Fetal dopplers are designed for private use . They are pocket-sized, battery-operated devices that send low-frequency ultrasound waves. The se ultrasound waves pass through your skin and tissue and then 'bounce' back. This 'bounce' is then translated into sound and you can hear t he sound of your baby's heart beating. Gel needs to be applied on your skin to help the waves transmit . Fetal dopplers will also enable you to hear other organs, yours as well as your baby's.
There is no scientific research available to suggest that ultrasound is unsafe. However, the technology behind ultrasound scanning is complicated and ultrasound guidelines prohibit the exposing of a woman or her baby to any unnecessary ultrasound just for the sake of it. Of course, there are different types of ultrasound waves pulsed , and continuous and the ones used in a hand-held are different from those used in the larger scanning machines found in hospitals. Fetal dopplers primarily use continuous waves and many researchers feel there is not currently sufficient research on the possible effects of their use.
While there is no evidence as yet that d opplers are harmful in any way, there is also no research available to show the effects of a mother using a doppler to listen to her baby two or three times a day throughout pregnancy. We do not yet know whether fetal dopplers are perfectly safe for such frequent use. If you do decide to buy or rent one, please consider the following important safety tips:
Examine the sellers website very carefully before you make your purchase.
Make sure the product conforms to safety standards .
Check for a warranty accompanying the product. Be wary of purchasing a product with no warranty.
Make sure there are instructions included with the purchase.
Be sure to discuss your intentions with qualified experts for more advice (many times, practitioners at your local hospital will be able to help with doppler selection).
It may be easier to locate the fetal heartbeat while you are lying down than when you are sitting up.
Make sure the volume on the fetal monitor is turned up sufficiently .
Once you have purchased or rented the doppler of your choice, your bonding time with the baby will be far more beneficial if you consider these useful t ips on proper use of the product. Keep in mind that individual products vary, and the instructions provided along with them may be a great help.
1. A full bladder often helps the heartbeat to be heard more clearly .
2. Move the probe slowly - it is easy to scan over the heartbeat.
3 . Tilt the probe downward toward the pubic bone.
4. Be sure to use plenty of lotion.
5. It is normal at times to pick up the baby's heartbeat in more than one place. You may hear the same heartbeat a few inches apart - do not be alarmed, the d oppler is just intersecting the heart in a different location. Physicians listen for the difference in two heartbeats to determine whether there are two fetuses.