A baby Doppler is something that many parents think about buying. These are machines that can be bought or hired, which offer portable ultrasounds.
They can be used in the home or while out and about to be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat and show your growing baby off to friends and families. However, there is a lot of controversy surrounding the machines.
Is a baby Doppler safe?
The machine will not harm your baby in any way and works just like a normal ultrasound machine in a hospital. However, there is a lot of concern over the mental well-being of a child. The problem is that doctors and nurses receive training on the machines to make it possible to identify the heartbeat.
There are times that you will not hear the heartbeat due to placing the device in the wrong place.
There are also times when you will pick up your own heartbeat or hear the sound of blood flowing, which will give off false readings. This can lead to a lot of stress for the mother, which is never a good thing for the baby.
How does a baby Doppler work?
The devices are small and will fit in a pocket. They run on batteries, which makes it possible to take anywhere.
The baby Dopplers work by sending out high frequency waves, which pass through the body. A transducer is placed against the stomach and a speaker is attached, which is where the heartbeat will sound.
There has never been a link to the ultrasound waves from harming the baby and there is no evidence to suggest that the battery-powered device will do harm. The power levels are too low to do anything, even over a long period of use.
Find out your baby’s progression without a baby Doppler
You do not need to use a baby Doppler to find out how your baby is growing and developing. In fact, most women will prefer to wait for their check-ups with their midwife to avoid the confusion of sounds. You will have routine scans at regular intervals where you will be able to see your baby on a monitor and get printouts to share with friends and family members.
It is also possible to monitor your unborn baby through movements in the later stages. This is the most common way that parents will realize that there is a problem – usually due to a lack of movement when there should be.
Things to consider before buying a baby Doppler
You will need to be careful when you do decide to buy one of these devices to make sure that they are high quality. You should never buy anything that runs the risk of harming yourself or your baby. Check the details of anything that you are buying to find out how it works and make sure the company is reputable.
Just because the device says that you will be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat at nine weeks does not mean that you will. In fact, you will rarely be able to hear a heartbeat at this point, which makes many women worry. The only way a midwife will entertain the idea is by doing a transvaginal ultrasound.
Finally, you should always check the instructions and only use gel that is for use with ultrasounds. This is for the safety of your child. Other gels have been known to cause static against the probe, which will harm you and your baby.
