What is a Fetal Doppler?
A Fetal Doppler is a small handheld device used by doctors, midwives and parents to listen to the fetal heart tones of an unborn child. While the fetal doppler has been popular in doctors’ offices for a number of years to monitor the health of a baby, they have recently gained in popularity among parents for home use. There are several companies from which you can buy or rent a fetal doppler with varying quality from one model to the next.
Price is not always an indication of the quality of the product. The Angelsound Fetal Doppler is a very reasonably priced model that has great reviews. It’s a very basic model with none of the bells and whistles of the more expensive Dopplers, but it works well. There is no LCD screen to provide a read out; however it has a volume control and headphones to allow mom to listen to her baby privately. Most women have easily found the fetal heartbeat around 10 weeks into the pregnancy, and it even works well on plus sized women.
Popular Fetal Dopplers
Hi Bebe Heart Rate Monitor is a very popular monitor and is used by a variety of women with good results. Women have been successful in detecting a heartbeat by the 12th week. While sometimes it may take a bit to find the heartbeat, having a full bladder definitely helps. Some reports have shown that the LCD display is a bit slow and doesn’t always capture the beats per minute before the baby moves. However most are happy with the product and it does pick up the heart beat well.
The Stork Radio Fetal Monitor Plus is a higher end model more commonly used by Obstetricians. It uses advanced static reducing technology to provide clear sounds and is more sensitive than lower priced models on the market. While this is a great Doppler, its $400 price tag might be a little steep for the home user. Overall it is a great product; however renting might be a better option for most users where available.
Another comparable model is the Sonotrax Basic LCD Fetal Doppler Baby Heart Monitor w/ 3MHz Probe. Most women have been able to hear the heart beat at 10 weeks and the price tag is much more budget-friendly at less than $100. It does have a display to show the beats per minutes as well as a battery indicator. The monitor has a speaker so the audio can be shared with others, as well as a headphone jack for private use. The probe is also stored securely inside the device to avoid damage and a waterproof probe is standard on this model. Waterproof probes are a good option to detect fetal distress during a home birth in a birthing pool.
Other fetal dopplers are available, but be sure to research all models before making a purchase. If you are purchasing a fetal doppler online, make sure the product distributor is a reputable company. Look at the website of the fetal doppler provider and see if there are any negative reviews or complaints against them. Verify the return policy and find out if there is any insurance or warranties on the particular fetal doppler unit. Make sure you are getting the best deal on your fetal doppler some companies offer free batteries, gel, and accessories. If you are looking for something for occasional use, then a lower end model might be ideal. However if you are anxious or have experienced problems in the past a higher end model is going to give better results. With the various distributors available, it is easy to find a model and options that will fit provide quality while conforming to your budget.
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