# What's the whooshing sound when I use my doppler?



## sandyhen85

Hey ladies, I had my 12 week scan Monday and ordered a Doppler right afterwards because I am such a worrier about everything. Anyway, it arrived yesterday and I found babies HB which was great, but I also noticed a whooshing sound whilst I was trying to locate the HB, is this the placenta? I had the same tonight when I used it too, I can hear it on both sides, but it is a lot louder on the right side so just curious as to what it is...thanks ladies x x


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## caitlenc

Yup, it's the placenta!


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## Elljo3

That's the placenta x


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## JayMari

Placenta or baby moving around


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## xZoeyx

Be VERY careful because the placenta has a heartbeat exactly the same rate as babies heartbeat, and the placenta can continue to best even after a problem (sorry to be blunt but I'm referring to if baby was to stop beating).

So it could be that you have found the placenta rather than baby. When you start to feel baby move, that will be a more reliable source for knowin all is okay. I made same mistake with my Doppler and midwife strongly advised me against it as we rely on hearing that beating so when we find it, we think all is okay and don't report to midwife if we feel different and then it's too late because what we have actually found is the placenta x


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## sandyhen85

xZoeyx said:


> Be VERY careful because the placenta has a heartbeat exactly the same rate as babies heartbeat, and the placenta can continue to best even after a problem (sorry to be blunt but I'm referring to if baby was to stop beating).
> 
> So it could be that you have found the placenta rather than baby. When you start to feel baby move, that will be a more reliable source for knowin all is okay. I made same mistake with my Doppler and midwife strongly advised me against it as we rely on hearing that beating so when we find it, we think all is okay and don't report to midwife if we feel different and then it's too late because what we have actually found is the placenta x

So you mean the whooshing sound is not the placenta, the placenta sounds just like a babies heartbeat? Just confirming  thanks


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## MrsGax

xZoeyx said:


> Be VERY careful because the placenta has a heartbeat exactly the same rate as babies heartbeat, and the placenta can continue to best even after a problem (sorry to be blunt but I'm referring to if baby was to stop beating).
> 
> So it could be that you have found the placenta rather than baby. When you start to feel baby move, that will be a more reliable source for knowin all is okay. I made same mistake with my Doppler and midwife strongly advised me against it as we rely on hearing that beating so when we find it, we think all is okay and don't report to midwife if we feel different and then it's too late because what we have actually found is the placenta x

I am sorry, but the placenta is not beating as fast as the baby's heartbeat. It is slower and more of a whoosh whoosh sound. The baby sounds like a galloping horse.

According to this link https://www.fetaldopplerfacts.org/facts/dopplers/fetal-heartbeat-doppler-sounds.php , it sounds like trees... There are 3 different sounds I hear with the doppler. One is my aorta, the second is the placenta, and the third is definitely the baby. 

If the placenta sounded exactly like the baby, then doctors would not use dopplers at appointments.


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## Mumtodogs

My placeta whooshes to the beat of my heart, not bubba shrimps, his is much faster. I do my Doppler with my hand on my heart to feel the difference (I'm very slim).


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## WantingABubba

xZoeyx said:


> Be VERY careful because the placenta has a heartbeat exactly the same rate as babies heartbeat, and the placenta can continue to best even after a problem (sorry to be blunt but I'm referring to if baby was to stop beating).

How can the placenta have the same heartbeat as the baby's, especially if the baby's heart was to stop?


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## Dory85

Probably more likely to be your femoral artery.


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## LiLi2

xZoeyx said:


> Be VERY careful because the placenta has a heartbeat exactly the same rate as babies heartbeat, and the placenta can continue to best even after a problem (sorry to be blunt but I'm referring to if baby was to stop beating).

This is not true. The placenta does not sound like a heart beat, it sounds like a swishing sound. To me, it sounds like someone putting their hand in a tub of water and slowly swishing it around. Others say wind in the trees. It will not have a rapid beating sound. The only thing with a rate of 120+ bpm will be baby. There may be another whooshing sound at right around 110-120, but it won't sound like a heartbeat. 

Rest assured that if you hear baby's heartbeat, there is a very good chance that everything is ok. Sure, something could still be wrong, but chances of everything being fine are much higher once you hear the heartbeat.


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## xZoeyx

I'm repeating exactly what my midwife said in my original post, I highly doubt she is wrong and the reason they still use them is because they are fully trained to differentiate between the sounds whereas to the untrained ear they sound the same!! She had 3 patients under her care at 20+ weeks who reported reduced fetal movement so they grabbed the Doppler, THOUGHT they heard the heartbeat when in actual fact it was the placenta, by the time they realised baby was no longer moving, it was too late!! So the proof is right there, like she said to me, if your buying for reassurance and you feel something is wrong, don't reach for the Doppler, reach for the phone.


- yes the placenta does have a whooshing sound too, which is the only reason you can tell a difference however some people have been known (including myself) to think that because they can hear a whooshing sound and a fast "heartbeat" that's quietish that baby must just be say funny etc.

Like I said, I'm repeating what the midwife told me and at a later date it could be the difference between life and death if baby comes into distress.


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## xZoeyx

And for the final time YES THE PLACENTA DOES HAVE A RATE IDENTICAL TO BABIES. 

(Again my post is supported by my midwife. Those of you worried, ask your own midwives and I am sure they will confirm)


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## Mumtodogs

I'm worried now as my heartbeat is def what I can hear through my placenta. My bubba's is MUCH faster, it sounds like a steam train!!


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## imaswimmer2

Mumtodogs said:


> I'm worried now as my heartbeat is def what I can hear through my placenta. My bubba's is MUCH faster, it sounds like a steam train!!

Don't be worried. I would get a new midwife if I were her. The 3 sounds are so distinct that you need to clean your ears out if you mistake 1 for either other 2. When you find your LOs hb, you'll know it!


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## emalou90

https://images.wikia.com/mk/images/2/25/Anchorman_well_that_escalated_quickly_966.jpg

Im adding nothing to this thread. :haha:
ask your own midwifes advice :hugs:​


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## mecia

Emalou90 
Your post just made me laugh hard!!! Hahaha!


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## pinkbump2011

I think what she is train to say is to trust your instincts rather than your Doppler! Further on in pregnancy if you feel you have reduced movements etc get checked by a professional am don't do it yourself. She wasn't trying to scare the lady it has just come across wrong.

Imaswimmer2 that's pretty rude the lady obviously trusts her midwife who is trained in that area!!


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## Hevalouaddict

This is why midwives check the hb at 16 weeks and not before due to the placenta and hb getting mixed up, just try not to worry, I'm having twins and they can't tell what there hearing 3 hbs and a placenta it's confusing x


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## MrsGax

xZoeyx said:


> I'm repeating exactly what my midwife said in my original post, I highly doubt she is wrong and the reason they still use them is because they are fully trained to differentiate between the sounds whereas to the untrained ear they sound the same!! She had 3 patients under her care at 20+ weeks who reported reduced fetal movement so they grabbed the Doppler, THOUGHT they heard the heartbeat when in actual fact it was the placenta, by the time they realised baby was no longer moving, it was too late!! So the proof is right there, like she said to me, if your buying for reassurance and you feel something is wrong, don't reach for the Doppler, reach for the phone.
> 
> 
> - yes the placenta does have a whooshing sound too, which is the only reason you can tell a difference however some people have been known (including myself) to think that because they can hear a whooshing sound and a fast "heartbeat" that's quietish that baby must just be say funny etc.
> 
> Like I said, I'm repeating what the midwife told me and at a later date it could be the difference between life and death if baby comes into distress.

Dopplers are not good to use when you have decreased fetal movement later on. The baby can be trapped in the cord or having another life threatening issue, but still have a heartbeat and the mother can think all is well, when she should really go in and get checked out. NEVER use the doppler when there is decreased movement. Go by kick counting for well being of the baby when it is bigger. 

If you go on youtube and search up sonoline b doppler videos, you can CLEARLY tell what sound is the baby versus the mother. It sounds like a galloping horse. If you can find me a link that says that the placenta beats and sounds exactly the same and is as fast as the baby's heartbeat, then I will believe you. But even my doctor says there are distinct sounds... Especially this early on when the heartbeat is 120-180 ish. Later on in the game, the baby's hb slows down (from like 170-180, it goes down) but even still is distinctive and fast. The fetal monitoring in L&D sounds the exact same as a doppler sounds. They would not use dopplers for fear of mistaking the placenta for the baby's heartbeat if they were identical sounds. I understand that you are going off of what your midwife said, but I am going off of what my doctor has said and also what evidence I find on the internet. I am pretty sure that we all are hearing our babies heartbeats and it is not the placenta. Some people never get ultrasounds until around 20 weeks and they just use a doppler at the appointment. Again, find me some links on the internet, and I will stop disagreeing with you.

Edit: And I am not trying to argue or say that your midwife is completely wrong because you trust her. But, I do not want any person that has a doppler to be in fear that they are only hearing the placenta as that would obviously offer no reassurance. Most people that have dopplers are the ones that have had losses so hearing that stresses people out. And I researched extensively before I bought my doppler so that I knew what to look for. I watched hundreds of youtube videos and some people only pick up the placenta, others know what to look for. I wanted to make sure because I have had MMC's before so I am very paranoid and check once a day for less than 30 seconds.


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## imaswimmer2

pinkbump2011 said:


> I think what she is train to say is to trust your instincts rather than your Doppler! Further on in pregnancy if you feel you have reduced movements etc get checked by a professional am don't do it yourself. She wasn't trying to scare the lady it has just come across wrong.
> 
> Imaswimmer2 that's pretty rude the lady obviously trusts her midwife who is trained in that area!!

I'll accept being rude before watching my tongue if I think a mother-to-be is given unnecessarily stressful advice. As one of the many unfortunate mothers of angel babies, I understand how terrifying this time can be, so why allow any additional stress. Finding your LOs hb should be a joyous occasion and give you some peace of mind- not be a cause of added stress or fear. The notion that a midwife mistook multiple women's placenta for hb's is just plain crazy. I'm untrained, and I can absolutely tell the difference.


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## amytrisha

To the OP,
My babies heartbeat sounds nothing like the placenta. My placenta is 'whooshing' noises like many ladies have said, whereas my babys heartbeat is very fast beating sounds like a train chugging or horses galloping. Then ofc theres my heartbeat which sounds pretty slow.

My midwife told me the only reason people are advised to not use dopplers is because they rely on them, so if they had reduced kicks they'd simply hear the hb and not bother going to the hosp - hearing your babies hb doesn't mean everything is ok, you should always go off kicks. She told me this is the ONLY reason she dislikes people using them.

I think dopplers are brilliant early on, especially after a loss myself. Hearing babies hb is so reassuring, if it's above 120bpm then it's babies hb. Once you start feeling regular kicks, around 24-28 weeks put the doppler away and kick count instead :thumbup:


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## sandyhen85

Hi ladies, sorry I haven't checked in...wow! I hadn't expected to start a debate, for this I apologise, I do not want to cause any upset for anyone and I thank you all for your information. I fully understand that once I can feel movement I should be going off the kicks it's just I am almost 13 weeks now and I have been told that because the placenta is anterior, I might not feel movement as early as some people do. After a miscarriage and ectopic I spent the first 9 weeks of this pregnancy freaking out, I was sure that something had happened and wanted a scan every other day. A doppler is purely for a quick check when I need some reassurance over the coming weeks until I can feel movement...Thank you all again for the advice  x x x x


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