how to use a fetal doppler???

[waitn838]

maybe it wasnt such a good idea to get one so early...i have no clue how to use it :(

i put it on my stomach and was able to get a 125-179 (seems kinda high)....however it didn't stay so im not sure what to think and then other times i was getting a reading of 68 or something really low....of course it makes me worry

i know a lot of my worry is that i dont know how to use it....im guessing the baby still has a heart beat since im able to pick up some kind of signal...i just have no clue how to determine the actual rate

does anybody have a digital doppler and have any suggestion on how to use it

i am 8 weeks 6 days today and the doppler says its works between 8-10 weeks

[waitn838]

thanks everybody....i think as brittny said as long as i hear it i will be able to reassure myself...i wont rely so much on the actual rate

next appt is march 12 and that feels like forever away...however that day is also my son's 6th birthday and i have a birthday to plan (feels like i dont have enough time)...amazing how 2 events on the same day seem so different time wise

[Brittny27]

I didn't try my home Doppler until I was 10 wks that's when the nurse at the Drs office found it. I didn't want to worry myself if I couldn't find it. I have a problem with the number not reading accuratly I think I just make sure I hear it. As long as I can hear it I'm ok.

[mom2ariana]

yep i agree with what the other ladies said and the 60 one that your picking up is probably your heartbeat. it'll range right now because the baby is so small, lots of stuff can get inbetween the doppler reading and the baby! :)

[Atia_Julii]

And my suggestion is to try to listen very low down.  That early, I always found the heartbeat the best right by the hairline.

[waitn838]

thanks gals...i was able to very briefly pick up the galloping and it was showing 150ish....it was only for a quick second...im pretty sure that was the baby but its too small right now as mentioned

just trying to get through this first trimester seems like forever...i cant wait to tell the baby move so i wont have to worry..ill just know things are ok

thanks for responding

[30something13]

With most you should hear three things. Two hearttones, one your and one the babies, and you will tell the higher one is the baby. Then the swooshing noise is the placenta. Sometimes it takes a while to hear and the baby can move alot!

[bluegenie2003]

You may be able to pick up a heartbeat with a doppler that early, but its going to be a lot harder because the baby is so tiny right now. Most doctors won't try to find the HB with a doppler until you're 12 weeks. Once you do find it you'll probably know. It sounds kind of like a galloping. My doppler doesn't always show up the right number on the screen but I can tell when I found the heartbeat because it sounds so different from mine (much faster!) The lower heartbeat you're picking up now is probably either yours or the umbilical cord, which has a pulse of its own.

[tarajanes]

Higher the dopplers can be nightmare.they are for the midwifes.as they know it causes us to worry when we hear the heartbeat.I was the same as you,the higher heart rate is like a galloping horse,fast 125-179 is about right.and yes he or she moves about its somtimes hard to get a good listen,wasnt until much later in pregnancy,we could fine him.I had the hibebe. digital.you simply put the gel on your belly,usually pretty low,then with gentle pressure not pushing place on tummy,and just keep moving it around,the lower heartbeat you hear is yours,the higher the baby,amazing things.dont be surprised if you dont hear a heartbeat yet,most dopplers say try from 12weeks + but there are plenty you can use before then..