Another doppler question

Alan, I thought you might be able to answer this question. Might sound a bit silly, but lets blame it on the pregnancy hormones shall we :D

Ok...I have a doppler at home, I have heard the heartbeat on it for a second or two as bub must have moved away. I can hear the blood flow through the umbilical cord very easy. So I was wondering, is it safe to assume if you have blood flow through the umbilical cord that there is a heartbeat? Would the blood flow sound stop if the heart stopped beating?
Hope this makes sense.
Thank you

Hi Alison

Early in your pregnancy it is very difficult to find the babies heartbeat dut to its size and frequent movements. It is usually a lot easier to find the cord.
I would not rely on hearing the blood in the cord to indicate that your baby has a heartbeat. I know of a couple of cases where people have been hearing the blood in the cord only to find out later that the baby does not have a heartbeat.

Thanks Alan.
Another question...can the heartbeat stop at any time in the pregnancy? If so, are there any signs?