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Heartbeat

I am trying not to get too excited or stressed. I have an appointment at the epau in the morning and I was wondering when the heartbeat can be heard from? I should be 8wks. I know that as soon as it touches my bump I will want to hear the heartbeat but cant read anywhere roughly when it can be heard from. My last pregnancy resulted in early scan at 6wks and they could only see the heartbeat. At 10 wks they still couldnt hear it and the internal scan identied that I had m/c. I know worrying doesnt help but I cant help it...if they can only see a heartbeat tomorrow I will think history is repeating itself.

Also wanted advice from those much further into pregnancy. All being well tomorrow i have discussed buying a heartbeat monitor to hear the baby when I am further along, but my husband thinks it is a bad idea. He says that if we cant find the heartbeat on one occasion it would send us into a panic. Does anybody have one and do you always manage to find the heartbeat when you are further in the 9 months and has it worried any of you at all?

xxxxx

Replies

  • Hi Tuppence.
    I am guessing you will get a mixed response from everyone on this, so all I can say is that I chose not to get a heartbeat monitor because 1) I'd be obsessed with it and 2) if I couldn't hear anything I would panic hysterically. However, I know some people on here find it reassuring so I guess it's each to their own.
    As for actually hearing it, I heard my little ones heartbeat at my 16 week midwife check. I think 8 weeks may be too early to hear anything so try not to get your hopes up too much or you might be disappointed for no reason.
    Pregnancy can be stressful enough all by itself so all I want to say is don't go giving yourself things to be worrying about! Hope it goes really well tomorrow - keep us posted!
  • Me and my oh really wanted to get one of those heartbeat monitors, but ended up not getting one. I agree with Trackieann ... if you couldn't find the heartbeat one time, it would probably be worrying... Plus, you'll appreciate it so much more, when you visit the mw. : )
  • I had a antenatal appointment on tuesday at 16 weeksand 1 day and heard the heart beat for the first time. My midwife said that she would only try to find it if i promised not to get upset if she couldn't find it. she says you can't always hear the heart beat before 20 weeks (a long time to wait) it depends on the the baby and the mum. lots of variation etc.

    I did hear it though and was very relieved. for a while at least anyway. I was thinking of buying a heart beat monitor but decided it wasn't a good idea I would be putting it on every few hours and panicking every time i couldn't find it instantly.
    It did take my midwife a few minutes to find it too.

    I also read in the mags where i have seen them that they are not reccommended for use before 21 weeks and by that time baby would probably be moving around anyway. Some mags say you can here it sometimes as early as 12 weeks but depends on lots of things. I asked my midwife at 12 weeks and she said it was too early and wouldn't even try (i did see it though on the scan and saw baby moving)

    hope this helps
  • I have a doppler and I wouldn't be without it.
    Midwife found the heartbeat eventually at 12 weeks but only cause I begged her, and she only did cause I'd had an 8 week scan and was having the 12 week scan 2 days later - she said they wouldn't normally try till 15 weeks.

    We ordered the angel sounds doppler off ebay and it arrived at 14 weeks, took us 3 days to find the heartbeat - trying off and on, and another couple of days to be certain it was the heartbeat we were hearing - I found a website with heartbeat sounds to compare!!!

    Personally - I think its the best ??30 I've spent - meant that we can reassure ourselves whenever we want about baby.

    sometimes it does take us a while to find our boy, he's a wiggly little bugger - sometimes its ever so faint to hear him - and i generally let oh try first because its easier I think to have me lying still while he moves the doppler around.

    I guess it depends on what kind of person you are - you have to be sure that one time of not finding the heartbeat, or if it takes you a little while in the early stages you aren't going to end up worrying yourself sick. I promised myself I wouldn't worry if I couldn't find baby straight away - and I did a pretty good job of keeping calm throughout those first 3 days but it was great to hear him when we eventually found him. OH loves listening to our boy image
  • My angelsounds doppler is the best thing I have ever bought. I am a huge worrier, so hubby was unsure about me buying it was he said I would stress if couldn't find it. I did take us a few days to find it when it arrived bang on 12 weeks, but I knew it was still early and didn't worry. Sometime it took a long time to find it but the reassurance it has given me is well worth it.

    First time I heard HB at MW was 14 weeks. Also I am quite overweight so thought that would make a difference but obviously not.
  • Hi Tuppence

    I remember asking my midwife during my last pregnancy about buying a heart monitor for reassurance & she said it was a bad idea because if you couldnt find the heartbeat sometime, which as I'm not a trained nurse or midwife would be very likely, that it would panic you more than reassure you.
    I think it will probably be possible at 10 weeks to see the heart beating on the scan.
    Hope everything goes well for you

    Hilary
  • them idwifes usually say at least 12 weeks, but occasionally they can hear at at 10, i wouldnt think they can at 8 weeks, but you never know. Good luck x x
  • I didnt hear it but I certainly saw it which was a massive relief. Im now further gone than both previous pregnancies so fingers crossed xxxxx
  • So glad to hear everything was ok today & you saw your baby. How far are you on now?
    Hilary
  • hi tuppence

    just found this bit of advice dont know if its any use to you
    A vaginal ultra sound can detect a heartbeat as soon as 6 weeks gestation but more commonly at 7-8 weeks. The fetal doppler used on the outside of your belly should pick up a heartbeat at 12 weeks clearly.
    tracey.




    Hi
    I know you have already had your appointment and im glad everything sok with you and baby,just wanted to say though in regards to the quote above a heartbeat can NOT always be detected at 12 weeks using a doppler and its certainly not always clear.I found my babys heartbeat using my own doppler at 11+1 but my midwife has said they wouldn't try until the next appointment at 15-16 weeks which doesnt always pick it up either.The heartbeat can be seen at about 6 weeks, sometimes later but thats only because the scan is internal so its right up close to the baby.

    Glad everythings ok!
    charlie x 12+2
  • Hi there, I'm 10+6 and bought a baby sonic doppler the other day. My OH was against the idea as he thought it would stress me out if I couldn't find it especially as I had a m/c in June. I did buy one (had seen the HB at my 7 week scan) but paid a bit more so that it has a LCD screen so that I wasn't only dependent on hearing the heartbeat i.e. it flashes a heartbeat sign and shows the rate on the screen so it's easy to tell which is mine and which is baby. If i'd been just doing it on audio I don't think I would have managed to find it but I have done and it really has made me feel better. It wasn't cheap though at ??145 but it has bought me peace of mind whilst I wait for my 12 week scan. you can get cheaper ones but some of them aren't able to pick up the heartbeat before 20 weeks and others after 12 weeks. My one said it may be able to pick up heartbeat from as early as 8 weeks. I have to be really disciplined though not to use it all the time, as from the research i've doneit seems that medically we just don't know enough about the longer term use of these during pregnancy. we know that periodic use in pregnancy is safe but if one was doing it daily then they just don't know the effects......so I use with caution but i'm pleased i invested also my OH was converted from the second we found the HB! hope all well at your next appt.
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