When Did You Hear the Heartbeat with Doppler?

With my son i went in for my first appt at 1. wks and they couldnt hear the heartbeat. I was very nervous also but the doctor didnt seem concerned. So then my next appt at 14 wks we could hear it just fine. Now with my second i was able to hear it at 1. weeks. I think it just depends on the position of the baby. If all is going well so far i would try not to worry to much. Good luck and congratulations on the baby!

I am SO glad you found the heart beat! When I was pregnant with Isaac I could FEEL him kicking up a storm but the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat! It was kind of cool, because it was the day before Thanksgiving so they sent us to the hospital for an ultrasound (instead of doing it in the office) -- we got a tech who was EXCITED to be looking at a baby and not a gall bladder-- best ultrasound I ever had!

1. weeks is early - with my daughter she was way back in my uterus, which was also tipped back, so the u/s tech wasn't surprised my doc couldn't hear it with the doppler. If you've had an ultrasound showing a healthy pregnancy, the chances of having a miscarraige are greatly reduced. You will probably hear it at your next visit, but if its really bothering you you should ask for an ultrasound; my doc ordered one for me when she couldn't hear it because I'd had a miscarriage prior to that pregnancy.

My friend and I are due ten days apart this spring and neither of us got doppler heartbeats at 12 weeks and all is fine. If your doctor isn't concerned than I wouldn't be either.

I was 1. weeks with my daughter when the doctor also couldn't hear the heartbeat. He was trying to act like it was no big deal, but you do start to worry. At that visit, we were close to a cardio ultrasound machine & he did a quick check. All was well. At the next visit (about 14 weeks), we heard it. It would have been nice if your doc had done even a tiny U/S-even to help you relax.
I'm sure all is well, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask your dr for a quick heartbeat check-it could even be with a nurse.

i too had a visit around that time, my dr couldn't find the heartbeat, and he wasn't concerned (at all) but offered me the option to go get an ultrasound. they were able to fit me in within the next hour, so i took the opportunity (i too, like you, was very worred). the ultrasound showed a moving baby with heartbeat.

they're just still so small at this stage that they're hard to find.

you call your dr, explain it's really worrying you, and ask whether another attempt, or an ultrasound, would be an option (knowing that insurance may not pay for 2 ultrasounds, depending on your plan). ask, too, if you should have a full bladder.

try not to worry. best of luck.

I wouldn't worry...sometimes the baby is a little tricky, not in the right position for listening, and sometimes the person using the doppler isn't skilled with that machine, etc. They used to not even try to hear the heartbeat until sometime after 12 weeks.

Mine couldn't be picked up until I was 15 weeks with all 3 pregnancies.....highly unlikely they will pick it up at 1. weeks as it is just not strong enough.

We could not hear our babies heartbeat at 1. weeks. I remember the doctor saying that was normal. I think he said we would be able to hear it better at 12/13 weeks.

Try to remember how small that little baby is, and at 1. weeks it might still be hard for the doctor to locate that tiny heart in there. If you are overly stressed, I would call you doctors office and explain you are very anxious and ask if you could have another ultrasound done for peice of mind.

I did not hear the heartbeat at my second appointment which was when I was around 10 or 1. weeks. It is fairly common especially if you are a larger woman or if, like me, you have an anterior placenta. At my following appointment I hear the heartbeat (about 14 weeks) and am now about 32 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby girl.

All 3 of mine was heard @ 10 wks.

I totally understand how scary that can be, but it's normal to not hear the heartbeat until 14 weeks.

Just for your peace of mind, ask for an ultrasound. Waiting another month for your next appointment is just torture, I'm sure. BUT, remember that there's absolutely nothing you can do if you're having a miscarriage. Don't go to the ER or anything like that--there's no emergency, just information you need. Always just follow-up with your clinic. I would say I'm sure that everything is fine, but I know I'd be worried too if it was me. Good luck.

Leah, I have three healthy children and my doctor never scheduled my first appointment until I was 12 weeks along and always forewarned that I may not be able to hear the heartbeat with the dopplar, the babe is so little with a lot of room to move. It is hard to find the baby in one spot and hang onto the signal long enough to get a heart rate. This is common, if you trust your doctor, she will know if there is cause for concern.

First of all, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Second of all, this is not that uncommon not to hear the heartbeat at such an early stage of pregnancy. I was 6 months pregnant when I first heard my son's heartbeat! Not because there was anything wrong, but because he just kept moving into a position that my doctor couldn't hear it. I can understand your fears, being in the first trimester, but talk with your doctor. If he/she isn't concerned about not hearing your baby's heartbeat today, you shouldn't be too concerned, either.

We could hear it at 10 weeks for me but I'm rather skinny. On the birth club I was on the thinner girls could hear it as early as 9 weeks... the bigger girls it took a bit more time some of them were concerned as you did and could take weeks after that. I guess they say the average is 12 weeks which you are still shy of. So if you are average size I wouldn't be worried... if you are overweight by the BMI scale or even more so then it might take some time.

If you are really concerned I'd call your doctor and explain how upset you are. Maybe they would try again or give you a quick ultrasound again. In my experience if you express your concern your OB is rather sympathetic and wants to calm your fears. Good luck!

my doctor and one other had a problem catching the heartbeat my entire pregnancy. so im hoping that your baby is just sneaky! it is thought that ultrasound is heard by the baby, so its possible yours just keeps moving away from the source.

have patience. 12 weeks is rather late for a miscarriage, but i suppose its not unheard of. i feel your pain; i had a miscarriage before i was pregnant with my son - i was only at 6 or 7 weeks. we had seen a heartbeat much earlier than that, but it went away.
were you able to see it this time ?
what did your doctor say?
like i said its possible your baby just moved out of range or something. dont stress too much yet, unless your doctor said something suspicious. i would really like to know what your doctor said that increased or at best didnt decrease your anxiety about it

Same thing with all 3 of my pregnancies! My Ob always tried to hear right around the 1. week mark and never found it, but at my next visit - there it was!

Ultrasound (especially internal) are more sensitive than an external doppler, so perhaps that is where the discrepancy lies.

If you are really worried, call and ask for another ultrasound. If you aren't having signs of miscarriage, I would just assume that the heartbeat just wasn't picked up on the doppler.

Best wishes!

The same thing happened to me at 1. weeks and I was scared too. But my doctor assured me it was probably just the baby's position. And sure enough the doctor actually couldn't hear my son's heartbeat until almost 14 weeks, but my son is a perfectly healthy 7 month old now :)

Was that at the dr. office? Or one of those home use ones?

If it was at the dr. office, it might have been a tad bit too early to hear it. If it was the home use type, I have tried 2 of those and have never gotten them to work right.

If you are really worried, talk to your dr. about getting another ultrasound to check on things.
Good luck,
M.

I think the first time we tried I was 4 months. My midwife said that it doesn't make sense to listen any earlier and even at that point she warned me that it was hit and miss. I had a couple of ultrasounds before, so I was relaxed about it. 1. weeks would be pretty early to hear on the doppler.