It doesn't require any special machinery or batteries to use, but an experienced doctor or midwife would know what to listen for. It looks like a typical stethoscope, but the end is shaped like a bell and is placed on your stomach to listen to your baby's heartbeat. This gives a better reading than listening to your baby’s heartbeat from the outside.Ī fetoscope or fetal stethoscope is a stethoscope specially designed to make internal sounds louder. The wire attaches to your baby’s head and connects to a monitor. Once your water breaks and your cervix opens to prepare for birth, the doctor can run a wire called an electrode through it and into your womb. They can talk to you about the benefits and risks involved with using these devices. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor before you buy an at-home fetal Doppler. This is especially true if you’ve been pregnant for less than 12 weeks, to avoid undue concern. If you’re trying to hear your baby’s heartbeat at home, it may be best to first wait for your doctor to check it during one of your prenatal checkups. Some at-home devices say not to use it before 16 weeks.

But professional sonographers say that they wouldn’t try to listen to a baby’s heartbeat before 13 weeks because your womb is in your pelvis during the first trimester, and so the device won’t work correctly. Some manufacturers of at-home fetal Dopplers say you may be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat as early as 8-12 weeks of pregnancy. You usually get an ultrasound before 12 weeks.Ī fetal Doppler test normally takes place during your second trimester (weeks 13 to 28 of pregnancy). Many ultrasound machines also allow the heartbeat to be heard even before it can be heard with a Doppler. Most women first hear their baby's heartbeat during a routine checkup that uses the fetal Doppler. It’s a type of ultrasound that uses a handheld device to detect changes in movement that are translated as sound. If so, you might have to have your baby as soon as possible.įetal Doppler: A fetal Doppler is a test that uses sound waves to check your baby’s heartbeat. This lets them know if the contractions are stressing your baby. The doctor also may wrap an electronic sensor belt around you to measure the baby’s heart rate during labor and delivery. It counts the number of times your baby’s heart speeds up during a 20-minute period.įor the test, you'll lie down with an electronic sensor belt around your belly that continuously records the baby's heartbeat. If you need it, the doctor might do a special test called a nonstress test, usually starting around week 32 of your pregnancy. Doctors sometimes call this type of baby heart rate monitoring auscultation. Or once your water has broken and you’re in labor, they can thread a thin wire through your cervix and attach it to your baby’s head (internal fetal monitoring).Īuscultation: If your pregnancy is going normally, the doctor likely will check your baby’s heart rate from time to time with a special stethoscope (called a fetoscope) or a hand-held device called a Doppler ultrasound. They can listen for or electronically record the beats from outside your belly (external fetal monitoring). The doctor can monitor your baby’s heartbeat in a couple of ways. The doctor might also use a fetal heart rate monitor to make sure your baby is OK when you’re in labor or if there are other reasons to check your baby’s heart rate.

Your baby isn’t growing or developing normally.

You’re taking medicine for preterm labor.

You may need fetal heart rate monitoring when: The doctor is more likely to use fetal heart rate monitoring when your pregnancy is high-risk. They may combine it with other tests for a closer look if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or any condition that could cause problems for you and your baby. The doctor is most likely to do this later in your pregnancy and when you’re in labor. One of the ways they do that is to check the rate and rhythm of your baby’s heartbeat. If you’re pregnant, your doctor will want to make sure your baby is healthy and growing. (Photo Credit: E+/Getty Images)įetal heart rate monitoring is a process that lets your doctor see how fast your baby’s heart is beating.

A doctor might use fetal heart rate monitoring to make sure your baby’s heart rate is OK.

Fetal heart rate doppler