Doppler showing low heart rate

[wonderstruck]

I got a Sonine b Doppler and originally it was showing 130-160 bpm and now I'm only getting readings of 120 or less if I can even find anything at all. I'm trying not to worry but why would it be doing this? I'm patient and try for awhile but the best I could get today was 112 which probably wasn't even the baby. Also how can you tell if the noise is the placenta or the heart beat? And what should a normal fetal heart rate be at 14-15 weeks? My doctor was right about them causing anxiety. Ughh

 

[Unexpected212]

At my last midwife appointment my little boys was 122 and she said that was good and anything between 120-180 was ok.

It could be you are picking up the wrong thing? it's so easy to do!Also sometimes their reading are wayyyy off.

If your worried call your midwife. They might tell you off for having one but it's worth the peace of mind

 

[Smanderson]

I read somewhere not to pay too much attention to the numbers on the home dopplers. Mine was showing lo as around 120-130 but in the 12 week scan it was 170! Also I ready the placenta is roughly 120 so you could be picking this up? Is it possible you need to check lower? I had similar thing around 12-14 weeks and I wasn't checking low enough. I'm sure bubba is fine and it's just one of them things with home dopplers either picking up placenta or numbers not accurate x

 

[jenmcn1]

There are a few things that the Doppler could be picking up...your heartbeat, placenta, artery. My last midwife appointment, she had to angle the Doppler because baby was laying right beside a main artery.
So in order not to pick up the sounds of that, she had to really move it at a different angle.
I would not worry...midwives and doctors are trained for this not us mamas. If you're really worried contact your doctor

 

[cscbeth8421]

Honestly i wouldnt take the numbers to heart. As long as you hear it chugging along, then everything is fine. Sometimes it will count a beat in the back round that is something else/your own. Don't freak yourself out. Take it all with a grain of salt.

 

[EarthMama]

I'm guessing you're not picking up the actual baby heartbeat...I get 120's but that's me or my placenta. But when I get baby it's always 140-150.

I have the same doppler and finding my baby was tricky in early 2nd tri, which judging by your ticker that's where you are. It's easy as can be now though, and still 140 or so. However I can also get a beat of 120 and 110 which is my body or the placenta...in fact when I was around 14 weeks I would get the 120 beat first, and then the baby right behind that, sometimes buried so deep it would be hard to pick it up.

 

[Bumblebee117]

Same as pps have said - you're probably picking up your own heartbeat/placenta (swooshing noise) or an artery. Baby usually sounds like a train. Mine always reads somewhere between 150-165. But when it picks up my heartbeat it's usually around 120-130.

 

[WantsALittle1]

I have never gotten a valid numerical reading with my Sonoline B. It always says 112-120, at most 125. I have used the doppler an hour before going in for an ultrasound, got a 120 or so for what was DEFINITELY the baby, and yet at the ultrasound the heart rate was 176

To get a true bpm count, I have set a timer for 10 seconds, counted how many beats I heard during that 10 seconds, and then multiplied it by 6 to find the true bpm. It's always much higher than what the screen says.

 

[morgan89]

I am with you on this, some days I just listen for the chugging noise since the probe isn't getting an accurate number. As long as I hear that fast chugchug noise I am satisfied. Then the next day its so loud its deafening. Really just depends where baby decides to sit.