Home Fetal Heart Monitors

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  Home Fetal Heart Monitors Robert Seith | CWK Network
 
 
“It’s
very difficult to actually hear the babies heartbeat using these
devices. It’s a very very faint ‘thud, thud, thud’,
and nothing like what the patients are hearing when they come to
(the doctors office).“
– Steven Rabin, M.D., Ob-Gyn.
  Related Information What Parents Need To Know Resources

Last month,
mother-to-be Jennifer Landon had a sonogram at her doctors office… hearing
her baby’s heartbeat for the first time.

“That meant everything to hear that heartbeat to know that
it was for real and there was really a little person inside of
me,” she says.

Some mothers, wanting to hear that reassuring sound at home,
are buying up home fetal heart monitors.

“I think piece of mind is a part of it,” says Ob-Gyn
Steven Rabin, M.D., “Especially before 20 weeks, before you
can feel the baby move and know that it’s there and living
and active.”

But there is a problem.

Inexpensive one’s like this work like a stethoscope. But
they don’t always work very well. It’s hard to hear
the heartbeat, especially early in the pregnancy.

“The problem is they come running in thinking there is
not heartbeat. They think the baby has died, and it’s very
distressing to them,” says Dr. Rabin.

A more expensive monitor uses Doppler sound waves. They’re
available for rent or purchase online…and are more reliable.

“It’s a type of ultrasound that sends out a sound
signal,” says Dr. Rabin, “Bounces off the different
part of the baby.”

But, he says, using it constantly could be dangerous.

“One of the primary concerns about using Doppler for prolonged
periods of time, is that it may heat the various parts of the baby
where it’s pointed at, and even cavitate, which is a fancy
word for boiling,” he says.

He says it is safer to be patient… get an ultrasound at
your doctor’s office, once a month.

Jennifer, not impressed with the home fetal monitor she tried,
will do just that.

“I’d rather rely on the doctor once a month to focus
on that heartbeat and hear it at the doctor’s office,” she
says, “(So he can) assess it and analyze it to let me know
exactly what I’m hearing and if it’s good or it there’s
a problem.”

By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.

The joy of being pregnant can often be accompanied by worry between
doctor’s appointments. But after hearing the heartbeat of their child,
many couples’ worries are assuaged. Doctors use a variety of fetal monitors,
some of which are available for at-home use. However, consult with a doctor
before using an at-home system. Experts at Childbirth.org have divided the
types of fetal monitors into the following five categories:

  • Fetoscope – This is a special type of stethoscope used
    for listening to a baby. There are many types of fetoscopes available,
    and a regular stethoscope works as well. This can usually be used
    after about 18 weeks.
  • Doppler – This is a handheld ultrasound device that transmits
    the sounds of the baby’s heart rate either through a speaker or
    into attached earpieces. This can generally pick up heart tones
    after 12 weeks gestation.
  • Electronic fetal monitor – This is an ultrasound device
    used during labor and birth, or during certain testing (non-stress
    test, contraction stress test, etc.) to record the baby’s heart
    rate, and sometimes the mother’s contractions. It can be used intermittently
    or continuously.
  • Internal fetal monitor – This monitor is used internally
    and has an electrode attached to the baby’s head to record heart
    tones, and a pressure catheter to record contractions. This is
    also used during labor and birth, although it is not used intermittently.
  • Telemetry monitor – It is a lot like the regular electronic
    fetal monitor, however, one can maintain mobility.
 
By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.

Whether you decide to use an in-home device or just
wait for the appointments with the doctor, it is important to know some of
the benefits and risks of the devices listed above. Also, keep in mind that
some of these will be utilized predominantly during labor or birth. Experts
at Childbirth.org list the following benefits and risks of each:

  • Fetoscope – This method is non-invasive, simple to use,
    and has a live person on the other end – thus preventing some
    of the errors that are mechanical. This gives mothers more mobility.
    It requires that the person using it be trained, although it is a
    standard procedure taught in every medical and nursing type institution.
  • Doppler – This method is used intermittently, requires little
    training to use, has a live person on the other end, and allows mother
    to maintain her mobility. It may also be easier to use during a contraction.
  • Electronic fetal monitor – This method provides a beat-to-beat
    view of the baby’s heart tones, in relationship to mother’s contractions
    during labor. This may be used either continuously or intermittently.
    This method uses ultrasound, but it also leaves room for mechanical
    error, which may cause incorrect interpretation, unnecessary interventions
    etc. It also leads to loss of maternal mobility (when in use).
  • Internal monitor – This monitor is used only after the mother’s
    water has broken and that she is two to three inches dilated. It
    is more accurate than the electronic monitor, but it does not use
    ultrasound. It can provide continuous monitoring for the high-risk
    mother. This type of monitor is almost exclusively used in high-risk
    situations or when more accurate types of monitoring may prevent
    other unnecessary interventions.
  • Telemetry Monitor – This is the “newest” type of monitor
    available. It is connected to a transmitter on the mother’s thigh
    and uses radio waves to transmit the baby’s heart tones to the nurse’s
    station.
 
Childbirth.org