Being pregnant is an exciting and beautiful experience. But it also makes you feel a little nervous. If you and your partner are consumed with worries about the health of your baby, a fetal doppler may be for you. A fetal doppler is a non-invasive diagnostic device that you can use to monitor your baby, including detecting and measuring the heart rate. Its operation is based on the Doppler effect, which emits and receive continuing ultra-sonic sound waves and then emits the shift or changes their pitch rate.

In the past, fetal dopplers were only used by trained doctors and midwives. Today, fetal dopplers are available in pocket-sized versions which parents can use at home without professional supervision. You will love listening to the heartbeat with your partner, who may often be absent from checkups. Being able to listen to your baby's heartbeat can also help easy your anxiety by reassuring that your baby is okay.

If you are considering buying a fetal doppler but aren't sure if it right for you, here is some useful information about this device and how you can benefit from it.

Hearing your baby's heartbeat is one of the most amazing things in the world. It brings you the assurance that your baby is there, is healthy and is growing. Although you shouldn't use a fetal doppler to try to answer medical questions, being able to listen to that little heartbeat as you say go for it is something you will surely enjoy.

Aside from the fetal doppler, you will also need a doppler gel. Generally, a free sample bottle is provided when you purchase a fetal doppler. Once it runs out, you will have to buy a new doppler gel bottle. Your doppler gel bottle should last you a couple of months, depending on how often you're using a fetal doppler. Avoid squeezing loads of doppler gel onto your belly, and definitely don't smear or rub it all over your belly like a moisturizing cream. Just put a glob of gel on the end of the probe. If there's a lot of static or if you find your doppler gets very crackly, it can be due to too much air trapped in the gel, which doesn't allow the ultrasound to pass effectively to the doppler. In other words, be gentle with the doppler el.

Although it's possible for a fetal doppler to detect a heart rate as early as 8 to10 weeks, doctors recommend parents to wait until 12 weeks. After this time, it will be easier to hear the beat. Trying to hear your baby's heart rate before this time may lead you to unnecessary worry or become impatient. It's important to understand that when it comes to how early a heartbeat can be detected, every woman and baby is different. The size of the mother's body, the position of the fetus and the size of the fetus are some of the factors that can impact early detection.

Fetal dopplers are safe for home use and do not require a prescription. These devices are FDA registered and research doesn't indicate any risk to the mother or the baby when a fetal doppler is used. The waves emitted by a fetal doppler are about 40 times lower than those emitted from the ultrasound machine you see in your doctor's office. Professional ultrasound machines also use probes at a much higher frequency, which is why only trained professionals can perform an ultrasound. With a fetal doppler, anyone can safely use it.

When you first see your baby's heartbeat on the display screen, you may be surprized as it may be higher then you expected. This isn't a reason to worry. It is normal for a fetal heartbeat to be between 120 and 180 beats per minute. In fact, it's supposed to be a lot higher than adults heart rate, which ranges from 60 to 100. So, when you listen to your baby's heartbeat, it should be very quick. And if the heartbeat momentarily fades, that is normal too. This means that your baby is moving around and switching positions.

It is important to mention that a home fetal doppler shouldn't be used in place of a doctor's appointment. A home fetal doppler is meant to be used in-between visits to the doctor, not instead of visits to the doctor. After all, doctors have medical-grade, accurate equipment approved by all required safety agencies. Furthermore, doctors and midwife are trained to operate a doppler. This means that they know what all the sounds mean and what's concerning and what is not. They can also offer you support, which is great if you're feeling nervous or if you have any questions.