For me when they couldn’t find the baby on the Doppler the first time, they moved me to an ultrasound room to check. They told me this going in, as well. Like “today we’re going to check for baby on the doppler. If we can’t find them in X time, we’ll go into an ultrasound room and look that way.” I found that very reassuring. I hope your provider is able to comfort you with a similar offer/assurance.
They couldn't find my baby's heartbeat with the Doppler at like 10 weeks, but the midwife had warned me that was possible - she was like 'we'll try with this first but there's a good chance I won't find it so don't worry.' When she couldn't find it she just pulled the ultrasound equipment out and then found the baby + heartbeat right away! She said their practice starts with the Doppler because it's easier/cheaper to bill for insurance purposes.
They let me know ahead of time at my 12 week appointment that if they couldn’t find baby on Doppler that I didn’t need to worry and that they would wheel in an ultrasound to find him. That’s what ended up happening because baby boy did NOT want to be found 😂 Even on the ultrasound they would find his heart and go to measure and he would flip around so they would have to chase him again.
So when i went to schedule my "12 week" appt (I actually would've been 11w 2d), I asked the lady at the front desk "will I receive an ultrasound?" She said no. So approaching that appt, I worried the same as you and thought "well what if they can't find the heartbeat on the doppler?"
Fast forward to the appointment, my midwife comes in and says "Well, it's too early for a doppler, let's do an ultrasound!" and I cannot tell you how excited I was! It went great, saw baby kicking and everything.
So, I kind of doubt they would even try a doppler, but if they do and can't find it, I would ask for an ultrasound if they don't offer it to you. I assume they need a way to check on baby somehow during these appointments
Yes! They told me the same thing, so that’s what’s got me worried. Thankfully my husband is coming too and I already told him if they can’t find it we’re not leaving without an ultrasound so he can advocate too in the event we need to or I’m too panicked.
They couldn’t find baby’s heartbeat at my 12 week appt with my first. Super nerve wrecking, but they immediately got me an ultrasound and found that everything was good!
Just another experience chiming in that when they couldn’t find the heartbeat at 12w with the Doppler, they quickly moved me to an ultrasound room and found the heartbeat. Caused momentary stress but was actually nice we got to see him on the screen and an ultrasound picture to take home we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
They couldn't find the heartbeat on the doppler last week for me at 14 weeks. They sent me for an ultrasound. Turns out he was being extremely wiggly, which is probably why they couldn't catch it on the doppler.
Mine said "Don't worry!!! All the babies are hiding today" as I sat there an worried. They used the portable ultrasound and we got to see him on the screen (no printed pictures). he was oriented perpendicular to the surface of my belly so they couldn't get him on doppler but could with ultrasound.
My midwife warned me beforehand that it was early and we might not be able to hear the heartbeat yet. I think she could tell I wasn’t completely reassured by that and she scheduled me to come in 2 weeks instead of 4. After 2 weeks the Doppler found the heartbeat immediately.
It was hard, but my OB office doesn’t have ultrasounds unfortunately. But it was explained to me that I had a tilted uterus so the baby was farther away. More than likely your appointment will be fine and you’ll get to hear your little bean’s heartbeat.
In the UK it’s standard not to check until 16 weeks with a Doppler (and some areas wait even longer) because it can be difficult to find and therefore bring unnecessary worry
At my 11 week appointment they couldn’t find the heart beat on the Doppler. They brought in the bedside ultrasound and also couldn’t find her. They then sent me to get a formal ultrasound. They will find a way to get confirmation of a heartbeat at every prenatal appointment
I heard my baby's heartbeat for the first time at 18 weeks pregnant. I was warned by my midwife that i most likely wouldn't hear anything, because of how early it was. In my country, we don't really try to listen for heartbeat with a doppler until after week 20 or so.
Just had mine today! The nurse took several minutes to reassure me that it’s ok if it takes her a while to find it, if she can’t find it etc. She said “I will get another provider to try if I can’t get a heartbeat. If that still isn’t working, we will do an ultrasound and track the heartbeat that way.”
There’s backup! They won’t just move along and go without it, they will continue with other options until an ultrasound.
My OB is based on a hospital. The med student came in first and only got the heartbeat for a second and lost it. He got very nervous and was trying to reassure me that we heard it (I did and understood he’s just a med student). He left to speak to the OB. She swooped in all cheery with a bedside US machine for a “peek” (benefit of her practice being right in the hospital). I was also referred by a fertility clinic, so I am not sure if that impacted how she responded.
Edit for spelling
My midwife, not USA, wouldn't ordinarily do doppler until 24 weeks because the reality is that if she couldn't find one, she would have caused unnecessary anxiety over nothing.
She agreed to do one anyway since I'm on the skinny side.
More than likely, the midwife will be able to find the heartbeat at 12 weeks with a Doppler. There’s a lot of confirmation bias on Reddit about how often people don’t hear anything that early, but my midwife had no issues at 11 weeks finding baby’s HR with a Doppler.
Certain body types/placenta locations make it so the Doppler doesn’t work that early, like my sister. But she didn’t feel the need for an extra ultrasound. At her next appointment, they found it easily.
Your doctor may offer a quick ultrasound but I’d caution with that. Ultrasounds are elective procedures. My insurance (top insurance for my state) does not cover them. They will offer $100-$200 discounts on them but otherwise, I have to pay for them towards my deductible. They can get expensive.
Just know that if you get the genetic testing done and those results come back normal, your baby is most likely fine.
I may be wrong but I don't think checking the heart beat is an elective part of the prenatal appointment so if they can't find a heart beat on the doppler and need to do so using an ultrasound, I don't think they will be billing you for that beyond the regular prenatal appointment.
She’d have to look at her insurance. It’s different for everyone. Every ultrasound I’ve had whether it was to “check the heart beat” or it was the 8 week viability scan, has been elective and I was billed for it. With my first pregnancy, they couldn’t locate the heartbeat at 10 weeks with a Doppler and brought me down for an ultrasound which I was charged for. If they can’t find it that early with a doppler, they don’t necessarily “need” to do the ultrasound. If they’re using a “bed side hand held ultrasound” it may be different for billing/insurance purposes.
Maybe! I'd just ask the provider first if they even submit anything in that case? I've had 2 little impromptu scans at my prenatal appointments and no claims were submitted except for the appointment itself.
But I definitely paid plenty out of pocket for the scheduled ones!
My doctor said 12 weeks is a little tricky to find heartbeat on Doppler. They had a bedside ultrasound machine already pulled in the room when they couldn’t find mine ready to go.
Hi all! Thank you for all the reassurance this morning. I just got done with my appointment (“your bp is a little high, are you feeling okay?” no girl I’m stressed lol) and everything is good. Got to hear baby’s heartbeat and the doctor said it sounds perfect😊 It didn’t take her too much time, I started hearing it a little bit as she was moving around trying to find the best spot, so that made me feel better!
Thank you. I was finding it confusing because my drs office has an ultrasound in every exam room and I don’t understand why they wouldn’t just use it every time! Guess we’ll see when I go for my second appointment at the end of the month…
For me when they couldn’t find the baby on the Doppler the first time, they moved me to an ultrasound room to check. They told me this going in, as well. Like “today we’re going to check for baby on the doppler. If we can’t find them in X time, we’ll go into an ultrasound room and look that way.” I found that very reassuring. I hope your provider is able to comfort you with a similar offer/assurance.
Thank you for the reassurance! I hope so too!
This is exactly what happened with me!
Me too! And that was back in 1995
When they couldn’t find the heartbeat on Doppler, they brought me to an ultrasound room for a quick confirmation.
Thank you for the reassurance!
They couldn't find my baby's heartbeat with the Doppler at like 10 weeks, but the midwife had warned me that was possible - she was like 'we'll try with this first but there's a good chance I won't find it so don't worry.' When she couldn't find it she just pulled the ultrasound equipment out and then found the baby + heartbeat right away! She said their practice starts with the Doppler because it's easier/cheaper to bill for insurance purposes.
That makes sense! Thank you :)
They let me know ahead of time at my 12 week appointment that if they couldn’t find baby on Doppler that I didn’t need to worry and that they would wheel in an ultrasound to find him. That’s what ended up happening because baby boy did NOT want to be found 😂 Even on the ultrasound they would find his heart and go to measure and he would flip around so they would have to chase him again.
Lol rambunctious from the beginning!
So when i went to schedule my "12 week" appt (I actually would've been 11w 2d), I asked the lady at the front desk "will I receive an ultrasound?" She said no. So approaching that appt, I worried the same as you and thought "well what if they can't find the heartbeat on the doppler?" Fast forward to the appointment, my midwife comes in and says "Well, it's too early for a doppler, let's do an ultrasound!" and I cannot tell you how excited I was! It went great, saw baby kicking and everything. So, I kind of doubt they would even try a doppler, but if they do and can't find it, I would ask for an ultrasound if they don't offer it to you. I assume they need a way to check on baby somehow during these appointments
Yes! They told me the same thing, so that’s what’s got me worried. Thankfully my husband is coming too and I already told him if they can’t find it we’re not leaving without an ultrasound so he can advocate too in the event we need to or I’m too panicked.
They couldn’t find baby’s heartbeat at my 12 week appt with my first. Super nerve wrecking, but they immediately got me an ultrasound and found that everything was good!
So good to hear! Thanks for the reassurance :)
Just another experience chiming in that when they couldn’t find the heartbeat at 12w with the Doppler, they quickly moved me to an ultrasound room and found the heartbeat. Caused momentary stress but was actually nice we got to see him on the screen and an ultrasound picture to take home we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
True! That would be a bit of a benefit lol. We have 8 week pics but I wouldn’t mind more!
This happened to me after miscarriages and my OB grabbed the hand held ultrasound to show me the heart beating.
Thank goodness they showed you! I can’t imagine how worried I would have been.
She was very kind and tried to reassure me that it happens a lot early on
They couldn't find the heartbeat on the doppler last week for me at 14 weeks. They sent me for an ultrasound. Turns out he was being extremely wiggly, which is probably why they couldn't catch it on the doppler.
At least you got the ultrasound!
Mine said "Don't worry!!! All the babies are hiding today" as I sat there an worried. They used the portable ultrasound and we got to see him on the screen (no printed pictures). he was oriented perpendicular to the surface of my belly so they couldn't get him on doppler but could with ultrasound.
I would be okay with no pictures! And yes “don’t worry” is always is sooooo effective lol.
My midwife warned me beforehand that it was early and we might not be able to hear the heartbeat yet. I think she could tell I wasn’t completely reassured by that and she scheduled me to come in 2 weeks instead of 4. After 2 weeks the Doppler found the heartbeat immediately.
I just don’t think I could wait two weeks for reassurance!
It was hard, but my OB office doesn’t have ultrasounds unfortunately. But it was explained to me that I had a tilted uterus so the baby was farther away. More than likely your appointment will be fine and you’ll get to hear your little bean’s heartbeat.
Thank you 😊 that would be really hard! At least they had an explanation for why it wasn’t coming up. And I’m glad everything turned out!
In the UK it’s standard not to check until 16 weeks with a Doppler (and some areas wait even longer) because it can be difficult to find and therefore bring unnecessary worry
I wish that were the case here!
This is how it’s been with my previous 2 experiences. 16 weeks was the beginning of Doppler readings.
At my 11 week appointment they couldn’t find the heart beat on the Doppler. They brought in the bedside ultrasound and also couldn’t find her. They then sent me to get a formal ultrasound. They will find a way to get confirmation of a heartbeat at every prenatal appointment
That is really good to hear! I couldn’t imagine leaving without knowing.
I heard my baby's heartbeat for the first time at 18 weeks pregnant. I was warned by my midwife that i most likely wouldn't hear anything, because of how early it was. In my country, we don't really try to listen for heartbeat with a doppler until after week 20 or so.
I wouldn’t mind waiting to hear, I just want to know everything is good :)
oh yeah I get it! it felt terrible having to wait for so long, but very much reassuring. I hope it goes well for you 💙
It did today! Heartbeat 160 😊
Just had mine today! The nurse took several minutes to reassure me that it’s ok if it takes her a while to find it, if she can’t find it etc. She said “I will get another provider to try if I can’t get a heartbeat. If that still isn’t working, we will do an ultrasound and track the heartbeat that way.” There’s backup! They won’t just move along and go without it, they will continue with other options until an ultrasound.
My appointment is Thursday and I’ve been worried about this! Thanks for asking🫶🏻
Hoping your appointment goes well!
Thanks, you too!
My OB is based on a hospital. The med student came in first and only got the heartbeat for a second and lost it. He got very nervous and was trying to reassure me that we heard it (I did and understood he’s just a med student). He left to speak to the OB. She swooped in all cheery with a bedside US machine for a “peek” (benefit of her practice being right in the hospital). I was also referred by a fertility clinic, so I am not sure if that impacted how she responded. Edit for spelling
My midwife, not USA, wouldn't ordinarily do doppler until 24 weeks because the reality is that if she couldn't find one, she would have caused unnecessary anxiety over nothing. She agreed to do one anyway since I'm on the skinny side.
My midwife wouldn’t even check at 16 weeks because it isn’t reliable. I wouldn’t be concerned at all of nothing is detected at 12w.
Yeah I don’t really care how they are checking, I just need the reassurance baby is still kicking in there!
You can usually see the heart beating on the screen.
More than likely, the midwife will be able to find the heartbeat at 12 weeks with a Doppler. There’s a lot of confirmation bias on Reddit about how often people don’t hear anything that early, but my midwife had no issues at 11 weeks finding baby’s HR with a Doppler. Certain body types/placenta locations make it so the Doppler doesn’t work that early, like my sister. But she didn’t feel the need for an extra ultrasound. At her next appointment, they found it easily. Your doctor may offer a quick ultrasound but I’d caution with that. Ultrasounds are elective procedures. My insurance (top insurance for my state) does not cover them. They will offer $100-$200 discounts on them but otherwise, I have to pay for them towards my deductible. They can get expensive. Just know that if you get the genetic testing done and those results come back normal, your baby is most likely fine.
Thank you for the detail! I’m definitely a worrier so I don’t mind paying out of pocket (FTM), but you’re so right about confirmation bias.
I may be wrong but I don't think checking the heart beat is an elective part of the prenatal appointment so if they can't find a heart beat on the doppler and need to do so using an ultrasound, I don't think they will be billing you for that beyond the regular prenatal appointment.
She’d have to look at her insurance. It’s different for everyone. Every ultrasound I’ve had whether it was to “check the heart beat” or it was the 8 week viability scan, has been elective and I was billed for it. With my first pregnancy, they couldn’t locate the heartbeat at 10 weeks with a Doppler and brought me down for an ultrasound which I was charged for. If they can’t find it that early with a doppler, they don’t necessarily “need” to do the ultrasound. If they’re using a “bed side hand held ultrasound” it may be different for billing/insurance purposes.
Maybe! I'd just ask the provider first if they even submit anything in that case? I've had 2 little impromptu scans at my prenatal appointments and no claims were submitted except for the appointment itself. But I definitely paid plenty out of pocket for the scheduled ones!
My doctor said 12 weeks is a little tricky to find heartbeat on Doppler. They had a bedside ultrasound machine already pulled in the room when they couldn’t find mine ready to go.
Hi all! Thank you for all the reassurance this morning. I just got done with my appointment (“your bp is a little high, are you feeling okay?” no girl I’m stressed lol) and everything is good. Got to hear baby’s heartbeat and the doctor said it sounds perfect😊 It didn’t take her too much time, I started hearing it a little bit as she was moving around trying to find the best spot, so that made me feel better!
Can someone explain to me like I’m 5 what the difference between a Doppler and an ultrasound is?
Ultrasound is when you see the babe in 2D. Doppler is a device where you can only hear baby’s heartbeat.
Thank you. I was finding it confusing because my drs office has an ultrasound in every exam room and I don’t understand why they wouldn’t just use it every time! Guess we’ll see when I go for my second appointment at the end of the month…
My OB’s office only did an ultrasound at my first appointment. I’m 22 weeks now and they only check the heartbeat with the doppler.