When you visit the OB/GYN, the staff listens to your baby’s heartbeat with a device called a fetal heart doppler and creates a sonogram. These devices are so named because they are based on a theory first proposed by a scientist named Doppler in the mid-1800. Many people are familiar with the “Doppler Effect,” which is the rising and falling sound as noisy object like a car approaches and passes you, or have heard their weatherman cite “Doppler Radar” when tracking the movement of a storm system. The concept is now a very important in medical imaging technology, as well.
At the doctor’s office, the technician probably explained to you that the Doppler uses sound wave, not x-rays, to create an image of your developing baby. A very high frequency sound wave is directed into your body by an emitter that is rubbed on your belly. Those sound waves are transmitted through your amniotic fluid and reflect back from the surface of your baby’s body, like navies use sonar to track underwater shapes. The baby has no perception of this happening, just as you cannot hear the sound waves. The device at the doctor’s office is highly specialized, and very expensive, because it converts sound waves to a visual image for you to see. But, this doesn’t have to be the case.
The device could be much simpler if the doctor only wanted to listen and not see. In fact, these simplified devices are available for purchase and use at home. Much as an intercom lets you hear sounds from your baby’s nursery anywhere in the house, a fetal heart monitor allows you to listen in on your baby’s heart whenever you want to, and not just at the doctor’s office. If you have experienced complications with past pregnancies, or if there is risk involved with your current pregnancy, then an at home fetal heart monitor can proved a sense of comfort for you. It may ease your anxiety and reduce your stress, or at the other end of the spectrum it may alert you to a problem that needs attention when it happens, not when you visit the doctor’s office.
Fetal heart monitors are modern electronic devices, and just like cell phones or PDAs they come with a wide range of available features. They generally run on batteries and are small enough that you can carry them with you in your purse. Digital monitors automatically display your baby’s heart rate, while others simply amplify the sound of the heartbeat. Some models can record your baby’s heartbeat as an MP3 that you can save and e-mail to family and friends. These devices cost in the neighborhood of $500, so they aren’t inexpensive. However, they can also be rented from medical supply companies for the term of your pregnancy at much lower costs. An online search will return dozens of companies who rent the devices.
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