Towards the end of the first trimester, it becomes possible to use a fetal doppler to hear the heartbeat of an unborn baby. For many women, hearing this miraculous sound only during prenatal checkups is not enough. Purchasing a fetal doppler...
During your pregnancy, your obstetrician monitors your baby's growth, development and heart rate through ultrasounds. During these exams, a fetal doppler or probe is used. It's a hand-held device that emits high-energy sound waves to help detect...
A fetal doppler is a non-invasive diagnostic instrument that uses sound waves to send information back to the user. There are two types of fetal dopplers available: fetal heart doppler and doppler ultrasound. The fetal heart doppler allows a...
Hearing your unborn baby's heartbeat, as you would during a sonogram, is a joyous occasion that many mothers wish to do from the comfort of their own home. Unfortunately, purchasing a fetal heart doppler monitor can be expensive, and the thought...
Bouncing soundwaves through the pregnant uterus and measuring the feedback produces an image of the fetus. Ultrasound pictures are extremely detailed, and are safer than X-rays. Hand-held dopplers use the same technology to "hear" the unborn...
For many women, the desire to monitor the well-being of their child begins long before childbirth. Using a fetal Doppler heart monitor at home to listen to the unborn baby's heartbeat reassures many expectant mothers that their baby is thriving in...
Nothing is more reassuring to an expectant mother than to hear the steady thumping of her baby's heartbeat. Most obstetricians will use a fetal doppler to monitor and time the heartbeat at prenatal appointments. However, many moms-to-be want some...
The first time you hear your baby's heartbeat you may feel joy, happiness and excitement. It may not sound exactly like what you're used to hearing, as your baby's heartbeat is much faster than an adult heartbeat. Some describe a baby's heartbeat...
When you're pregnant, almost nothing is more beautiful to the ear than the sound of your baby's heartbeat. This sound reassures you that your baby is still thriving. One of the most common methods to hear this sound is through a fetal Doppler....
Baby heart rate monitors, also known as fetal heart rate monitors or doppler, are used by many women during their pregnancies. It is now possible to hear the babies heartbeat at home between appointments which may ease any fears or concerns a...
As an expectant mom, one of your early concerns during the first trimester will be, 'When can I hear my baby's heartbeat?' In previous decades, a stethoscope-like device was the only available tool, and only the doctor could actually hear the...
The human heart is an intricate organ. Its right side receives blood flowing from the body and pumps it to the lungs to receive oxygen, while the left side receives the oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it into the body. Your unborn...
During the course of her prenatal visits, a pregnant woman will likely encounter a few different Doppler tests. While it is sometimes used as part of a more comprehensive exam, Doppler technology can also be used alone. Doppler testing helps...
Many expectant parents find that hearing their baby's heartbeat is the most exciting part of their doctor visits. Doctors use a device called a Doppler to listen to the fetus' heart rate. The Doppler may detect a heart beat as early as nine or ten...
Just as a baby's body size and shape change dramatically during the fetal period, her heart rate also changes with gestational age. As a baby grows in the womb and develops features for life after birth, her heart rate will change to reflect this....
One of the most exciting moments of pregnancy for parents-to-be, is the sight or sound of the beating fetal heart. By the time the heart is able to be heard when amplified by fetal Doppler, around nine to ten weeks of pregnancy, says the Dr. Spock...
At 23 weeks into a pregnancy, a woman's baby bump is obvious and she can feel her baby moving regularly. Firmly in the middle of the second trimester, a mother is more than halfway through her pregnancy. The fetus continues to grow and develop;...
Morning sickness affects 50 percent to 90 percent of all pregnant women. However, if you haven't noticed any unusual nausea during your pregnancy, this isn't necessarily a cause for concern. There are many reasons a woman might not experience...
Morning sickness is still rampant and you're exhausted; this begins the third month of your pregnancy. Although you're barely showing much in the way of a baby bump, your baby is working day and night on his development, and already has all of the...
A fetal heart rate monitor is exactly what it sounds like: a device that tracks your baby's heart rate during labor and birth. Changes in your baby's heart rate can indicate fetal distress, which can turn a basic labor and birth into a risky...
For many people, hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a chronic problem, but some women develop the condition temporarily, during the course of pregnancy. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, 6 to 8 percent of...
Your unborn baby's heart begins beating in your fifth week of pregnancy. Although it is too small to hear at this stage, you may be able to see it as a flickering light on an ultrasound. As you approach your second trimester, you will be able to...
According to the Mayo Clinic, multiple births are becoming more and more common. This may be for a number of reasons, including advanced maternal age and the increasing availability of fertility treatments. Years ago, multiple births were often a...
Once your baby is born, you'll have plenty of time to savor his sweet baby smell or give him baby tickles, but in the meantime, you can help make the time pass more quickly and satisfy your curiosity during pregnancy by getting to know your little...
Midwife deliveries are usually low-tech deliveries, with fewer medical interventions than most physician-assisted births. Around 95 percent of certified midwives or nurse midwives deliver in hospitals or birthing centers, according to Midwife.org,...
Although many parents find out the gender of their baby via ultrasound about halfway through their pregnancy, the 18 to 20 week wait can seem excruciatingly long for some expecting parents. Folk tales from the days before scientific gender...
Listening to a baby's heartbeat while she's still in the womb is one of the most comforting and reassuring things a new parent can hear. Early in pregnancy, the only way a heartbeat can be detected is in the doctor's office using sophisticated...
Fetal heart rate monitoring is done periodically throughout pregnancy and sometimes continuously or intermittently during labor. Listening to your baby's heart during pregnancy can reassure you and your health care provider that the baby is doing...
Pregnancy often brings feelings of joy, but it also can create anxiety, especially if you had a previous pregnancy that did not come to term. Several companies market fetal monitors. However, the FDA notes that these devices "are not intended for...
