Fetal doppler

DH and I have been debating on this and I was curious to know others experiences. I feel like there are definitely pros and cons to this but not sure which outweighs which.

Re: Fetal doppler

If you get it to work within 2 mins ... definite pros.


If you lay there like an ass for 20 mins waiting for the darn thing to pick up baby's heart rate and half your your own heart in your throat the whole time ... definite con.

Those things aren't always reliable. If you're ok with that, then get one .... but for me personally I found they caused more stress than reassurance. The sono tech at my dr's office said to put it away till the 3rd tri and only take it out if I haven't felt the baby move in a while. It's easier to detect the heartbeat when you're further along. My 20 minute debacle was at like 14wks though and definitely not my proudest moment. I was going nuts!

Fetal doppler

I have a fetal doppler and PennyCat is right...if you can find the heartbeat in 2 minutes or less then that is a DEF pro!!! DH and I couldn't find it for about 10 minutes and it was the longest 10 minutes of my life!!

Most people don't like them because of this reason. I knew baby boy was doing just fine and I still panicked when I couldn't find the heartbeat. He was just being stubborn. I would say, it might depend on the person if you should get one or not. We found a groupon and DH saw an article about a woman saving her baby because she used one and the heartrate was 200. I use it once a week on the weeks I don't have doctor appts.

Fetal doppler

I was debating also but after researching online and reading other's experiences I opted out. I still was tempted but once I started feeling my baby move daily ..appx 24 weeks I no longer found the need for it. There are ones you can rent but read up on their accuracy before torturing yourself.

Re: Fetal doppler

DH has forbidden me from getting one. I tend to get a bit....panicky...occasionally.... and he thinks this will just be another way to drive myself bonkers.

Re: Fetal doppler

I had one and used it from 10 weeks until I could start feeling DD. It was great when I could find the HB right away. When it took 10-20 minutes it got a little nerve wracking. If you're not going to let your nerves get the better of you I definitely recommend it. I loved being able to check on DD for peace of mind.

Re: Fetal doppler

I had one w my 1st pregnancy and I loved it, I stopped using it after he was moving but I enjoyed it while I used it

Re: Fetal doppler

I freaked out with my first pregnancy because i found my heartrate and not the baby's heart rate and i was hysterically crying because i knew it was super low to be a baby's heart rate.
However, this is my 3rd pregnancy and i know better to flip out like i did with my first.
I had fun listening with my 2nd DC and now i look forward to using it with my 3rd.

Fetal doppler

I bought one when I was pregnant with my 1st. I never tried looking for the HB before 10 weeks. I never had trouble finding it either. Definitely worth it for me and I'm still using the same one now on my 4th pregnancy. My sister also borrowed it for her 2 pregnanies and I've had friends borrow it as well. It has brought me so much relief at times when I've been worried. Now that baby is moving, I dont use it anymore.

I might actually sell mine, since this is my last pregnancy. This is the one I have (I BELIEVE it is the same one, I cant find a model number on mine but it looks identical): Doppler I bought it for close to $400 7 years ago, but it still works perfectly. If you're interested, make me an offer :)

Message edited 4/10/2013 10:10:13 AM.

Re: Fetal doppler

i love having it. i never start using it before 10 weeks to try to avoid not being able to find it. It happened once and i totally freaked out but i got up and walked around and then tried again and found it right away.

it is the only thing that makes me sleep at night after having past MCs.

Fetal doppler

I love it! Began using it at 10 weeks. Basically you just have to become familiar with your baby's position. As your uterus grows it goes further up. Mine for a while was on my right side right at my csection incision. It is now a little higher up but once I find that original heartbeat location I just slowly move it up.

You need a lot of patience.

Re: Fetal doppler

Posted by sweetpea

i love having it. i never start using it before 10 weeks to try to avoid not being able to find it. It happened once and i totally freaked out but i got up and walked around and then tried again and found it right away.

it is the only thing that makes me sleep at night after having past MCs.

Re: Fetal doppler

just bought one on ebay for 50$
it included the doppler, gel, and batteries. No bad, and free shipping.

Re: Fetal doppler

at the beginning of my pregnancy I looked into getting one because I was always freaking about every little thing twitch, pain etc. However I read about the dopplers and heard so many complains about how hard it was to used and if you are the type of person that would panic because you can't find the heart rate it can be worse. For some people it works well and love using them

Fetal doppler

im getting a sonoline