Fetal Doppler Stethoscopes

A question, my friends:

1.) Does a fetal Doppler stethoscope need to be used with the listeners head pressing down onto it? Would a hand pressing work? Or is it that you need as much weight as possible if the placenta is blocking your acoustics?

Though I suppose even if you can't hear the babies heartbeat, the sounds of that red mother ocean crashing and breaking as the baby moves it around would be enough to assure you of bloodflow. But yes, is head pressing mandatory for getting good acoustics?

You are thinking of a pinard stethoscope. These need to be pressed against the abdomen and the listener's ear. This will basically block out extraneous noise so that the heartbeat can be heard. A hand held doppler doesn't need this, it merely needs good contact with the abdomen. The beauty of the pinard is that you hear the actual heartbeat, but they are really hard to use. A doppler uses ultrasound to pick up an echo of it. Hearing the maternal blood flow doesn't give you an idea of fetal well being. You are at best hearing the flow of blood through the placenta. You also need to know what you are looking for- the normal fetal heart rate is about 110- 160 bpm. Less than that and it could be Mum's. Also, measure the mum's pulse so you have something to compare it to.

Binky

I was thinking of this kind. Yes, I was mixing up the Doppler and the one below.

http://search.allheart.com/?catalog=allheart&.autodone=nsearch.html&query=fetal+doppler+stethoscope&x=0&

I like that they fit in the ears and have a flexible tube through which sound can travel. I've just only ever see people using them with their head pressed down on that handle and didn't like the aesthetic. Good to know that you simply need good pressure and that can be applied by a hand.

Thanks.