I just talked to my doctor about this same thing. We are only 12 weeks along and our doctor is doing ultrasounds at each appointment since he isnt picking the heartbeat up right away yet since the baby is still so small and moving alot. He said that the doplers are a great at home tool, but he would not write the prescribtion till I was around 20 weeks and then he still wanted me to use the office dopler and be able to find the heartbeat on my own at the office before he would write the script. I know that the ones from tiny heartbeats are free, but you can get one online for around $50 if you do not want to wait. I was also given 101 reason on why this can be a bad thing and that not being able to find the hearbeat will cause more stress then not having the machine, but he also said that he has not ever went through loosing a baby and would never tell a patient how they should act after that during a pregnancy. He was more concerned with my stress level and blood pressure with dealing with the doplers. He also said that he wanted to wait till 20-24 weeks since if something did/does happen before then, there is really not much the hospital can do for the very premature baby as far as trying to save a life. I will be getting one, but do agree that I will wait till we are farther along since I will be the one in the hospital the first time I cant find the heartbeat...

I definitely have less faith in doctor's because I know now that they don't know everything. I do however still believe that they don't outright lie. So maybe your doctor was speaking from his own experience. Perhaps all of his patients that have come in with concerns as a result of using a doppler at home have never once come in with a legit concern that warranted medical attention. Same goes for the heartrate in the 60s. I've NEVER heard of such a thing, but maybe he's seen it happen a few times and everything was okay.

I too would seek medical attention at the first sign of something not seeming right. And I agree with switching doctors because you need to see someone that is more sensitive to how you will be feeling emotionally during this pregnancy. Hopefully the next one will just give you the scrip; actually you might want to ask to speak with a nurse in the office before you make an appointment at a different office to see if they're difficult too. Good luck.

I bought a doppler online from ebay for lik $60. When I told my doctor about it her told me to be aware that the cheaper ones you buy online are not as good as the office one and that I probably would not be able to find the hearbeat until i was farther along. He understands and anxious I am so he told me I could use it but not to freak out if I can't find the heartbeat. However I have been able to find my baby's heartbeat since I was 12 or 13 weeks. Now i can feel the baby move so i use it alot less. The doppler I bought is a Sonoline B.
Hope this helps.

My doctor gave me some guidelines before she would write the script. First she told me if you are getting low readings between 50 and 80 it is more than likely your own heartbeat. If I was getting readings about 205 then the doppler was probably picking up mine and babies. She told me not to be surprised if I wasn't able to pick up on it until around 15 weeks. And also, if I wasn't able to find it, then to eat a little something and lay on my left side for an hour and try again. If I still didn't couldn't find her then to call. I was able to find it at 12 weeks and never had an issue. I did get low readings a few times, but I would move it around until I got a higher reading and I always got it higher. I even had a day when I was about 14 weeks where I had some spotting, first thing I did before calling the doc was listen and I heard the heart beat. That made the call much less stressful and everything was fine. If you think that having a doppler is going to make you freak out more then I wouldn't get one, but if you understand that you aren't a doctor and that sometimes you have to try for a bit to find it, then I would get one. It helped me so many times until I started feeling him move on a regular basis. Now I use it once a week, just so I can hear him :) Good Luck!

My OB would not write me a prescription for a doppler either. She said that in her opinion it would only make me more anxious if I had a hard time picking up the heratbeat especially earlier in the pr3egnancy when it's a bit more difficult. Then she asked me what I would do if I didn'y find the heartbeat? Go to the hospital everytime? And if I didn't find the heartbeat because the baby was gone it would be too late to do anything by the time I got to the hospital annyways. She did offer me to come in anytime if I was worried and she would check the heartbeat for me. Also she said later in the pregnancy kickcounts are more important to keep track of. She lost her forst 2 pregnancies and she understands what it feels like to worry all the time so I trusted her.

After thinking it over, I decided not to buy one on my own and I am very happy I didn't get one earlier because I think I would have been obsessed with it. I was given one by a freind a few weeks ago and I just started using it, but only if I don;t feel the baby move for an hour or so.

My OB suggested I get a dopppler. She is very understanding of my anxiety and I think has faith in my judgment on what's an emergency and what's not. I am very fortunate. It has been a lifesaver for me when Maggie decides to have a day when she's not as active. I don't rely on it though. If I am concerned about her activity level, even though her heart rate is ok, I still make a call to my doctor and head in to be checked out. I'm not taking any chances. Good luck!

I think probably your doctor was more concerned about your mental health and overusing the doppler than "not being bothered," but of course it could be both. I have a doppler (Sonoline B) which we bought for $70-something on Amazon and it has been wonderful. I found the heartbeat at 10 weeks (but waited until then to try...and was prepared to wait a few more weeks to find anything) and can easily find it every single time right away now at 21 weeks. I check 1-2 times a week just because.

That said, I don't know what would happen if I couldn't find the heartbeat. I really trust the doppler and think if I couldn't find it that the worst would have happened...so at this point I don't see how the doppler could be bad but if you are still really early I understand the doc's concern. You have to decide if your mental health will be helped by a doppler's reassurance or harmed if it ever showed bad things to you. Hugs.

I got a heart doppler I ended in the hospital cause I got scared cause I couldn't find Jacob heart beat as soon as I got to the hospital they found it right way. So it is scary to have that's my opinion.

I asked my ob and my high risk ob that I am seeing about a doppler. They both thought it would cause me more stress than good so I haven't gotten one. They thought I would have trouble finding the heartbeat and get all stressed out. When I had my angel the labor and delivery nurse told me she got a doppler to check her pregnancy everyday and I asked her what she would have done if she couldn't find the heartbeat--she said nothing--there was nothing she could have done at that point--so for me I am relying on my doctors monitoring me and my faith since I have no control over what happens. I still think about it everyday though but I am hoping the baby will start moving where I can feel it and that will make me feel better.

I replied once already, but just wanted to say that we did recieve our doppler and dr doesnt want us to use it yet, we tried it out last night(really, who can wait!) and I am 13 weeks and we could not find the heartbeat. I know that the baby is fine since we went to dr today and saw and heard the heartbeat, but I was not able to pick it up. so maybe these are better to get later in pregnancy.

Thank you for all your replies.

I did not want to get the doppler until I started feeling the baby move-- around 18 or so weeks. I wanted it just to double check in case little one is having a "sleepy" day and not moving around as much. I probably should have mentioned that I am an RN and I have been using dopplers throughout my career, and my doc knows that. As far as seeking medical attention-- I know NOT to-- until the age of viability ... so I guess I was just pretty upset that he was so adamantly against it.

As a result of this, I am switching doctors. I am also planning on using Dr Collins later in my pregnancy for additional monitoring, and I can only imagine what my doc would say about that if he is already balking at the idea of a simple doppler. Thanks again for everyone's input. Hope everyone has a healthy happy pregnancy.

I have a sonoline b with a 3mhz probe ( most come with 2) the 3 mhz is worth the money. I got mine off of craigslist and Loved it for my rainbow now 6 months. I was able to pick a heart rate up at 9 weeks The key was the baby oil gel that I found at the dollar tree. it is much cheeper than the reg gel and the same stuff. also I took it to my ob and he showed me how to use it. The key is to not depend on it justuse it for reasurrance give it a little time before you worry. I would check several times a week and if I could not find a rate I would relax some lay down and try agan about 1 hr or so latter.

I have to agree with everything you said including "You're FIRED!" I highly recommend a Doppler. It has saved my sanity more than once and no I don't believe those levels of revels would be considered normal (although I am not in the medical field). FYI: I found a $150 doppler for $50 rather quickly on Craigslist. Obviously, no prescription was necessary. Keep us posted, Hugs, Stacy

Not revels, I meant decels. Sorry.

I got mine (Sonoline B) @ 10.5 and it took about 10 mins, but with a little patience, I was able to find it, and have found it ever since. It has honestly kept me from the ER TWICE! and kept me from driving my doc nuts with phone calls. i love it!!