Hi mummy, I'm going into my 7th month of pregnancy, but I can remember how incredibly anxious I felt at 4 months. I did buy the handheld doppler and tried to pace myself - how frequently it's being used because I worry it may affect bb. I video recorded the sound of bb's heartbeat and relied on that (and bb's sonogram) to pull me through some of the anxieties I had with medical complications and duration between obgyn visits. I also journalled almost daily, like I'm writing to bb and gonna gift it to her when she's older. The doppler can be misleading, esp. the numbers (heartrate) on the device and some other sounds might be mistaken for heartbeat. When I do it myself, I can't seem to get a heartbeat, but my husband could. I felt guilty when I had to use the doppler because I worried about the effects on bb, and at the same time, I was doing it to reassure myself. Hence, why I tried to focus on other things like journaling, focus on health, de-stress, and see old sonogram pics. So eventually, after about 4 uses, I stopped using it and fast forward, already in the final trimester. If you're considering getting it, I would encourage you to be mindful of your usage and its impact on you and bb. Congrats on month 4, and I hope we all have a smooth pregnancy!
Hi! Just an advice.. coming from a highly anxious person.. I personally didn’t buy a fetal monitor as I feel that I will make things worst if I have that monitor and I can’t detect the heart beat haha. I always tell myself, if this baby is meant for me, everything will go smoothly. Always think positive! Happy positive mummy = happy baby! But of course, when something feels really different, I will monitor and head to the emergency care to get myself checked. Otherwise, I just tell myself to enjoy the journey 😀 But if you think a fetal monitor will make you feel more reassured then go ahead and get one! May everything goes smoothly for you and your baby!