How to Use a Fetal Heart Monitor? Tips for Expectant Mothers

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Now that you’ve bought or rented a fetal heart monitor, it’s time to learn how to use it! The baby’s heartbeat can be detected by a fetal Doppler as soon as the 8th week of pregnancy. When you reach the 14th week, you should be able to hear it 100% of the time.

Some expectant mothers are wondering how often they can use the baby heart monitor. Personally, I think that the effects of ultrasound on the human body still need to be researched. However, scientists agree that the use of a prenatal heart monitor is totally safe for the mother and the baby. This device is FDA approved for ‘continuous use’ – it means that the Food and Drug Administration does not impose any restrictions regarding the use of your baby Doppler. Still, doctors recommend prudence. Try not to use the device during the first trimester. Don’t use it frequently and make the contact with your body as short as possible (with a maximum duration of 10 minutes). Prudence has never hurt anyone!

The heartbeat of the fetus is not the only sound that you can hear with a fetal heart monitor. It’s also possible to hear his or her kicks and hiccups. How to make sure that you’re hearing the baby’s heartbeat and not yours? The heart rate (the number of beats per minute) is the best indicator. The normal heart rate of an unborn baby varies between 120 and 180 BPM. Amplified by the Doppler, this sound will remind you of a galloping horse. Your heart rate, in comparison, is considerably slower (from 6o to 100 BPM). Other accidental sounds produced by the baby do not have a regular pattern, so it’s easy to separate them from the actual heartbeat.

Now let’s see how you should use your baby heartbeat monitor. The procedure is not complicated.

Lie down or sit in a comfortable position. Before using the device, make sure that your bladder is full (this ‘trick’ is especially useful during the 8-14 weeks of pregnancy). Apply a small quantity of ultrasound gel on your belly. Don’t use creams, lotions or oils for this purpose – only special ultrasound gel can reduce the static and allow you to detect a quality sound of the heartbeat.

If you are still in the first trimester, you should start in the middle of the abdomen, just above the pubic bone. Pregnant women who are more than 20 weeks along should try to hear the heartbeat closer to their belly button.

Turn on the monitor (most units have a simple ON-OFF switch) and place the probe on your abdomen (on the gel). Slowly, move the probe circularly from side to side until you detect the heart beat. Check the heart rate readout of the monitor (if your unit has one) only after you hear the baby’s heartbeat. For an early detection, specialists recommend a 2 mghz probe.

Don’t be alarmed if you can’t find the heartbeat before 12-14 weeks of pregnancy. The possibility of listening to your baby’s heart at an early stage depends on several factors: the type of fetal monitor being used (make sure you use a quality, FDA approved model); the weight and size of the mother (overweight women find it harder to hear the heartbeat than thinner women); or the inaccurate calculation of your due date.

For most soon-to-be-parents, the moment when they hear the heartbeat of their baby for the first time is simply magical. Using a fetal heart rate monitor (as advised by your health care provider) is a great way to bond with your unborn child and to allow other members of your family to hear the beat of his/her heart.