Anybody have a Doppler? What do you think?

[BeadinMom]

So I'm paranoid...
And freaked out that something could happen to this sweet little baby I've taken forever to conceive.

So I bought a Doppler on eBay yesterday & I can't wait for it to get here...
But I'm also afraid it's going to be my new obsession. I don't know if I'll find it reassuring or impossible to turn off...know what I mean?

Anyway...I've had my NT scan & Maternit21 test with good results from both...
So my baby should be okay, barring other craziness like infection, trauma...right???

Anybody have a Doppler? Do you love it or hate it?

[dloui128]

I have a doppler, i didn't like it at first because it was hard for me to find the heart beat until I was like 15 weeks or so, my dr said it is because my uterus is tilted, so not finding the heart beat would freak me out! Once it was easier to find then I liked it, I used it every night for like a month until the novelty of it wore off

[BeadinMom]

Oh thanks Dloui!! I have a tilted uterus, too...so I am soooo glad you said that!!!

Thanks for the info!!!

Hope that sweet baby boy is doing well!! XO

[dloui128]

Oh thanks Dloui!! I have a tilted uterus, too...so I am soooo glad you said that!!!

Thanks for the info!!!

Hope that sweet baby boy is doing well!! XO

he is awesome, thank you for asking

[hotdogz&boyz]

I have one. I used it in my second and third pregnancies (those were the two after my losses). And really, I never used it with any frequency, only when I needed reassurance because the baby had been quiet with movement. I also have a tilted uterus and I always have anterior placentas. I found my second at 12 weeks and my third at 10.5 weeks. I used it sometimes before they started moving around (or at least before I could feel them), but like Dloui said, if I couldn't find it, I would freak out. So I limited it early on. It did bring me a lot of reassurance. Heck, I even used it on the way to the hospital in labor (she was high and wanted to make sure cord compression didn't seem to be a problem). It was a good thing for me. I didn't let myself use it too often though, only when I really needed to.

[BeadinMom]

Thanks HDB!!!
I hope mine gets here soon....I guess you hit it on the head...I can't feel movement yet, so Im anxious & hoping this will make me feel better.

[RKT Mama]

I hate them as a health professional.
Dopplers pick up anything moving in there, including the uterine blood vessels. Hearing a heartbeat does not mean a live baby in there, even doctors and midwives can be fooled and listen to a dead baby thinking it is fine.

They provide false reassurance that all is well if a heartbeat can be heard, if a baby is not moving as much as before or the movement changes, especially in the later stages of pregnancy (after 24 weeks), you should be seeing a health professional to be checked out properly, regardless of being able to hear a heartbeat with a Doppler or not. Whether the baby is okay or not is much more complex than if it has a heartbeat.

They can also cause unnecessary worry, finding a heartbeat can be tricky and it is scary when you can't find one.

I fully understand as a mum why people buy and use them but I have seen a couple of babies who might have been saved if mum wasn't reassured by hearing a heartbeat with a Doppler and didn't seek help until too late

[vickyaust]

I have one & love it (and I am a nurse!).

I recommend you look on u tube and learn how to use it.

[BeadinMom]

Thanks Vicky, I'm a nurse, too...
I think I'd find it much more reassuring!! I hope it gets here soon. I'll definitely take your advice with the YouTube videos!!

I used to have one of those headphone stethoscope looking devices for my oldest....these weren't available for any of my other boys, so Im happy to have the chance to not only reassure myself, but to have my boys hear the heartbeat, too.

Thanks!!

[vickyaust]

I started using mine at 8 weeks. It took up to 5 min to find the HB. It gets so much asker as the bub grows.

My placenta was anterior and I couldn't feel lots of movements until 20 weeks. The Doppler was so reassuring.