The use of a baby heartbeat monitor to check the heartbeat of a baby is a very common thing that pregnant women do every day. Some women choose to do it by themselves at home, while others prefer to have a doctor do it for them. If you choose to do it at home, it is important to read through this article so that you know exactly what you should do during the process. At-home fetal Doppler test should never at any given time be used as a replacement for visiting a doctor. You should maintain your doctor’s visits as scheduled and only use a Doppler in between visits if you must. Otherwise, you are advised to just see a doctor so that they can do the monitoring professionally since they have the right training and experience for the job. They also use high-quality Doppler machines.
When you are using a Doppler, it is the little things that matter. The small things that people often ignore can be the determining factor of whether you get a heartbeat or not. In this article, I will explore some of the things you need to do when you are monitoring your baby’s heartbeat using a Doppler.
Placement
The position of the baby in the womb usually varies with the phase of gestation. During the first few weeks, the baby is usually located at the lower part of the abdomen, but then moves up over time. That means that you will need to vary the placement of your Doppler device accordingly. You should however start at the lower abdomen and then move the Doppler device upwards to the upper parts of the abdomen until you hear a heartbeat. You should move the Doppler device very slowly if you want to get the best results fast. Rushing the device can miss the heartbeat easily.
Movement
Like I stated in the above section, you should move the Doppler device in slow and gradual movement. Moving the device too much or too fast will make you to miss your baby and make you worried over nothing. Getting to the right spot where you can hear your baby’s heartbeat properly will depend on the placement and the angle at which you hold the Doppler device. When moving your Doppler device, you should try to maintain rocking motion as opposed to swiping from right to left across your belly. The rocking motion should be applied lightly and consistently. You should hover the Doppler over the same spot for a while as you tilt and angle the device prior to moving it to another location.
Gel application
The ultrasound gel is very useful because it is the one that helps with the conduction of the sound made by your baby’s heart so that it can be picked up by the Doppler device. With that being said, you should apply the gel generously. The whole surface of your belly where your will be moving the Doppler should be covered with a generous amount of the gel.