UrbanBaby

06.06.08, 10:56 AM General Topics
10 replies

I am 7.5 weeks pregnant and had my first obgyn appointment and saw the heartbeat (a little flicker). doctor said everything looked good. Now everyone is asking me if we "heard" the heartbeat, which we did not. Was it too early? Should I be worried? Thanks. [ Reply | Watch | Flag ]
General Topics 06.06.08, 10:56 AM Flag

Dear UrbanBaby community,

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essentially the same thing. it's too early to hear a heartbeat with a doppler, but the flicker on the ultrasound indicates a heartbeat - if it were possible to put a teeny little microphone in there you would hear it. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 06.06.08, 10:57 AM Flag

at what week can we hear it? [ Reply | More

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General Topics 06.06.08, 10:58 AM Flag

varies by person - I think we were able to hear it at my 16 wk appointment, but not at the 12 week. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 06.06.08, 10:59 AM Flag

and another normally sane woman is plunged into the paranoia of first pregnancy. whatever you do, dont read 'what to expect...'. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 06.06.08, 10:58 AM Flag

op: :) - I'm not reading anything right now - I know it will drive me nuts. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 06.06.08, 10:59 AM Flag

Ok, none of you were paying attention in high school physics class, I see! When people say they "heard" the heartbeat at an ULTRASOUND appointment, it just means the tech or doc flipped the switch that turns on the software that makes the energy that is VISIBLE as the flicker AUDIBLE instead. To "hear" the heartbeat, you'd have to use a stethoscope (or rather a fetoscope) to transmit the actual sound of the blood moving through the baby's heart to your eardrum. So "hearing" on a doppler is the same as "seeing". Just ask the tech to turn the sound on next time if it is important to you. Good luck! [ Reply | More

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General Topics 06.06.08, 11:00 AM Flag

10 points to you! [ Reply | More

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General Topics 06.06.08, 11:03 AM Flag

^and "doppler" and "ultrasound" both use sound waves bounced back and forth between a transducer - so it's all kind of "hearing" anyway . . . the software just makes it audible to the human ear, instead of on the "ultra" frequency. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 06.06.08, 11:03 AM Flag

^and to continue my nerd tirade = you all know that the doppler effect is when an ambulance siren seems to change pitch as it approaches and then moves away from you . . it's because sound waves distort as the source of the sound moves. [ Reply | More

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General Topics 06.06.08, 11:04 AM Flag

too early...you see it before you hear it....12 weeks to hear, I think.... [ Reply | More

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General Topics 06.06.08, 11:01 AM Flag