The fetal doppler is a device widely used by pregnant women to hear the heartbeat and check the baby's health. Normally, fetal doppler is performed in imaging clinics or hospitals in association with an ultrasound examination, as it ensures more complete information about the baby's development. Understand how morphological ultrasound is done.
Nowadays you can easily buy a fetal doppler and check the fetal heartbeat at home, bringing the mother closer to the child. However, the doctor often needs guidance to understand the sounds emitted by the equipment, since it is able to capture anything that happens in the body and transmit it through the sound, such as the passage of blood in the veins or movement of the intestine, for example. example.
What is fetal doppler used for
Fetal doppler is used by many pregnant women to hear the baby's heartbeat and thus monitor its development. Fetal doppler can also be applied in clinical practice and is closely associated with ultrasound, being widely used by gynecologists and obstetricians to:
- Check if the fetus' organs are receiving the necessary amount of blood; Check the blood circulation in the umbilical cord; Assess the baby's cardiac condition; Check the placenta and arteries for problems.
Doppler ultrasonography, in addition to allowing you to hear the heartbeat, allows the baby to be seen in real time. This exam is done by the doctor at imaging clinics or at the hospital and is available through SUS. Know when doppler ultrasound is indicated, how it is done and main types.
Portable fetal doppler
There are several types of portable fetal doppler available on the market that are used by many pregnant women to hear the fetus' heartbeat and thus feel closer. It is an easy way to assess the baby's health during pregnancy.
However, using a portable doppler may require the guidance of a gynecologist or obstetrician, as anything that happens in the body, such as bowel movement or blood circulation, for example, can result in a sound that is detected by the equipment. It is important to know how to differentiate sounds well so that you can actually check if there is something wrong with the baby.
The portable fetal doppler can be found in pharmacies or stores that sell items for pregnant women or electronics and costs between R $ 100 and R $ 450.
How it works
The equipment allows the heartbeat of the fetus to be heard, allowing any changes that may bring risk to the baby to be noticed. Fetal doppler should be performed with the woman lying down, preferably, and with a full bladder, to decrease the chances of hearing sounds other than the heartbeat. In addition, it is important to use a colorless and water-based gel to facilitate the propagation of sound waves.
The fetal doppler can only effectively capture the baby's heartbeat after the 12th week of pregnancy and it is important that the instructions and guidelines of the doctor and the equipment manufacturer are followed. Find out what happens in the 12th week of pregnancy.