Throughout your pregnancy, you will be strongly advised by your doctor to undergo some routine tests as part of your prenatal care. You shouldn’t worry. The body undergoes tremendous physiological changes during pregnancy, just as your baby rapidly develops within your womb. These tests are done to make sure you and your baby are in optimum health. Your baby’s health must be watched more critically, however, because any untoward reaction could hamper his or her development. This is where exams, such as the Doppler exam, come in.

The Doppler ultrasound has been an integral part of Obstetric care for many years, especially in determining fetal health and well-being within the restrictive confines of uterine walls.  It is specifically used today for the early detection of malformations in the fetus’s cardiovascular development. As such, it is used in the study of fetal heart activity as well as patency and conditions of fetal blood vessels, which transport blood and oxygen all throughout the body. A Doppler monitor is a hand-held device which is handy in your obstetrician’s office. Upon contact of the transducer on the mother’s abdomen, it detects fetal heartbeat. How high or low a fetus’s heart is beating determines how well oxygen is being transported to all parts of his or her body.

How do Doppler exams work?
Doppler exams are still based on the science of the Doppler effect, which shows that when something moving reflects the high frequency waves, the echoes’ frequency changes to a higher degree as it get closer to the probe, and to a lower degree as it gets farther from the probe. The degree at which the frequency changes, is reliant on the speed of the moving object. Doppler ultrasounds work to measure heart rates and blood flow by calculating the speed of the motion based on the change in frequency. If this is all strange to you, it’s simply put this way: When the heart and arteries pulsate to deliver blood around the body, the Doppler picks up the vibrations and converts them to something readable, such as images (as in a Doppler ultrasound), or sounds (such as a Doppler fetal monitor).

How is Doppler fetal monitoring performed?
Doppler fetal monitors, as mentioned as hand-held, so they aren’t space-consuming. They are available in your doctor’s clinic, or you could also purchase one, especially if your fetus has to be constantly monitored even when you are home. It’s relatively easy to use, and takes some getting used to. First, remember that in order to transmit better sound waves, you will need to have a full bladder. Drink plenty of water before performing monitoring. You will need to lie down comfortably and have Doppler gel (a clear gel similar to water-based lubricant) applied liberally on your abdomen. The Doppler probe is then applied on your abdomen, starting from the middle of your abdomen. This should be between your belly button and your Symphisis Pubis, or your pubic hair line. Don’t worry if you don’t hear your baby’s heartbeat automatically. Often, the probe will have to be gently moved around the surface of your abdomen to find the heartbeat. If you are having the monitoring done at your doctor’s clinic, he or she will be able to determine your baby’s position through palpations. You may hear your own heartbeat too. To avoid this, your doctor will find your pulse and make sure it’s different from your baby’s heart rate. A baby’s heart rate is usually two times its mother’s. Finally, aside from the beating of your baby’s heart, you may hear some swooshing sound coming from your placenta and other neighboring organs. Doppler monitoring is a safe way to assess your baby’s well-being and diagnose untoward conditions early for prompter treatment.

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