Does he think I'll freak out if I don't hear it? He says at 15 weeks the uterus is up and out and it is better then...
2006-12-14 11:30:39 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
According to my books "Fetal heart tones / cardiac activity can be detected with transvaginal ultrasound at 5.5-7 wks, heard with doppler at 10-12 wks, and heard with stethoscope at 16-20 wks."
Personally, I usually check with dopper starting around 12 wks. This is the instrument that they put some of the jelly on your belly and then put up the microphone to your belly and you both hear the heartbeat over the speaker. Even at 12wks things can be hard to discern - sometimes that fetal heartbeat can be hard to find and you end up doing an ultrasound to make sure everything is ok. I guess some docs like to wait until 15 wks, just to prevent any worrying if things are hard to find around 10-12 wks. At 15 wks, things should definitely be heard easily. Also, around this time, it is a good time to estimate fetal age.
Really, it all depends on who you go to. With my daughter's doc, they actually did the doppler at 10 wks. Other docs wait. It all depends on the doc.
One word of advice... DO NOT go and get one of those store headphone sets that supposedly help you hear the fetal heart tones. These RARELY pick up the heartbeat and cause much more worry than anything else. My advice for you is just keep on taking those prenatal vitamins and wait until the 15 wks. If you really just can't wait - ask your doc to check you around 10 -12 wks. But you probably wouldn't find much before then. Hope that helps! CONGRATULATIONS!
2006-12-14 11:41:52 · answer #1 · answered by medone7 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like the others said, the heartbeat is too faint any sooner than 15 weeks and it will just freak you out and be a co-payment for nothing. You may even have trouble hearing it at 15 weeks, so they may also do a sonogram-which is what happened to me when they listened for the heartbeat at 17 weeks and couldn't get it. Good luck!
2006-12-14 11:36:20 · answer #2 · answered by emrobs 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What your doctor has said is true. Yes they can technically find a heartbeat at 5 weeks, but your baby is sooo small and delicate that it's really not ready to be tested on and treated as a baby until 15 weeks. And my mom also says that those little hand held dopplers can't pick up a heartbeat until about that time. Congrats!
2006-12-14 11:34:28 · answer #3 · answered by ♥ღαмαиdα♥ღ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
due to the position of the uterus in early pregnancy, its often hard to find a heartbeat. With my daughter, they tried unsuccessfully to find a heartbeat at 9 weeks, so they whipped out the sonogram machine and found three babies, two were not viable and died by 12 weeks gestation. I wish my doc would have waited till I was 15 weeks, it would have saved a lot of heartbreak.
Now I have one healthy 17 year old who is due to graduate valedictorian in May (I also have a 15 year old, gotta mention him
2006-12-14 11:47:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some doctors just prefer to do that. My ob has tried and he doesnt get anything so we go to the sonogram and he gets it in there I am also high risk. I was 18 weeks and the nurse still had a hard time finding it in the ER. It also depends on how heavy you are because its really hard to hear if you have alot of fat around you belly. When you get to your 12 weeks request to see if he can hear it and maybe he will let his nurse try.
2006-12-14 11:38:42 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont know. I heard all of my babys heartbeats at between 10 and 12 weeks along. He will be able to find it. Just sounds like he doesnt want to take the time to find it.
2006-12-14 11:42:40 · answer #6 · answered by Blondi 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The doppler can not pick up the heartbeat until then, and even at 15 weeks, it is not a definite that it will be heard. That does not mean that there is anything wrong though.
2006-12-14 11:37:53 · answer #7 · answered by jerseymilo9 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
My Doctor used one on me at 10 weeks and defiantly had no trouble finding a heart beat. So it isn't that he can't find or hear it. I don't know why he won't but I would not worry. There will be plenty of times for all that.
2006-12-15 04:34:55 · answer #8 · answered by cargrl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He is just waiting till it is easier to find, my doctor did heart beat checks from the beginning ( I have a history of miscarriage, so mine was to make sure there was a baby) and when it took awhile or he couldn't find one I did freak out a little.
2006-12-14 11:35:49 · answer #9 · answered by The Invisible Woman 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You WOULD freak out if you didn't hear it. There is no controlling that. You will freak out about every single detail during your pregnancy, and your doctor knows it. So he is giving you one less thing to 'control', be grateful! And just relax and enjoy!
2006-12-14 11:39:52 · answer #10 · answered by myhugsx5 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋