Baby heart monitor

[Allegra]

So, my sister gave me the baby heart monitor that she used during her pregnancy so I can hear my baby’s heartbeat. I was pretty excited about it as this is my first and I’ve had a lot of anxiety. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to work. I can barely make out my own heartbeat with it much less a baby’s heartbeat. Meanwhile, my sister claims that she spent half her pregnancy drifting to sleep to the gentle sound of her daughter’s heartbeat. This whole thing makes me really nervous, like something is wrong with my baby. On the other hand, my sister is very suggestable and I wouldn’t put it past her to take the static noises the device produces for a heartbeat. So I’m wondering if anyone on the forum has used this device before and whether or not it worked at all. If it makes a difference, I’m about 17 weeks.

 

[Robot_Maria]

I’ve used a few, but I’ve found that they do cause undo anxiety! 17 weeks is pretty early, and even with a hospital grade doppler it can be hard to hear a heartbeat if the baby isn’t in the right position. And if you can barely hear your own, there’s no way you’d be able to hear the baby’s.

Have you heard it at the doctor’s office? It sounds just the same at home. Wait a few weeks to use it again, but don’t let it worry you! At 17 weeks it really has a lot to do with position, which can change in a week, a day, five minutes…

 

[Reverie]

I’ve used one and it worked. I don’t recall how early on I used it though. I do remember that it sometimes depended on what position the baby is in or if the placenta is in the way or not. I could even hear the swoosh of the umbilical cord at times, I think.

I think there may be something wrong with yours if you could barely hear your own heartbeat.

Edited to add, congratulations!

 

[InigoMontoya]

We looked into them for awhile, some of the units are startling expensive but available for lease. When we mentioned it to our Doctors, everyone was against it. Stating, that it generally just drives a pregnant mothers anxiety levels through the roof rather than settle them.

 

[JackieMom]

I have one and it works fine, but can take some finesse to locate the heartbeat. If everything has come back normal with your OB, no worries. Your OB should be able to find the heartbeat at this point, but home models can be iffy. If you are on the heavier side or have an anterior placenta those could affect how well the unit works for you, too.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

We looked into them for awhile, some of the units are startling expensive but available for lease. When we mentioned it to our Doctors, everyone was against it. Stating, that it generally just drives a pregnant mothers anxiety levels through the roof rather than settle them.

Yep, I would not recommend this. Whatever you’re buying, they are a toy compared with the Doppler units used by doctors. Not worth it, and can cause worry if you can’t find the baby’s heartbeat. A bad idea overall.