Heartbeat at midwife appointments

I asked my midwife this and she said they no longer listen to the heartbeat routinely at appointments :( but I’m sure if you really wanted to hear it they would.

@Sarah oh that’s so strange! I’m from leeds too so I wonder if it’s just around here? They also didn’t take my blood pressure at my last appointment. Not sure if it’s just me overthinking but I worry so much!

Every midwife appointment I’ve been too they’ve listened to the heart beat. I was reading a post a few weeks ago where the midwife told the lady they couldn’t do it due to her being over weight which I thought was Abit odd. So when I go in they check my weight, urine sample, blood pressure, carbon monoxide and last time they took blood which just came back that I’m low in iron. I feel like every midwife does it slightly different though and my last appointment was 28 weeks.

@Robyn Taylor that sounds so silly! I do think every midwife must just do things different as I’m not overweight. My last one was my 28 week one aswell x

Yeah, some midwives might still do it. I think my midwife quoted the NICE guidelines which advised them not to listen to the heartbeat at routine antenatal appointments as it doesn’t guarantee that the baby is healthy. It’s to encourage women to focus on baby’s movements and not rely on hearing a heartbeat for reassurance. I was disappointed because I found it helped me connect with my first baby. I don’t think there’s any harm in the mum hearing her baby’s heartbeat!

She's checked baby heartbeat at every app from 16 weeks, she was hesitant doing it at 16 weeks as its not standard practice, but I asked her to, but 21 week, 26 week, 28 week she has listened every time xx

So they have listened to babies heart beat at every appointment I’ve been too. However I’ve only had 3 or 4 midwife appointments and every time it’s been a different midwife which I thought was normal but apparently I should have had the same one but she’s just been on leave every time I’ve been in apart from 1 time 😅

I had mine done at the 16 weeks appointment and my 29 week appointment (which would probably be peoples 18 week and 28 week mine have just been a little different on timing)

I haven’t heard it at all during my midwife appts (I’ve only had two; 8 & 28 weeks) or NHS scans. I heard baby’s heartbeat for the first time at my private scan last Sunday. I’m in West Yorkshire too.

I listened to the heartbeat at the 16 week and 24 week. I didn’t have to ask she offered both times! I did later on ask if every midwife does this snd she said some locations don’t but at macclesfield they always do!xxx

Mine checks the heartbeat, urine sample, blood pressure, carbon monoxide and my weight at every appointment. I've had my bump measured at my last 2 appointments too (28 and 31 weeks) x

Strange! They listen to mine at every appointment x

I’ve heard it from every appointment from around 18/20 weeks xx

I've never had heartbeat listened too at appointments and I'm 29 weeks 😫

@Saffron I haven't had my weight monitored at all during pregnancy, got weighed at my first scan and nothing since, thought it was odd