How to Use Fetal Dopplers 819029
No feeling can compare to a woman finding out she is pregnant. But along with the joy, future parents also have lots of questions and worries concerning their baby’s growth and health. It is completely normal to feel a bit scared and to take all the measures to insure everything is going to be alright. The constant monitoring in the gynecologist’s office is a must, but if you want to feel more at ease, you can always opt for a fetal Doppler for home use. These devices are compact and reliable and can be purchased directly or rented out. Here is a simple guide on how to use them that will help future moms feel calmer and even more connected to their baby.
The fetal Doppler for home use does not differ much to the one used in the doctor’s office. Apart from being smaller, it will perform the same action – allow you to hear the baby’s heartbeat sound and with most modern models to see a digital read out. It is recommended as being safe for the baby and for the mother and it is not difficult to use it at home. The gynecologists usually check out the baby’s heart tones in the 10th to 12th week of the pregnancy when they can be heard normally. That is why you are recommended to start using the home fetal Doppler around the same time, despite the advertisements of marketers saying you can use it as early as the 8th to 9th week. The device works with batteries, the size of which differs from model to model, so you do not need to plug it in the electric socket.
You can do the procedure any time you like, but it is best to have a full bladder especially in the early stages of the pregnancy to get the optimal results. You can sit down or stand up – it does not matter, you just need to feel comfortable and relaxed. The next step is to spread a sufficient amount of the Doppler gel (usually included in the package with the device) on a relatively large are between the belly button and the pubic hairline, where your uterus is. Then you just take the Doppler probe and start moving it slowly and gently around the entire area you have covered with the gel. The ultrasound has to be tilted downwards in order for the device to be used correctly. It is best to have a preliminary observation of how the doctor is doing it in order to place and move the probe more accurately.
If you cannot distinguish the sounds, you can listen to recordings – these sometimes come in the package to make you feel at ease. It is also possible to hear the baby’s heart beat at more than one place, which is completely normal due to the high sensitivity of the ultrasound probe and does not present any problem. It is best to use the fetal Doppler no longer than one to three minutes once a day. fetal doppler
