Many people are anxious for peace of mind or eager to bond with baby - which is why at-home fetal dopplers are so popular.Ī fetal doppler - whether at the doctor’s office or purchased for home use - is a hand-held ultrasound device that uses soundwaves to listen to a fetal heartbeat. They may offer a recommendation for an at-home Doppler or another solution.Or maybe you’re not so nervous as you are wanting to bond with your baby a little more - looking for a way to connect.įirst, rest assured that you’re not alone in your concerns. If you find yourself unable to sleep or worried sick in between appointments, talk to your doctor. That said, living in constant fear over the fate of your unborn babies isn’t healthy either. Often, the doppler picks up your heartbeat instead which can lead to a false sense of security and missed warning signs of complications. You may have more luck in your third trimester, but by then your belly will feel like a soccer tournament so there’s no need to listen, just monitor their movement.Īlso, unless you’re an OB you might not know how to interpret what you’re hearing. At-home Doppler devices don’t work as well as the ones in a doctor’s office, making it difficult to find the heartbeat. Rather, they are often the source of more anxiety when used improperly or too early to detect a heartbeat. While research shows they are unlikely to cause harm (unless used excessively), an at-home Doppler does not have much medical benefit either. However, experts including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), caution against their use for a few reasons. Many parents-to-be claim these devices reduce fear and are a fun way to connect with their babies in between appointments. These hand-held devices work like the one in your doctor’s office, using ultrasound waves to detect the babies’ heartbeats. The use of at-home fetal Dopplers has skyrocketed in the last few years. A fetal Doppler test is completely safe and painless with the ultimate reward of hearing the pitter-patter of your womb.Ĭan I buy a fetal Doppler to hear my twins’ heartbeats at home? However, it is common in diamniotic (fraternal) pregnancy to rely on the fetal Doppler test during the first and second trimesters. An identical twin pregnancy may have more frequent ultrasounds. This is to ensure the babies’ heart rates are strong and normal. Beginning with your 10 to 12 week prenatal appointment, your care provider will perform a fetal Doppler test with each check-up. This device works like an ultrasound as it uses sound waves to detect a baby’s heartbeat. What is a fetal Doppler?Ī fetal Doppler is a monitoring tool used by your doctor or midwife as part of your routine prenatal care. As your babies grow, you will eventually get a listen, likely around 12 weeks of pregnancy. Don’t freak out if you don’t hear that sweet sound at 10 weeks. Sometimes, the babies play hide and seek or their positioning is too far from the Doppler. For example, a tilted uterus, an anterior (front-facing) placenta, or extra weight around your abdomen can make it harder to hear the heartbeat early on as there are barriers between the Doppler and the womb. That said, sometimes you have to wait a bit longer to hear one or both of your twins’ heartbeats. Around week 20, the heartbeats can be heard through a stethoscope. Finally, around week 10 the babies’ heartbeats are usually strong enough to hear with a fetal Doppler or ultrasound. As the heart chamber develops, a flickering beat can be seen by transvaginal ultrasound as early as 3 to 4 weeks gestation, and a regular ultrasound between weeks 6 and 8. How early can twins’ heartbeats be detected?Ī baby’s cardiac muscles begin to develop between weeks 3 and 5 of pregnancy.
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