Monitoring fetal heart tones in labor

[Paigekitten]

I'm curious what other have done, or plan to do.  If you are planning to monitor yourself what did you buy?  How often did you listen?  Did you do it yourself or have someone else (like a DP?  Anyone choose not to?  If you didn't, what circumstances would you want to?

Are there any good links or books that talk about monitoring heart tones in labor yourself?  I've only thing I've read that discusses it is Hearts and Hands.

[Sheepdoc]

1st was at a BirthCenter w/ MEDwives.  :(  Despite being there for over 12 hours (about 10 in transition) we barely saw the medwife and the birth assistant came in maybe 5 times to listen to heart tones.  So much for the every 15 minute protocol.

2nd at home, wonderful CPM.  My doula did take my BP when she first arrived and maybe once afterwards.  (She was functioning as a birth assistant/doula).  I don't remember my midwife ever checking heart tones - maybe she did when she first arrived?

So w/ the UC my husband and I are going w/ the idea that we've had two babies non-UC w/o anyone ever really checking heart tones so why would we add a procedure?

I know things can happen in labor and that would suck.  But then again things can happen _any_ time in life. 

[sunnymw]

I used a $14 eBay fetoscope with ds2. You should definitely get it and practice well before labor. I checked fht once during his labor early on and then things went too quickly to check again.

Things went too fast with DD for me to check if I wanted to.

[mama2mad]

dc4 (UC because of fast labor) never had her HR checked in labor.

I have a fetoscope ($14 from ebay) and may or may not check FHT in labor. Depends if i feel there's a need to.

I got the fetoscope more for the use in pregnancy, since I've had 2 DC have complications show up by FHT during pregnancy.