![]() ![]() She has her own medical consulting practice, Women’s Health and Wellness Center of Georgia, LLC, and also currently serves as a Medical Director with the nation’s largest occupational medical group where she specializes in caring for the American workforce, especially pregnant injured workers.There’s no proven benefit to at-home fetal heart monitorsĪlthough ultrasounds are non-invasive and very low-risk, and there has been no evidence of harm from using fetal Doppler devices (which sends sound waves through your skin to confirm fetal sound or movement), the at-home variety hasn't been shown to provide any medical benefit. Prince, M.D., “The Nation’s Bedside Doctor,” is an Obstetrician/Gynecologist and Occupational Medicine physician, bestselling author, and highly regarded keynote speaker. “Sometimes just speaking with a physician or someone on their staff will just calm your fears.”Ībout the expert: Tami M. ![]() ' If you’re really anxious about something, just call the doctor,' Dr. “I have not heard any of my OB-GYN colleagues say they’re a good idea or have tried to encourage their patients to get them,' she said. Prince believes most other OB-GYNs would agree with her take. Of course, you're welcome to discuss this with your own doctor if you're considering buying a doppler, but Dr. I tend to try to get my patients away from that.” The final verdict? Why are going to stress yourself out?’ That’s what happens a lot of the time when you’re not trained you don’t get the result you want.you get frustrated. “I have patients ‘oh do you think I should buy an ultrasound monitor at home?’ ‘Why? You don’t know what you’re looking at. Prince, a lot of patients are asking about at-home fetal monitoring these days. The heart rate is just one aspect - there are many things we use to determine a fetus’s well-being.The doppler is not telling you long-term how the baby is doing,' Dr. “I think is that they are going to know every aspect of their baby’s well-being. Prince's advice? “If you’re not having any vaginal bleeding and you’re feeling healthy, there’s no need to panic.” What people get wrong about at-home monitoring If you're still relatively early on in your pregnancy - and not yet feeling any fetal movement - you may be wondering how you can keep tabs on your baby between doctor's appointments. So what can you do if you're not far enough along to feel kicks? But if you're not feeling any movement for hours and have any other concerns (like vaginal bleeding or high blood pressure), a call to your doctor is definitely in order. Prince assured us.ĭon't be alarmed if you don't feel that many kicks, though - you may have just caught your baby in the middle of a sleep cycle. “If they’re kicking you ten times or more, your baby is great,' Dr. In most cases, your baby should kick at least ten times within that hour. So you stop and you rest and you lie down, preferably on your left side, and you count the kicks within an hour.' Sometimes you don’t really perceive motion when you yourself are in motion. 'If you don’t feel the baby move, stop what you’re doing and rest. “The best thing for patients who are non-medical is to do fetal kick counts,' the doctor shared. Prince was able to suggest an alternative method for at-home fetal monitoring.and this is even simpler. I never recommend it for my patients.” What you can do instead So unless you’re trained in the fetal positions and where is, you may be listening to your heartbeat. 'You don’t just put it on your body - you have to know the positioning of your baby and where it’s best to listen. 'We’re trained as OB-GYNs to know what a fetal heart rate should sound like and where to actually find it on the body,' Dr. Prince did offer up a caveat: If you're an OB-GYN yourself, you can use a doppler at home to check up on your baby - but most of us simply don't have the training needed to make sense of a dopplers' reading. Her take on buying one for at-home use? “It’s a totally bad idea,' she shared.ĭr. Tami Prince, an OB-GYN and best-selling author, who gave us a better understanding of what pregnant women need to consider before investing in fetal dopplers. But before you prepare to order one of your own, you may want to hear an OB-GYN's take on the fetal doppler trend. At first glance, fetal dopplers seem pretty great: They can be relatively affordable, readily available on sites like Amazon, and put the ability to check up on your baby right at your fingertips. If you can't get enough of the sweet sound of your baby's heartbeat, you may have considered buying yourself a fetal doppler so you can listen to it from the comfort of your own home. ![]()
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