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Pregnancy is a wonderful and quite exciting period. The expectant mother worries about the health of the baby, because she cannot fully control what is happening, and the intervals between examinations by the doctor are long.
A woman experiences especially a lot of experiences during that period, until the baby begins to actively push. At this time, a special device, a fetal doppler, will help to listen to the rhythm of the baby’s heartbeat.
Previously, such equipment was used exclusively in medical institutions during routine examinations of pregnant women.
Now there are portable dopplers designed for home use. But is there a need for every pregnant woman to purchase such a device and use it regularly? Does fetal doppler harm the baby? Let’s try to understand these issues in more detail.
Description doppler
A fetal doppler is a special device whose main function is to process and transmit ultrasonic waves received from the examined internal organs. The frequency of the ultrasonic signal ranges from 2,0 to 3,0 MHz. As the frequency increases, the sensitivity of the device decreases. In early pregnancy, when the fetal heart cannot be heard without the use of special equipment, fetal doppler may also be used.
The device broadcasts all received data on a digital display. Additionally, it is possible to listen to the baby’s heart beats using a portable speaker or headphones for this purpose. Most models of fetal dopplers are additionally equipped with a USB cable, with which you can connect the device to a PC and save the study record.
An accumulator or a set of batteries acts as a power source. Additionally, the kit may include a special gel necessary for the examination procedure (such gels are sold in pharmacies and stores selling medical equipment).
Is it necessary to use the device?
It should be said right away that there is no direct need to buy a fetal doppler and use it for home pregnancy control. From the moment a woman was registered for pregnancy, specialists monitor her condition. There are developed plans for visiting a doctor and conducting additional examinations, in particular, ultrasound. If gestation proceeds without deviations, then three ultrasound examinations are sufficient, during which a Doppler assessment of blood flow in the mother-placenta-fetus system is determined.
In the early stages, transvaginal ultrasound is used. On such an examination, you can hear the fetal heartbeat already for a period of 3 weeks. Another way to diagnose at the initial stage of pregnancy is transabdominal ultrasound, but this procedure is prescribed no earlier than 5 weeks. Starting at 18 weeks, the doctor listens to the baby’s heartbeat using an obstetric stethoscope.
But some women experience strong worries about the baby in the interval between visits to the doctor. The feeling of discomfort increases if there have been pregnancies with an unfavorable outcome. In this case, you can purchase a fetal doppler and use it to monitor the fetal heartbeat. Firstly, the expectant mother will simply be pleased to hear how her little heart beats, and secondly, it will relieve her of stress.
Application rules
Fetal doppler can be used at home from 12 weeks of pregnancy. More sensitive devices that can display the work of the fetal heart in the early stages are expensive and are among the special medical equipment.
Research technique:
- the woman lies on her back, on a flat horizontal surface, exposing her lower abdomen;
- a gel is applied to the area of the skin that will be in contact with the sensor, providing a clear signal;
- move the sensor slowly, without sudden movements;
- in the first trimester, the external probe of the device must be placed directly above the pubis, since the bottom of the uterus is located quite low;
- in the II trimester – just below the navel, sometimes – with a shift to the left or right;
- in the III trimester – above or below the navel, depending on the position of the child.
The duration of the study is 3-7 minutes. Do not repeat the procedure daily, and even more so, several times a day.
Acquisition of a fetal doppler and home monitoring of the baby’s heartbeat are not reasons not to visit a medical specialist.
When is the best time to do research?
The child, being in the mother’s tummy, lives in his own schedule – he sleeps, stays awake, plays. And it is precisely from the moment at which the study will be conducted that its results can actively change. It is best to listen to the heartbeat on a full bladder, especially in early pregnancy. In this case, the filled organ will put pressure on the fundus of the uterus, slightly raising it.
You can also use a fetal doppler 10-20 minutes after the expectant mother wakes up in the morning – it is the morning results that are usually considered the most reliable.
The baby in the stomach often reacts violently to a meal if a woman decides to treat herself to something sweet. For 60 minutes after dinner, the beating of a small heart will be clearly audible.
Should you panic?
In some cases, the fetal doppler does not register the baby’s heartbeat in the mother’s abdomen. Naturally, a woman begins to worry about the health of the baby. But in most situations there is no reason to worry, since the negative result is caused by a violation of the research technique. For example, too little contact gel was used or the sensor was installed in the wrong place. Too fast movement of the external probe or its weak contact with the skin can also cause the heartbeat to go unheard.
Perhaps there is still a very short gestation period (2-5 weeks), or the device is out of order. As you can see, there are many reasons, so starting to panic ahead of time is not desirable and dangerous for the fetus. But, for complacency, you can make an unscheduled visit to a leading specialist who can prescribe additional tests.
Buying or not buying a fetal doppler is an individual decision for every pregnant woman. However, official medicine does not see the need to use this device at home.