At home fetal monitors seem to be all the rage. Are these safe to use and is this something you would recommend? All right, so I want to start by saying I understand why mommies to be are drawn to this.
You hear a heartbeat and you feel like it's reassuring and it's a bonding experience for you and baby and dad. It's fun, you can call your neighbors over, like let's listen to the baby's heartbeat. But it's not a good idea and this is why.
Number one, depending on maternal habitus, placental location or just how your baby is positioned at that moment, it can be hard to hear the baby's heartbeat. And so if you don't hear baby's heartbeat, then you're gonna get all stressed out, your blood pressure's gonna go up. It's like, it's unnecessary drama.
And also just like these Dopplers can hear the baby's heartbeat, they can also hear your heartbeat, so sometimes people will hear a heartbeat, they'll think it's baby's, but it's really theirs and they'll have a false sense of security.
So when you look at what the FDA says they say that these Dopplers are legally marketed as "prescription devices and should only be used by or under the supervision of a healthcare professional." So they seem like a good idea, but as much as I want you to enjoy your pregnancy, I'm gonna have to say no for this.
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