Can anyone recommend a good doppler?
Thanks :)
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Can anyone recommend a good doppler?
Thanks :)
I dont think they work really til after 12+ wks maybe 15???
So keep an eye on Ebay or other places for them....
Correct Tracey - my Ob used one on my belly at 14 weeks 1 day and only just managed to get a "reading" and I have a HUGE preggie belly (giving birth to an elephant or whale). I would def keep an eye on ebay Danni - or chat to your midwife/doc at your first appt for suggestions...
Congrats by the way!
MG
MB I was well & truly showing by 10wks with #2..
Pls started asking me how far I was & how much longer I had to go at about 15-17wks & almost fell over hwen I told them & I was even told I was having more than 2 for certain by elderly women!!!!
I bet you'll stop popping out all of a sudden & others will catch up!!! hee hee
Yeah I know I have to wait a while before I use it but I remember there being a discussion about some of them only being "sound amplifiers" rather than dopplers?
I know a few people who've bought them off ebay and have had no probs with them.
I can't recommend a doppler, but my GP/OB used a doppler today (I'm 12.6 weeks) and we clearly heard our little babies heart beat, i don't know if it depends on the quality of the doppler.
I got one off Ebay when I was pg with Tehya, also resold it there. I got mine for around $60. Only problem is that for most of the time it really didn't work for me as I had an anterior placenta, meaning that the placenta was on the front wall of the uterus. This tends to muffle any sounds and alot of small movements.
If you want to rent one, the ones that are rented by First Beats are excellent.
They are the proper medical ones that middies and doctors use. They're very new and I've found them better than the one my GP uses in terms of sensitivity and sound quality.
I used them with both pregnancies and could get the hb from 12 weeks with both. I've got an anterior placenta with this bub and still haven't had any problem hearing him with these dopplers.
thanks guys. I had a look at the rental ones but it seems so excessive in price. I may as well buy a new one. I dont think I am happy to spend $400 though...maybe $200?
I decided against it and luckily because the first doppler reading where they heard anything on this one was at 24 weeks. I have an anterior placenta and no one was able to get a reading. They often wheeled the ultrasound in to make sure bubs was still alive and her heart was okay but she would hide or kick & move everytime the doppler came on obviously avoiding it. Even now when I have midwives appt and they put the doppler on, they may get 10 seconds or so of a HR but bubs really hates it because she kicks it & tries to get away from it.
And people say that babies are not affected by ultrasound! Dopplers are short for "doppler ultrasound" and thus suffer all the disadvantages standard ultrasound. I am surprised that some people in this thread want to buy or rent them for their own use. They are highly useful as diagnostic tools when required, but should, like any diagnostic technology be used sparingly.:
David
But I wont be able to feel my baby moving until atleast about 17 weeks is that right? But I may be able to hear the heartbeat a lot sooner.
I would prefer the peace of mind knowing my bub is alive and well.
well said fletch.
Danni and Fletch I can totally understand where you are coming from, the peace of mind can be worthwhile especially with stress can affect your baby just as much. I guess I just wanted to say as well was that some babies don't like them & sometimes even the "experts" can't get HR on dopplers early on. I had so many people trying on Jovie & its only been recently almost in the 3rd trimester that anyone has been able too. Now if I were at home & couldn't get readings I would freak out big time... so I guess that is why I am glad I didn't have one.
Thats a great point, thanks christy. But I just have to try. I cant explain how overwhelming this pregncny is :)
Chelle, I agree with you.:
Some women (and men too I have to admit) are relying on birth technologies that provide false reassurance. If you are relying on a doppler to hear the babies heart rate then surely you can only be certain the baby is alive when you are listening to the doppler?
This is patently absurd. Women know when their baby is happy and kicking and they know when their baby is sleeping and still. The terrible unfortunate truth about pregnancy and birth is that BAD things to happen (usually very rarely) and babies do die in utero and dopplers won't stop it. The best monitor for a baby is its Mum.
It is interesting that in the USA they have moved to ban the private ownership of ultrasound machines (including dopplers) owing to their effect on babies. I think it was Tom Cruise who bought one as a gift for his wife!
Cheers,
David
Hang on David, did you miss my post?
I want to be able to hear the HB before I can feel my baby moving.
Sorry David. When you've had not one, but TWO missed miscarriages involving no bleeding, cramping or any other indication that you'd lost a baby perhaps you might see an alternative viewpoint.
Danni - that is when I found it of most benefit - before I could feel the baby moving ;) Now that I can feel him moving I hardly use it all. And I certainly dont' use it for my own "entertainment".
This forum is a place where women can come to entertain all aspects of conception, pregnancy and parenting.
If someone has posted something that doesn't support your opinion or side on this debate, it is okay to question but lets not attack anyone else's opinions please.
My Ob never actually used one & I am a panic merchant when i am preg...
I could feel bubs kicking & knew it was all OK...
I lost a baby at 5-6wks so nothing would have detected it...
As with anything the world over some people like them some dont...
To me there is no right or wrong, just various opinions...
I actually liked my OB (no longer working) so will have to find another when #3 comes along & I hope they are as little intrusive as he was....
Ok guys, this is my thread so stop arguing, PLEASE!
I am merely looking for places that I can buy a doppler, and looking for brand recommendations.
I am not here to see other's opinions as to whether or not I should be using one.
If you wish to have a discussion about pros and cons of Doppler usage, please start another thread, not here in mine.
Sorry to post in your thread Danni. All unwanted opinions removed, but can i just say that i NEVER ONCE criticised anyone elses opinion or decision. I never said it was right or wrong to use a doppler, i simply shared my individual opinion on what i thought was a 'discussion'.
Having lost a child in utero, I completely understand the need for reassurance with a doppler prior to feeling distinctive fetal movements. Considering Caitlyn was never a big mover anyway, movements for me were never an assessment tool I could use. It was also my first pregnancy and I was not sure what to expect or feel. I am still not sure what I am meant to feel when I get pregnant again due to the significant variations possible between pregnancies.
Being medical I also understand the concerns re: the use of U/S and doppler and the potential effects of the unborn child.
Could both side please consider there are advantages and disadvantages for both. Dopplers CAN be reassuring but they CAN increase anxiety when you are unable to get a reading. There is limited literature looking at the long term effect of these modalities and a fetus will also respond to a finger poking into its space by moving away from the area too.
Women who have experienced a loss are often not able to access an assessment on demand when their anxiety is high. Elevated anxiety in pregnancy is not beneficial to mother or baby.
Ultimately, we should be sharing information re: the concerns or benefits of the topic. Your personal opinion is yours and should be valued but not at the expense of someone elses. Information allows a person to critically evaluate and make an informed decision knowing the benefits and the risks. The decision should ultimately be theirs and should not be criticised.
Sorry Danni. I posted before seeing you request.
Chelle - those comments were not directed to any one person and were not directed at you for what you had posted. I am sorry if this is what was implied.
:shhh:
Ok gather ones thoughts & move on.....
I say check out Ebay!!!! But you have time to keep an eye on it, dont grab anything just yet, you never know whao may sell one here etc.
Keep an eye on some on Ebay & get a feel for brands & prices...
yeah thanks trace, ive done that. I think I might pay the extra for the actual HB reading?
Danni,
I got one off Ebay for about $180 or so? It was the one with the HB reading on it.
I actually felt Charlie move at 11 weeks, but couldn't detect his hb until around 16 weeks, by which time I was feeling daily kicks. It's because of this that I only ended up using the doppler about 4-6 times altogether, and sold it when I was 24 weeks along, coz I just didn't need it anymore, and it had been sitting gathering dust for a while.
So maybe wait before going out and buying one. I sold mine to Bubseykel, who loved it, but I don't think I'd buy another if I was pregnant again. You may be lucky and feel your little'un early, after all! I felt Ariani at 16 weeks!