Rainbow babies often bring conflicting emotions.
It may feel like a miracle full of joy and excitement for the future. But at the same time, your previous miscarriage trauma can cause you to worry and pull away from enjoying pregnancy “too much.”
How can you recognize the difficulty of the experience while also allowing yourself to bond with your rainbow baby?
While it’s a challenge, there’s tools you can use to bond with your baby and feel safer within your pregnancy.
In this guide, we’re discussing 8 benefits of using a pocket fetal doppler during a rainbow baby pregnancy.
What is a Fetal Doppler?
A pocket fetal doppler is a handheld device that you can use to hear your baby’s heartbeat. On the fetal doppler Sonoline B model, the fetal heart rate is also displayed on screen.
You might have already seen a fetal doppler in your doctor’s office. Doctors use them to ensure your baby is developing correctly. Although only a trained professional can use a fetal doppler for medical purposes, you can use one at home for emotional bonding and other benefits.
How Do You Use a Fetal Doppler?
Pocket fetal dopplers are easy to use. The technology works similar to an ultrasound, but you don’t need to be a professional to work one. Here’s a brief rundown on how to use a fetal doppler monitor:
- Squeeze a blob of ultrasound gel onto your belly (all fetal doppler Sonoline B models come with a free sample of ultrasound gel)
- Place the probe in the gel and turn the device on
- Gently glide the probe in a slow, rocking motion. Start from the bottom and work your way up. Work in sections and be sure to cover every area and angle.
- When you’ve detected the heartbeat, stop, listen and enjoy.
- Use the BabyDoppler app to record your fetal doppler sessions, complete with audio clips and fetal heart rate count
The most important and trickiest part of using a fetal doppler is discerning the correct noise. Sometimes mothers mistake the sound of the placenta or their own heartbeat for their baby’s. To avoid this and ensure you’ve found the correct noise, read: Heartbeat or Another Noise? 8 Tips to Discern Fetal Doppler Noises
8 Benefits of Using a Fetal Doppler with a Rainbow Baby
Rainbow babies make parents feel excited and joyful. But after a loss such as a miscarriage, it can be bittersweet. A fetal doppler may help you enjoy your rainbow baby more and reduce your anxiety about miscarriage.
Use to Monitor Pregnancy Between Appointments
Fetal dopplers don’t replace prenatal appointments and can’t be used at home to diagnose medical issues. With that being said, they can play a role in monitoring your pregnancy between check-ups.
If you use a fetal doppler monitor and hear something that you’re unsure of or worried about, there’s a few things you can do:
- Use the BabyDoppler app to record the suspected heartbeat abnormality. Send the recording to your doctor or midwife and ask them if it’s normal
- Use the fetal doppler during a phone appointment. Let your doctor or midwife hear the heartbeat and give their opinion
- Make an appointment with your doctor and ask them to use their own fetal doppler to confirm or rule out an issue
Provides Another Layer of Reassurance
When you’ve had a prior miscarriage, trusting a new pregnancy is difficult. Even though you attend all your check-ups and your doctor says your baby is healthy, you might still worry. How do you know something won’t go wrong again? Unfortunately, the truth is you can’t know.
However, paying attention to pregnancy signs can provide reassurance that your baby is okay. For example, you can affirm you’re still pregnant by watching out for:
- Continuation of pregnancy symptoms
- Baby kicks
- Baby somersaults or movements
Similarly, a pocket fetal doppler can provide another factor of reassurance between checkups. Hearing a heartbeat can ease your own heart, ensuring you that you have all the signs of a healthy pregnancy.
Use Fetal Doppler to Announce Pregnancy
Some people who’ve had prior miscarriages prefer to wait until past the 12th week to announce their pregnancy. Although it’s a personal choice, if you choose to wait, you can use a fetal doppler to announce your rainbow baby.
Fetal doppler monitors start working around the 12th week of pregnancy. If you’ve held off until then, consider incorporating the device into your announcement. Here’s a few ideas:
- Plan a gathering with your family and sneak off into another room to prepare the fetal doppler. When you’ve found the heartbeat, call your family inside the room for the big surprise.
- Use the BabyDoppler app to record a heartbeat. Send the audio file to family and friends with the announcement “we’re expecting!”
- After recording the baby heartbeat, make a heartbeat announcement video. Add an ultrasound photo, pregnancy photos and text displaying your baby’s due date. Use your heartbeat audio as the soundtrack. Send your announcement video to friends or post it on social media.
Use for Rainbow Baby Photoshoot
Pocket fetal dopplers can also make for a unique rainbow baby photoshoot. When you’ve had prior miscarriages, it can feel special to show the “life” of your baby in your maternity photos.
Sit and lean back, using the fetal doppler to detect the heartbeat. When you find the correct noise, angle the device so the camera can capture your baby’s fetal heart rate displayed on screen.
You can use the fetal doppler on your bed or a bench outside with a scenic backdrop. Get creative with your setting and use props to make it look magical.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZkdg8Wlxhl/?hl=en
Use During Rainbow Baby Shower
You can also use your fetal doppler Sonoline B during your rainbow baby shower! It’s a great way to allow your guests to “experience” the baby before she arrives. It makes for a memorable moment that friends and family will appreciate.
You can also use your fetal doppler to announce your baby’s gender. Go into another room and find your baby’s heartbeat. Tell your guests the color of the fetal doppler represents the gender of your baby. If you’re having a girl, purchase a pink fetal doppler. If you’re having a boy, get our blue model.
Creates Bonding with Rainbow Baby
When you’re pregnant, it might not feel “real” yet. Especially if you’ve had a miscarriage before, it might not feel real until you’ve given birth. This can make bonding before labor difficult. And bonding during pregnancy is important—it can improve your mental health and help your baby form a healthy attachment.
One of the best ways to bond with your baby is by hearing her heartbeat. It can help affirm that it’s really happening and that you’re nurturing a life. Spending fetal doppler sessions with your baby can make you feel closer to her. This can make it easier for you to form a motherly attachment after birth. As you may know, feeling unattached and unbonded can lead to postpartum depression. So the more you can bond with your baby beforehand, the better!
Create Rainbow Baby Keepsakes
You can also use your fetal doppler to create keepsakes for your rainbow baby. Using the BabyDoppler app, you can record the heartbeat, download the file and keep it on your computer for years to come.
You can also make a rainbow baby video keepsake. Using an editing program or app, combine ultrasound photos, maternity photos, text, and video clips to create a keepsake video. Use your baby’s heartbeat as the soundtrack that plays throughout.
For ideas to spark your creativity, read: DIY Heartbeat Video Keepsake with Fetal Doppler Sonoline B
Share Experience with Your Partner
If your partner was emotionally impacted by prior miscarriages, using a fetal doppler can be a good idea for them too. Getting pregnant again may feel “too good to be true” and they may fear at times that you’ve lost the pregnancy. Hearing a heartbeat can help your partner realize that the baby is healthy and growing. It may ease their anxieties about something going wrong.
Fetal Doppler: Best Models
When it comes to using fetal dopplers for a rainbow baby, it’s especially important to use a reliable model. Using cheap brands can cause you to worry if the device doesn’t work or is unable to pick up sounds.
Fetal doppler Sonoline B models are a trusted brand industry-wide. They’re well-known to be reliable and affordable with excellent customer care and support.
Each of BabyDoppler’s devices comes with batteries and a free sample of ultrasound gel—everything you need to get started! The connecting app also allows you to record your baby’s heart rate and heartbeat audio. It also comes with a kick counter and other helpful information to guide you along your pregnancy journey.