Midwife couldn't find heartbeat with doppler

[hopefulhippo]

New concern! Jeez, there seems to always need to be one in the first trimester.

I saw my midwife today and she attempted to find the heart beat with the doppler (I am ten weeks 2 days). She couldn't find it. She did say she heard a lot of blood rushing into the uterus -- not sure exactly what that means.

She also said she wasn't worried and it is fairly common to not find it at ten weeks. But of course I am worried.

Anyone have a similar experience?

 

[Buzzymomma]

With my second kid, my midwife couldn't find her hb at 14 weeks. She freaked me out so bad I told her to book me a next day scan! She did, and baby was perfectly fine in there. We tried again at 16 weeks and found her no problem.

Baby is still so small at this point and has so many places to hide and swim around! Try not to worry

 

[Linny]

MW my last pregnancy told me they don't try to listen to heartbeat till 16 wks to save worry! X

 

[MissingBubs]

I'm surprised she even tried!!!! In my area the mw won't even try until 16 weeks and even then it's with the warning that they may not find it. With DD I seem to remember her saying I can listen in if you like, but it's very early and we may not find the heartbeat today. The decision was left to me because she said she couldn't book me a scan on that basis! I have a Doppler at home and had listened in the night before so she did listen and did find her. But I only found her at 13 weeks and that was after a LOT of searching! Not the two minutes they spare you in your appointment. I really wouldn't worry Hun.

 

[Mummafrog]

(I'm a trainee midwife, hoping to put your mind at ease) The guidelines for midwives now are saying it's best not to listen to foetal hb until muuch later in pregnany, but many of them still do it as a treat for mums. Your midwife hopefully warned you that she may not be able to find it? I think the only way mums find it at 10 weeks with home dopplers is by trying for a long time and being very patient and of course the midwife wouldn't have had that time when trying to find yours.
There are multiple sounds when using the doppler, the main ones are the whooshing or wind through trees-like sound that is the blood in the placenta, your own pulse which is a single beat and that can sound different depending on the dopplers angle but it's too slow to be baby, and then baby's hb which is at least twice as fast as an adults when you are this early.

I'm now over 13 weeks and my mentor, just for fun, had a listen to my baby yesterday with her doppler, it was very quiet when she found it and if the heart had been much smaller I doubt we would have heard much.

So try not to worry, it's totally normal and the midwife shouldn't really have tried this early because all it has done is worried you

 

[Munchkin30]

My midwife doesn't even try til 16 weeks. It's only us crazy home Doppler ladies that think you should be able to hear it earlier! As the others said it takes loads of patience and persistence and coming back to it again and again hoping bubba's moved. Your mw won't have had time for that!!

 

[pcake]

With our toddler, the midwife warned me before our 16 week appointment she may not find it as they're still quite small and can be in funny positions. 10 weeks seems really early to be worrying you unnecessarily! Everything's fine! I think the blood flow she's referring to is probably the sound of the placenta? It's like a whooshing xx

 

[hopefulhippo]

Thank you! Very helpful to hear that many midwives don't try till later on.

She did warn me that she wouldn't be able to find it, though she also said she often can at 10 weeks.

Because I felt nervous after, she gave me a requisition for an ultrasound... but I am not sure if I should go as I had a very good u/s at 8.4 weeks, with a really healthy heart beat, etc. Debating it.

Thanks again everyone.

 

[nic18]

my midwife doesn't check heartbeat until 24weeks, wouldn't worry about it you can't always find heartbeat! especially being so early on

 

[Becki09]

Hey!

I bought myself a doppler and I tried to find h/b friday and today with no luck, I could find my own, and i could hear the blood going to the placenta with a wind like sound but not the h/b but it's still really early so not going to get stressed out. If they offered me a scan id take it just to see baby again, but im greedy like that haha

 

[fifie123]

I still cant find my babys. I hear my hb all over and loud wind x

 

[Night Flower]

My uterus is retroverted, meaning lying closer to my back. So a doppler won't pick up our baby until possibly at 16weeks. Its quite retroverted still. And we are 13weeks.