Doppler?

Doppler is not reassuring because you will more likely pick up your own heartbeat than baby's.

I had a doppler and times when I felt baby’s movements had been a little quiet it just gave me that reassurance. It can be harder to find early on in pregnancy but as you get into the later stages it’s very easy xx

@Sham I'm 16 weeks do you think that's too early?

@MaCayla No you can definitely find it!

I was hit or miss finding the heartbeat until around 20 weeks. So I had to be sure to remind myself it’s not 100% and try again another time. I realize now that I haven’t used it in weeks because the movement has been my reassurance. So I guess the answer is probably not worth the money and potential additional worry(if you can’t convince yourself of its downfalls). For reference I’m 30 weeks. So there was maybe 5 weeks when movement was not consistent that I did use it.

Not advised. If you feel something is wrong or movements have changed you need to speak to a medical professional. If you use it and hear something you may assume everything is fine but it may not be the case. Similarly if you use it and can't find anything that's even more anxiety inducing. It's also to early, in the UK many midwives wouldn't try to use the Doppler until 24/28 week appointment as it can be hard to find before then and they don't want to cause worry if they start looking and can't find it

I had one that was borrowed and gave it back to my sister due to it causing too much anxiety .

I personally feel like having a doppler could make your anxiety worse especially if you can't find the heartbeat and you might end up using it constantly! I got told also that just because you can hear the heartbeat etc it doesn't always mean things are okay, I.e if movements are reduced etc as we don't know what to listen out for etc

@MaCayla bear in mind, most midwives won't even attempt to find the heartbeat at 16weeks as it's tricky to find, and they're trained! X

I was gifted one and I absolutely love it for reassurance! He was too small at first and I was only picking up my own heartbeat (about 13 weeks I tried at first) then about 18 weeks I was able to consistently find it on my own and now I’m 21 weeks and can find it within seconds lol. To each their own but I love it!🩵🙏🏽

Tommy's don't recommend. There are stories where mams have used it for reassurance when baby has been a bit quieter and because we're not medically trained have either picked up their own heartbeat or haven't recognised that the baby's heartbeat is slower/faster than it should be. I get the temptation, but better to call triage if you're worried than potentially end up falsely reassured.