Does anyone have any recommendations for good one? I was googling it the other day but didnt want to buy something that was poor quality. 
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  • Im definitely interested in one. Does anyone have any recommendations for good one? I was googling it the other day but didnt want to buy something that was poor quality. 
    I got my for around $30 on Amazon. I believe the brand is Angel Sounds? I would have to look again, as it's been awhile. But it was perfectly sufficient. 
  • Got one on eBay for fairly cheap (Sonoline B) and I plan on using it at least once a week til I can feel these two move! Used sparingly, and with the understanding that I am not a pro and will likely have trouble, I think it will help my anxiety.
    run along Pond...2015/12/10

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  • A friend is sending me hers. I absolutely will be using one until I start feeling regular movement. 
    K.

    Son, K, 9 | Daughter, C, 5 | Daughter, M, expected November 7, 2016
  • I didn't have one with my first.  I wouldn't have bought one with my second daughter, but I had a miscarriage between the girls, and lots of bleeding, and a friend mailed me hers.  It was a mixed blessing - it caused me anxiety every time I used it, but there was of course peace once I found the heartbeat.  I used it very rarely, because I knew it could totally stress me out.  I lent it to a friend from my 1st BMB who was due after me, and promptly forgot about it, but she just gave it back to me last weekend, so I'll probably use it a few times if this pregnancy progresses.  

    I cannot remember what I bought to use as gel - does anyone know?
    BabyFruit Ticker

    BFP 3.8.16  EDD 11.20.16

    image

  • @MollySm - aloe vera gel works, and it has other uses too which is nice! I believe you could also sub KY or some other water based lube just as easily. Or you can get a tube of Aquasonic US gel from Amazon for like $5!
    run along Pond...2015/12/10

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  • I avoide it last time, but....I might this time.
    BabyFruit Ticker





  • @comealongponds  - Thanks!  Aloe Vera is what I used.  I couldn't remember :-)
    BabyFruit Ticker

    BFP 3.8.16  EDD 11.20.16

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  • I did not use it with any of my past pregnancies. But after loosing our last baby at 17 weeks I will be buying one this time around. 
  • I had one last time and I loved it. I used it every day. I'm so looking forward to being far enough along to use it again. I think I'm going to wait until after my next ultrasound (when I'm sure there actually is a heartbeat) to start looking though.
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • SRose109 said:
    I had one last time and I loved it. I used it every day. I'm so looking forward to being far enough along to use it again. I think I'm going to wait until after my next ultrasound (when I'm sure there actually is a heartbeat) to start looking though.
    I'm gonna do the same. I'm hoping they do another ultrasound at my next appointment on the 30th. I'll be one day away from 8 weeks then 
  • I have the Angel Sounds one and I loved it. I forgot about it but now I'm going to go find it!
    Awesome Kid #1: Born September 2013!
    Awesome Kid #2: Due November 2016!
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  • aquasocks said:
    I have the Angel Sounds one and I loved it. I forgot about it but now I'm going to go find it!
    Mine is under my bathroom sink. And my BF just bought a battery that fits it, so I might steal that just in case I need it lol 
  • XmomXXmomX member
    How soon will you guys start trying to find the heart beat?  I didn't even try last time until 10 weeks after I knew the OB could find it. But I am wondering if its even worth trying before that. 

    BabyFruit Ticker
     
  • I was obsessed with mine last time! DD got ahold of it though and now it might be broken agh. But I will no doubt buy another one if it is. Such a peace of mind! Even when I wasn't concerned, it was just always nice to hear. 
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  • I had the angel sounds doppler with my son and used it daily until I could feel him move. Major anxiety relief!
    Me: 30 DH: 31
    Married 7/2012
    DS born 11/2013
    Ectopic , right tube removed 8/2015
    BFP 3/2016
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  • XmomX said:
    How soon will you guys start trying to find the heart beat?  I didn't even try last time until 10 weeks after I knew the OB could find it. But I am wondering if its even worth trying before that. 
    I'm not sure. I might wait until at least 8 weeks. I was 9 weeks with our first and able to find it no problem 
  • I used one for my first pregnancy and will definitely be using it again! Besides the reassurance it gave, it was such a special and emotional thing to listen to his heartbeat every night before bed.
    Me: 38 l DH: 41
    Gavin - 8/27/10
    *TW*
    Gabriel - 2nd tri loss 5/17/16 Trisomy 18 & 21
    Hope -  2nd tri loss 12/7/16 complications from pneumonia


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  • I bought a new Sonoline B off eBay and was able to pick up a HB at barely 9 weeks last time. Took about 5 minutes to find it, but then I was addicted. I only used it every few weeks towards the end of the pregnancy but it brought immense peace of mind. I gave mine to a girlfriend, but definitely buying again. 

    It came with a couple tubes of the gel, but Aloe works perfectly. It's especially heartwarming when they kick the doppler. It makes a huge WUMP noise.


  • I bought a new Sonoline B off eBay and was able to pick up a HB at barely 9 weeks last time. Took about 5 minutes to find it, but then I was addicted. I only used it every few weeks towards the end of the pregnancy but it brought immense peace of mind. I gave mine to a girlfriend, but definitely buying again. 

    It came with a couple tubes of the gel, but Aloe works perfectly. It's especially heartwarming when they kick the doppler. It makes a huge WUMP noise.


    Oh I kinda like this one. I'm gonna look it up in Amazon lol 
  • I don't plan to buy one.  I don't think it would change much.  If you lose a heartbeat prior to 24 weeks or so, it's not really possible to intervene, anyway.  After 24 weeks, you should already be feeling the baby move so wouldn't need the monitor.
  • I had a similar Sonoline one to the one @HomeyDontPlayThat mentioned...can't recall when I started using it but yea, mixed emotions.  Stressed when I couldn't find the beat but then relief...which FAR outweighed the stress for me. :smile: Planning on using it again this time and I just used Aloe once the gel it came with ran out...


    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker

    **TW**
    Losses:
     #1: 8wks MMC 4/16
    #2: 13+4 T21 + Hydrops 3/17
  • I bought and used a sonoline b with DS because of a previous MMC. I started using it around 9 weeks, I think, and I used it off and on throughout the pregnancy.  I don't know how I would've dealt without it. I plan to use it with this one as well. :)

    TTC Since 6/13
    BFP 1: 6/16/13  EDD: 3/2/14  MMC: 8/26/13
    BFP 2: 11/16/13 EDD: 8/3/14
    Baby Brody born 8/1/14!!!


  • sugar9277 said:
    I don't plan to buy one.  I don't think it would change much.  If you lose a heartbeat prior to 24 weeks or so, it's not really possible to intervene, anyway.  After 24 weeks, you should already be feeling the baby move so wouldn't need the monitor.
    I still used it even well after the 24 week mark. Just for my own piece of mind. 
  • XmomXXmomX member
    sugar9277 said:
    I don't plan to buy one.  I don't think it would change much.  If you lose a heartbeat prior to 24 weeks or so, it's not really possible to intervene, anyway.  After 24 weeks, you should already be feeling the baby move so wouldn't need the monitor.
    I know that it wouldn't change anything but it stops me from wondering if everything is ok and hearing the heartbeat just made my whole day better. 

    BabyFruit Ticker
     
  • @MollySm - aloe vera gel works, and it has other uses too which is nice! I believe you could also sub KY or some other water based lube just as easily. Or you can get a tube of Aquasonic US gel from Amazon for like $5!
    Not sure if it works for all, but I actually just used plain old water! Obviously it dries out so you need to reapply, but I didn't have to worry about cleaning myself off afterwards
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  • Could you use an oil? I mean you have to apply that stuff anyway or at least I did, but would it not work with the Doppler? Might just gum it up I suppose.
  • Could you use an oil? I mean you have to apply that stuff anyway or at least I did, but would it not work with the Doppler? Might just gum it up I suppose.
    I'm sure you can
  • Could you use an oil? I mean you have to apply that stuff anyway or at least I did, but would it not work with the Doppler? Might just gum it up I suppose.
    I'm sure you can
    No, you should not use an oil or an oil-based substance like a lotion. The coupling medium needs to have similar acoustic properties to tissue which the water-based gels have. 

    Beyond that it could potentially cause damage to the transducer and they are sensitive pieces of equipment. 

    (My undergrad was in biomedical physics)

    K.

    Son, K, 9 | Daughter, C, 5 | Daughter, M, expected November 7, 2016
  • @KilgraveMadeMeDoIt Thank you! Good to know :-)
  • nibunibu member
    I saw this post and had to have one!  I just bought it on fetaldoppler.net and it was $36.95 with shipping included. I ordered the 3mhz one
  • I can see why some people like having one.  I'm just very geared towards practicality.  Also, part of me feels like it offers somewhat false reassurance - a heartbeat on doppler today doesn't increase or decrease the odds of a healthy pregnancy; only time (longer gestation) improves those odds.  Since it would not change any outcomes, it's just not for me.  
  • @GreenEyedUnicorn really no problem at 9 weeks?  I worked antepartum my first couple of years in nursing and I had such a hard time with anyone earlier than 10...ok really 12 weeks.  I feel like this is now a challenge, and I might have to get one of these just to test my skills against my former newbie nurse self.

    Also, home Doppler immediately makes me think of a few amazing scenes from John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph.


    me . early 30's | h . mid 30's | < 3 . 2013

    ntnp #2 . summer 2018

    *siggy warning*

    ttc#1 . jul 2015
    mmc . mar 2016 | 6w2d
    dx PCOS (non-IR) / subclinical hypothyroidism . summer 2016
    tx metformin, levothyroxine, LP progesterone, femara + trigger + ti . fall/winter 2016
    BFP! . jan 2017
    DD . oct 2017

  • sugar9277 said:
    I can see why some people like having one.  I'm just very geared towards practicality.  Also, part of me feels like it offers somewhat false reassurance - a heartbeat on doppler today doesn't increase or decrease the odds of a healthy pregnancy; only time (longer gestation) improves those odds.  Since it would not change any outcomes, it's just not for me.  
    I think that's fair, but it's also true that nothing predicts with 100% certainty that all will go well. One could use the same argument to say that feeling movement is false reassurance. It is a horrible reality that some women experience loss even after feeling movement. There are no guarantees when it comes to anything about pregnancy. 

    Just like with feeling movement, hearing a heartbeat with a Doppler is, for many women, reassurance that at that moment, the baby is okay. And we can check again later if we need more reassurance. I rented a Doppler when I was pregnant with my daughter and it was, for me, something that allowed me to get through the extra anxiety until I started feeling her move regularly. 
    K.

    Son, K, 9 | Daughter, C, 5 | Daughter, M, expected November 7, 2016
  • sugar9277 said:
    I don't plan to buy one.  I don't think it would change much.  If you lose a heartbeat prior to 24 weeks or so, it's not really possible to intervene, anyway.  After 24 weeks, you should already be feeling the baby move so wouldn't need the monitor.
    It may not change anything but it's still reassuring. If you have an appt at 16 weeks and hear the heartbeat, baby looses HB at 17 weeks and you don't find out till your next appt at 20 weeks that's three weeks of not knowing your baby was gone. It is just reassuring being able to hear it more and know baby is okay. 
  • XmomXXmomX member
    sugar9277 said:
    I don't plan to buy one.  I don't think it would change much.  If you lose a heartbeat prior to 24 weeks or so, it's not really possible to intervene, anyway.  After 24 weeks, you should already be feeling the baby move so wouldn't need the monitor.
    It may not change anything but it's still reassuring. If you have an appt at 16 weeks and hear the heartbeat, baby looses HB at 17 weeks and you don't find out till your next appt at 20 weeks that's three weeks of not knowing your baby was gone. It is just reassuring being able to hear it more and know baby is okay. 
    Exactly this. I would want to know as early as possible if something did happen. I just like not having to "wonder" if everything is ok in there.

    BabyFruit Ticker
     
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