Expected and unexpected pregnancy can bring both joy and anxiety into a woman’s life, as well as the lives of family and friends. Issues such as morning sickness, feelings of tiredness, raging hormones, and a general lack of comfort are often associated with pregnancy. But on the other hand, there is also the happiness of bringing a baby into the world, eating whatever you want, and creating a family that make the process of pregnancy well worth the trouble.
The first few weeks of your pregnancy can hold many of the most significant changes in your body as well as your baby’s. Initially, you will most likely consider pregnancy when you miss a period. If pregnancy is the case, many more adjustments will be made. Your breasts will become tender; your uterus will expand and press on your bladder, causing you to urinate more often; some women experience nausea and vomiting (typically called morning sickness), as well as tiring more easily.
The first 12 weeks of pregnancy are also important ones in your baby’s development. In the first week, the fertilized egg that will become a baby in 9 months will attach to the wall of your uterus and the placenta and amniotic sac will begin to develop. Over the next several weeks of your pregnancy, the egg becomes an embryo and many of the internal and external systems of the body begin to form and develop. By the eighth week, the embryo has matured into a fetus and is recognized as a human being. At the 12 week mark of your pregnancy, your baby is already becoming active, though it is still too small for you to feel any movement. This is the time when you can begin using fetal Dopplers.
With so many advances in medicine and technology these days, you can monitor your pregnancy more closely than ever. Fetal Dopplers have been improved continually over the years to be simpler, more efficient, and now available in home versions. With your own personal fetal Doppler or heart rate monitor, you can keep track of your baby’s heart rate and the general health of your pregnancy in between doctor visits. Fetal Dopplers certainly do not replace doctor visits, but they can calm your anxieties and erase some of your fears about your baby’s health and happiness during your pregnancy. Some models even offer features such as the ability to download your baby’s heartbeat and be able to send it to friends and family over the Internet! As stated above, personal fetal heart monitors can be used as early as eight to ten weeks into your pregnancy so you start to become more connected with your baby through his or her heart rate quickly.
Pregnancy can be a wonderful experience, and fetal Dopplers have helped make the experience all the better. Whether you are in the first few weeks of your pregnancy or further along, you can enjoy the pleasure of hearing your baby’s heart rate. Ask your physician about the different models available today!
By Monica Drusch