Don’t Worry: 5 Cool Gadgets for Anxious Pregnant Women

Home Fetal Doppler

Such doctors of ultrasound diagnostics even sometimes themselves recommend purchasing for women with increased anxiety. So she can be “in touch” with her baby at least every day. You synchronize the device with a smartphone, lean the sensor against your stomach and see on the screen all the data about the baby’s movements, while the sound of his heartbeat is heard from the speaker. So he is alive, everything is fine, you can relax until the next appointment.

Depending on the model, the device has different “goodies”: from the ability to record the heartbeat to applications analyzing it. Of the minuses – mixed reviews. Nevertheless, a home ultrasound machine cannot be compared with a full-fledged ultrasound machine and it is not worthwhile to draw conclusions based on its indications only. And yet, although the manufacturers write that it is possible to use such a Doppler from almost 10 weeks, doctors warn: Doppler ultrasonography in the first trimester can have a thermal effect on the fetus. Therefore, it is best to do it only after the 12th week.

Mobile ultrasound scanner for smartphone

This is for those who have already moved to the next level of anxiety and have already tortured doctors with requests for additional ultrasound – “just to see.” Let’s say right away that such devices are prohibitively expensive – prices for high-quality devices are measured in thousands of dollars. Of course, there are always options “China, smartphone, ultrasonic probe, trade” on AliExpress, but we are not sure if this is the case when a thing from a “Chinese flea market” is possible.

If you are still ready to spend money and wait, because, as a rule, such devices are brought to order, here’s what you need to know. The scanner is really compact – in fact, it is the ultrasound sensor itself, which can be attached to a smartphone or laptop. The kit also includes special software.

The picture quality (and hence the price) depends on the model. The simplest ones will show the general picture, the sophisticated ones will allow you to examine this or that organ in detail, and at the same time do Doppler sonography.

Pulse Oximeter

The name of this device is now on everyone’s lips in connection with the coronavirus. It helps to control the level of oxygen in the blood, which means it “predicts” possible problems with the respiratory system.

But long before the pandemic came to the world, pregnant women have long and firmly chosen the portable pulse oximeter. After all, it is known: the lack of oxygen in the expectant mother will almost certainly lead to fetal hypoxia. And this device helps to determine the transparency of blood and to draw a conclusion about its saturation with oxygen without complicated laboratory studies. A special sensor is put on the finger and shines through it with special beams, simultaneously measuring the heart rate. And then it transmits the data to the display.

Of the minuses – possible errors. The measurement accuracy increases in proportion to the price of the medical device. At the same time, not all models are suitable for children, that is, the reasoning that a pulse oximeter is useful after childbirth may be wrong.

Electronic balance

No, you can, of course, weigh yourself on conventional, mechanical ones. But, firstly, it is not very convenient: the more the tummy grows, the more difficult it is to consider the numbers somewhere on the floor. Therefore, electronic is much more convenient. In addition, some models are equipped with a special pregnancy management mode: select a date, activate this mode, and the scales themselves track progress every trimester, so you can record how your baby is growing and gaining weight.

Note! If the scales do not have a special regime for expectant mothers, then they should be the most common ones, without data on the percentage of fat, bone mass, and so on. The fact is that these measurements are made using imperceptible electrical impulses that the scales pass through the human body. And even in such minimal doses for pregnant women, they are undesirable.

Pain relief during pregnancy and childbirth

And every woman, even the one who is already following the fifth child, is still afraid of childbirth. And worries about how everything will go, whether it will be too painful. She is helped by a device that helps to anesthetize the process. Yes, there is even one. In Russia, he is still little known, there are few reviews about him. Moreover, in Europe, this is even rented in some maternity hospitals.

According to the description, the device stimulates nerve endings through the skin and reduces pain by “blocking pain signals to the brain and helping the body release endorphins – natural pain relievers.” That is, with its help, you can give birth even without painkillers.

At the same time, there are a number of serious limitations: the device cannot be used in the first trimester, because its influence on the development of the fetus is unknown, as well as in the late stages of pregnancy.