Found the heartbeat last night :)

[RNfromMN]

I don't think the numbers on the screen are accurate, but I'm loving what I hear

vimeo.com/146236037

[teggy20]

Such a sweet sound!!

[virginiaorjohn]

Neat! Is this a home doppler? I've never seen one

[cattuccino]

Love!!!
I never take the numbers of mine on face value. If I'm worried I count - but usually just hearing it is enough, and the best sound ever

[titania]

That is so awesome!!

[mladerri]

Thanks for sharing! Such a sweet sound to hear.

[origamimommy]

Yay! That's amazing!

[Flair Underwood]

For those of you who have a doppler - are there any risks or anything associated with how often you use it? I'm so tempted to buy one but I don't want to go overboard!

[manybellsdown]

Flair Underwood, I believe you're only supposed to use it for a few minutes at a time, once daily. If you can't find the heartbeat after a few minutes, stop and try again tomorrow kind of thing.

Edit to get the right tag. Mobile is hard!

[RNfromMN]

Nov 19, 2015 9:09:25 GMT -5 virginiaorjohn said:

Neat! Is this a home doppler? I've never seen one

virginiaorjohn, yup, this is a Sonoline B. I think they retail for about $60? I got it a few years ago when I was pregnant with #2. My doc doesn't want to see for until 12 weeks & these + pee sticks just aren't doing it for me anymore .

If you take it too seriously though, it can really mess with your head. I thought I was taking a totally casual approach to it and even though I'm super early for a doppler to be able to pick it up, I started to get just a bit anxious after not being able to find it after a week or so of trying. Now I'm trying to prepare myself for the event that I may not be able to find it again the next time I look. But I'm definitely glad I tried it and found it - it's helping the pregnancy feel a bit more real. I don't know why I'm struggling with that so much this time around

[RNfromMN]

Nov 19, 2015 9:38:13 GMT -5 cattuccino said:

Love!!!
I never take the numbers of mine on face value. If I'm worried I count - but usually just hearing it is enough, and the best sound ever

cattuccino, as soon as I turn the damn thing on, it's reading a HR of 135...before I've even touched it to my stomach!

[RNfromMN]

manybellsdown, I think the jury's still out on the risks and I've never asked my doc about it because I really get the feeling that they resent patients who get them. I suppose I can see why...I've heard horror stories of women finding the HB at home really early and then suffering a miscarriage anyway. Actually, one I read last night said that a woman found the HB when she was about 12 weeks along and then when she went in for an OB check, there was no HB and that the baby had stopped growing at 9 weeks. Plus, it's super easy to hear your own pulse through the doppler (which is much lower than a healthy fetal HR) and I can see how that would play with people's minds.

Honestly, the first time I used it, I couldn't find any HB until watching a few youtube videos and practicing TONS. I think the only reason I found it this early is because I've used it during 2 different pregnancies and knew where/how to look.

[manybellsdown]

Nov 19, 2015 17:12:27 GMT -5 RNfromMN said:

manybellsdown, I think the jury's still out on the risks and I've never asked my doc about it because I really get the feeling that they resent patients who get them. I suppose I can see why...I've heard horror stories of women finding the HB at home really early and then suffering a miscarriage anyway. Actually, one I read last night said that a woman found the HB when she was about 12 weeks along and then when she went in for an OB check, there was no HB and that the baby had stopped growing at 9 weeks. Plus, it's super easy to hear your own pulse through the doppler (which is much lower than a healthy fetal HR) and I can see how that would play with people's minds.

Honestly, the first time I used it, I couldn't find any HB until watching a few youtube videos and practicing TONS. I think the only reason I found it this early is because I've used it during 2 different pregnancies and knew where/how to look.

I can't find anything conclusive on risks either.  Those are just general guidelines I've read, I suppose for the most risk-adverse of us.  I felt the same way about my doctor--I ended up mentioning it last time, and I could tell she totally thought I was silly.  I watched youtube videos, too!  The thing can pick up all sorts of noises.  

[babyzebra]

Nov 19, 2015 14:03:31 GMT -5 Flair Underwood said:

For those of you who have a doppler - are there any risks or anything associated with how often you use it? I'm so tempted to buy one but I don't want to go overboard!

My new OB said there were some risks associated with heavy use in the first trimester. She didn't really expand on that and I didn't ask more.

[littleducky]

I asked my OB about home dopplers at my appointment today. Her answer was an unequivocal "no." She said that she would rather me come in to her office every week for the next two months and have her check on the mini ultrasound herself than use a home doppler. She said that the safety is not fully understood yet and that no one knows if there are any effects from using a doppler as frequently as people do with the home dopplers. In addition, her opinion is that it's too easy to drive yourself crazy with it and throw yourself into a panic.

I was leaning against getting one anyway, just because knowing my own personality, I think it would become an obsessive thing for me. I also trust my OB and value her opinion on this. I know there are a wide range of views on them though.