Fetal dopplers are the right things to buy if you want to monitor the health of your fetus during pregnancy. However, there are a lot of factors which can lead to a wrong reading on the apparatus and you must be aware of these things when you are using the equipment at your home to determine the heart rate of your baby. Factors which can alter the readings might include:
- Contractions in your uterus
- Pushing phase during pregnancy phase
- Other tests which are being performed at the same time
- Medications which are prescribed by your doctor
It is, therefore, advised by your doctor that you must not use the fetal doppler to analyze any readings on your own. If you are not adept in the medical sciences, you should not make any conclusions based on the results obtained from the readings of fetal doppler. If you are familiar with how this apparatus operates, you can record the readings and can assist your doctor in making and relevant decision during your pregnancy. In this article, we will guide you about the right way of using a fetal heart doppler at your home to reduce the risk of getting false readings.
How to use the fetal doppler?
You must always have a good idea about the right usage of fetal doppler if you are using it at your home without the supervision of any health professional. First, you must not expose too much to the waves produced by the doppler because these can have an adverse effect on your body and on the health of your baby. You must know the right method of using the baby heart monitor if you do not want to get the wrong results. Following is the correct method of taking the readings from the doppler to assist your gynecologist with her diagnosis.
Things to gather:
You must gather following things before you start using the fetal doppler to monitor the heartbeat of your baby. These dopplers can help you in determining the healthy behavior of your baby but it can also lead to a wrong diagnosis if you are not using it in the proper way. Following are the things which you would need in order to get this apparatus work properly:
- Ultrasound gel
- Batteries of the apparatus
- Headphones or the speaker to listen to the heartbeat
- A proper place to lie down
Method:
You should lay down on your back in a comfortable position. Reclining position must be comfortable as you are going to lay down in the same position for a long time now. Turn on the doppler and adjust the volume to make sure that it would not be too high for you. Expose your stomach and apply the ultrasound gel. Place the doppler on the lower abdomen on the gel and slowly start moving in the upward direction. Continue to adjust the position till you locate the position of your baby, take the readings. Clean your belly and device with a clean cloth.