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Dabbling with Dopplers
Is Listening in on Baby at Home a Good Idea?
By Alex Powell
Dr. Kingston recommends that all of her patients do fetal movement counts (often called "kick-counts") starting at 28 weeks of pregnancy. "Once a day during their baby's active period they time how long it takes to feel 10 movements," Dr. Kingston says. "Studies show that if this time is less than one hour, it is reassuring and the incidence of a false positive is exceedingly low. If a mom is concerned that her fetal movements are slower than usual, or it takes longer than one hour to get 10 [movements], she is instructed to call Labor and Delivery. Fetal movement counting is free and very effective."
Finally, many parents simply enjoy using the Doppler as a way to spend time together, bonding with their baby, Schorn says. The good news is that there are some "low-tech" options for doing so.
"I recommend that women have their partner put their ear directly to her abdomen to listen," Schorn says. "Once she is in the third trimester, and she has a better idea of how her baby is lying, the other person could put [his] ear over the back or trunk of the baby, and [can] often be able to hear like this. Another way to amplify the sound is to use a tube – such as a toilet paper roll – place it in the same place on her abdomen and listen through this roll."
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