Filed under: Monitor
Young expectant parents are being advised by many medical professionals not to use hand-held home use fetal heart rate monitors (an instrument better known as the Doppler) in order to listen to the baby’s heartbeat over (justified) fears that these sophisticated medical instruments can lead to delays in seeking medical help for reduced fetal movements (RFM) which can represent a warning sign that the unborn child is small for gestation or unwell. Therefore, expectant mothers who report reduced fetal movements have to be investigated thoroughly.
In one article in the British Medical Journal, Dr Thomas Aust (MD Obstetrician/Gynecologist) and his colleague physicians from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral describe the case of a young twenty seven year old woman who presented to their labor ward thirty two weeks into her first pregnancy with reduced fetal movements.
She had first noted a reduction in the unborn child’s activity 2 days earlier, however, had used her own home use fetal Doppler instrument to listen to her unborn child’s heart beating and reassured herself that all was okay.
Further fetal heart rate monitoring by the prenatal care team wasn’t reassuring. So, the child was delivered by C-section later that night. The newborn remained on the special care newborn room for two months and is making steady progress.
Fetal Doppler instrument assesses the presence of an unborn child’s heart beating only at that moment and it’s used by obstetricians as well as trained midwives in order to check for viability or for intermittent monitoring throughout the labor, say the authors. In inexperienced hands it’s much more likely that blood flow through the placenta or the pregnant woman’s main blood vessels will be heard.
Following this specific case, they searched the Web and found that a hand-held home use Doppler instrument could be rented for $15 per one month or bought for as little as $40 to $70. Even though the companies offering sales state that the instrument isn’t intended to replace advised prenatal diagnosis, manufacturers make claims like: “Expectant parents will be able to locate and listen to the heart beating with amazing clarity.”
It’s quite hard to say whether self monitoring altered the outcome in this particular instance, explain the authors. On the other hand, they now have posters in their antenatal areas advising that expectant parents don’t use these instruments.
September 16, 2010
Young expectant mothers who decide to get whether high end or cheap Doppler can monitor fetal heart rate and bond with the baby.
It’s quite standard for parents-to-be to have some fears concerning the well-being of their unborn child and to be slightly frightened. Some of them even believe that having one of these instruments is quite reassuring as well as comforting. A Doppler is a medical instrument which is used by many physicians to detect to the sounds of the mother’s womb at prenatal checkups. The sounds can generally be heard by the second month of gestation period. The child’s heartbeat as well as cord sounds and
even placenta sounds can all be easily detected with the instrument. Unquestionably, it has become a standard procedure of prenatal care.
A brand new fetal Doppler tops the shopping lists of most expectant young parents. Unfortunately, with very high price tags which sometimes run into the hundreds of dollars, it’s undoubtedly a very important investment for any parent-to-be. On the other hand, parents can and should think about getting a cheap model; but they should proceed with extreme caution.
Here are some tips and suggestions to keep in mind when searching for the cheap fetal heart rate Doppler monitor:
Safety
- Check outthe Internet page in great detail prior to buying one
- Make sure that the particular instrument conforms to all safety standards and is FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved
- Talk to the health care provider prior to buying one
- Ensure to read (and, needless to say – to understand) the return policy before getting one
- Ensure there’re guidelines for safe use as well as instructions on how to read what a mother-to-be is detecting
- When a mother-to-be is shopping, she should ensure to ask about the warranty
Price vs. Quality
Compare discounts and special deals because there’re a lot of different deals, (just for instance, certain models come with gel, batteries as well as free shipping and other’s do not). Be conscious of price vs. quality. Some models are much better by leaps and bounds when compared to others. A model with two megahertz probes are the best. Therefore, ensure to inquire whether or not they have two megahertz probes
Delivery
Find out how soon the order will arrive. Several manufacturers do not ship for two or even four business days after they receive the order
First Time or Experienced Parents
Parents-to-be should take into account how long will they need their Doppler monitor and whether they are done having kids or only getting started
Convenience Features
- A Doppler should be handy and portable
- It should detect the fetal heart rate from about ten to twelve weeks during pregnancy, and
- It should be simple to use
- It should be designed to be both lightweight and small, however robust, making it perfect for medical staff, physicians and naturally, expectant mothers
- A loudspeaker is a standard feature. Not only will the sound of the child reassure parents-to-be, however they will bond with their child from the day one. With the built in audio speaker, they will be able to share the excitement with close friends as well as family members
- The audio output for earphones is also a standard feature
Finally, parents have to be very cautious if getting a second-hand model or renting – or any used medical instrument, for that matter. Once again, check on-line for latest recall info, ensure to review the fetal Doppler rental agreement, get all the instruction manuals, and clean the instrument carefully with some kind of a recommended safe cleaning solution before using it.
Fortunately, regardless of how many expensive monitors turn up each year in specialized shops, it’s not necessary to get one. If expectant-parents shop with care, keep safety in mind, and do some research before making their final decision, getting a cheap fetal heart rate Doppler monitor is a very wise decision in fact.
August 22, 2010
Once you are with child, the one thing you wish the most is to find out exactly what is happening with the precious one developing inside of you. In case you’ve had problems or spontaneous abortion in prior pregnancies, you might actually be extra keen to find out whether the little one is well and in good condition. If you have to wait between regular medical check-ups to hear the baby’s heart beating, you might become anxious. Fortunately, you are able to check on the baby via the hand-held fetal heart rate monitor at the convenience of your home.
During medical check-ups, you have probably been excited to hear the little one’s heartbeats. To ensure that you to hear the baby’s heart beating, the physician uses an instrument often referred to as Doppler or fetal heart rate monitor. That instrument uses a probe to identify high frequency sound waves which are produced by the child’s heart.
Since those sound waves are not simply detected in standard circumstances, an oil or gel is spread on the stomach. After that, the probe is moved around this area until the baby’s heartbeat is detected. As soon as the sound-waves are detected, they’re sent from the probe right to the instrument that amplifies the sound so that you can hear it.
From the 8th week of pregnancy, it’s possible to detect the child’s heart beating. Even tough the baby’s is checked at regular medical check-ups, in case you’ve had several spontaneous abortions or uncommon complications which occur during pregnancy in previous pregnancies, you might be a very anxious about having to wait that much time to see that the child okay. Basically, this is the main reason why a lot of manufactures have started to produce fetal heart rate monitors for home use.
One such instrument at home can provide expectant mothers with relaxation and assurance that the pregnancy is developing normally. Furthermore, this small yet effective device can give peace of mind to young mothers and fathers who’re experiencing problems in the pregnancy since it can help to alert you if there’s a major problem with the child. Mothers who have to frequently visit the ER because of the problems in the pregnancy may find that it actually helps to cut down the number of trips they have to make.
A fetal heart rate monitor is basically a hand-held instrument which is usually easy to use. Ones designed for home use as a rule work on batteries. In case you’re using one of those instruments, it is possible to begin trying to hear the child’s heart beating as soon as two months even though the great majority of expectant mothers and fathers will not be able to detect the heartbeat until the tenth week to third month of pregnancy. Furthermore, the majority of home-use types of instruments enable you to record the sound of the baby’s heart rate. With just one click, you can download results to the PC as a unique memento of the pregnancy.
May 9, 2010