The majority of pregnant women often worry throughout their pregnancy about their developing baby and whether or not everything will be okay and he or she will be completely healthy. Most doctor’s offices aren’t able to accommodate the worried mother-to-be every single time she needs that added bit of insurance that things are going well with her pregnancy. Rather than trying to make an appointment to be seen in the office, many women instead are now taking advantage of modern technology by getting approval and prescriptions from their doctors to use a fetal heart doppler to monitor their baby’s heartbeat right from home.

However, there are still two sides to the personal use of these hand held devices, as some feel they may diminish or somehow take away from the necessary prenatal care provided by a doctor, while others feel they’re an invaluable asset for any new mother-to-be.

The Pros of Using Fetal Heart Dopplers

For the early months of pregnancy, before the time when it’s possible to feel the baby moving around and kicking, a fetal heart doppler monitor can provide the reassurance that many anxious women so desperately need. Women who have miscarried or who have experienced the heartbreaking trauma of a stillbirth greatly appreciate the sense of security they get from hearing the strong, steady beat of their baby’s growing heart.

Also, using fetal heart dopplers are perfect for beginning a strong maternal bond with the unborn baby. Hearing the baby’s heartbeat whenever you like is comforting to many new mothers, and also gives them a way to truly connect with the life growing inside of them that may have otherwise felt surreal up until this point.

Numerous obstetricians have said that this extra reassurance that comes along with using a heart monitor allows the woman to concentrate on other things going on in their daily lives, and also helps to keep stress and anxiety levels at a healthy minimum.

The Cons of Using Fetal Heart Dopplers

Many doctors and health care practitioners argue that a fetal heart doppler should be used by a trained professional in a clinical setting. One of their main concerns is that the average person does not have the necessary training to interpret the results correctly, and in some instances, may not seek medical care when needed, or know when to contact their obstetrician.

There’s also the risk of unnecessarily raising the stress and anxiety levels of the mother-to-be if she is unable to located the heartbeat using the monitor, not taking into account factors such as the placement and location of the placenta, both of which may affect the sound of the heartbeat.
Many women, particularly those who have difficulty becoming pregnant, or who may have had one or more miscarriages, often turn to fetal heart dopplers for constant reassurance throughout their pregnancies, and begin before it’s even possible to detect a heartbeat. In most instances, 11 or 12 weeks into the pregnancy is the time when the heartbeat can first be heard using this type of device.

Another possible con of using fetal heart dopplers is that doctors are concerned that during the last trimester of pregnancy, women may have a false sense of assurance if they’re hearing the baby’s heartbeat, not realizing that this isn’t the only indicator of a healthy, developing fetus. Also, women who have noticed that their baby seems unusually calm or still may use a monitor, locate the heartbeat, assume everything is fine, and never schedule an appointment with their physician to report their initial concerns.

The use of fetal heart rate monitors has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and overall, experts concur that using a fetal heart doppler monitor to detect the heartbeat of a developing fetus is safe, provided it’s done in moderation. Pregnant women should be aware that it is not recommended to use a monitor for listening to their baby’s heartbeat for hours at a time each and every day, but rather on an occasional basis, or in between their doctor visits.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 26th, 2008 at 1:04 am and is filed under Doppler Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.