The first few months of your pregnancy can work out to be anxious time for the mother and this is all the more so if they have had a history of miscarriages in the past. Once the baby goes on to become big enough so that the kicks can be felt the mothers tend to be a lot relaxed as well. But what about the months before hand when the baby is too small to expect any form of movement.
Home foetal heart monitor, have gone on to become immensely popular in the last few years and many pregnant women go on to assure their pregnancy. Though the heartbeat of the baby is formed at an early stage but you can hear the heartbeat of the baby with the device at around 10 to 12 weeks.
Is it safe to use a Doppler at home?
With the help of home Doppler, high frequency waves pass through the body of the mother and then on to the baby. When the sound wave goes on to encounter some movement like the heartbeat of your baby, it then bounces back to the monitor.
Till now no studies have gone on to show that ultrasound is harmful to the growing baby inside the womb but experts do point to the fact that it needs to be used as sparingly as possible to cut down on the risks.
The best way to find out whether your baby is alive or thriving is to count the number of kicks. As per the records of a British medical journal an amazing incident came to light. A lady who was 38 weeks pregnant noticed a significant movement of the baby and when she went on to check with a home Doppler she was assured everything was fine. After a few days an ultrasound was performed due to the woman not hearing any sound on the home Doppler. Sadly no form of sound was heard during the ultrasound and the baby had died a long time back. The doctors were of the opinion that she had gone on to hear her own heart beats and had mistaken it as that of the baby. If she had paid a visit to the doctor when the kicks of the baby were decreasing then the outcome would have been much better.
This is one of the major loopholes associated with this device.
Still it is worthwhile to opt for one?
If you still feel that you tend to be over anxious and are stressed between weeks 10 to 12, and this is prior to hear the first kicks of the baby, it would not be a bad idea to opt for a home Doppler. The precise point is to use it as sparingly as possible. If you are buying one, do ensure that it confirms as per the guidelines that is specified by FDA and pay close attention along with the guidance on what to hear as well.
