Anyone anxious to hear the heartbeat?

[Jilian]

I thought I'd be OK with waiting until 10 weeks to hear the heartbeat, but here I am at 6 weeks becoming more and more impatient by the day. I feel like things will be better once I hear the heartbeat - I'll feel safer. I know you can still miscarry after hearing the heartbeat, but just knowing my baby's heart is beating will comfort me. Maybe it is because my last pregnancy never made it far enough to hear a heartbeat.

I refuse to get an ultrasound just to see the heartbeat - and it's hard to stick to that. I know I could go in tomorrow and have one done, and I keep wanting to do it. The waiting is killing me!

Is anyone else anxious to hear the heartbeat? I went ahead and made my first appointment with the MW for the 19th and we'll have a second appointment about 4 weeks later, that is when I'll hear the heartbeat. Until then, I'm trying to have faith in my body and this baby

[NCMomworld]

I know that feeling! I actually have an early ultrasound scheduled on Monday and we'll get to see the heartbeat. I am in a research study at the local college about healthy pregnancies. Otherwise, we'd just wait - which is so hard!

[todavia]

again, i'm right there with ya. i was totally planning to go to my old ob/gyn just to get a u/s to see the but after what you told me i changed my mind. i'm such a big baby. now i'm like "well if jillian does it, then i'm doing it too"
i agree that even though it doesn't mean we're "in the clear" it would be very reassuring tosee that little flicker.

[saratchka]

I'm still planning to go through with an early u/s in a couple weeks. : The risks appear to be small, from all I've been able to find, and I can't help thinking that the peace of mind it brings will benefit both me and the baby greatly. Stress cannot be good for the little one. That said, I don't intend to allow the u/s process to get out of hand like it did last time. I had at least 6 u/s while pregnant with DD, all before 20 weeks, due to a subchorionic hematoma that had the doctors all in a tizzy. I don't plan to have more than two u/s during this pregnancy unless there's a darned good reason.

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by violetisadora

now i'm like "well if jillian does it, then i'm doing it too"

[chinaKat]

I've already arranged with my MW to have an ultrasound at 7 weeks. I know a lot of people here are anti-ultrasound, but after losing the last pregnancy I don't even feel like I can begin to relax or bond with this baby until I know that his or her heart is at least beating.

That's my hangup, I know, but I almost feel like the *ultrasound* is the true pregnancy test for me (last time I was devastated to go for my first prenatal apt and be told that there was no heart beat).

Hopefully I won't need any other ultrasound during the pregnancy, I don't want to go overboard with it. I don't need to know the baby's gender or anything like that.

[Girlo]

I'm definitely anxious to hear the hb. I've had 3 m/c's - including one at 12 weeks AFTER seeing the hb at a 6-week u/s.

I had one with my son at 9.5 weeks, once the transition from embryo to fetus was done....which I was told is a pretty major transition period that some babies don't make it through. Once we saw him healthy and vibrant at 9.5 weeks, we were told that the risk of miscarriage was "astronomical" on the low side. It REALLY helped to ease our minds and decrease stress. We knew that problems could still arise, but for the moment, we were home free.

We plan on doing the same with this one, mostly for the peace of mind.

[Shell_Ell]

I remember what this felt like. I was a nervous wreck until I heard it last time, because of a prior miscarriage.

This time I'm trying to put faith into my body and trying to relax. I think we may skip doppler altogether and do fetascope, which would mean that I'll be feeling the baby before I hear the hb. I don't know, I'm only 4 weeks tomorrow, I might change my mind.

[torio]

Oh yeah! I'd love to hear that heartbeat--last time we never did. But I'm also reluctant to over-medicalize my pregnancy. I think about what I would do with the information that comes from any test. If I didn't hear a heartbeat, I'd still be waiting for my body to decide when it's time to miscarry. We did a pregesterone and HcG test--both had excellent results so I'm just going to have faith and wait.

Chinakat, my husband feels the same way you do so I understand. But I'm already attached to this little one--just couldn't wait. So I guess I'll have to be prepared for whatever could happen.

[beckyphry]

I'm new to this whole thing -- how early can you hear the heartbeat?

[em&namama]

I don't know if this will make it any better but seeing a heartbeat on an intravaginal US does not decrease your odds of a m/c. It's when you hear it with the doppler that your odds drop drastically. Just thought I would throw that out there because I learned that with my last m/c. But if you're like me it's just getting past the point where you got the last time and if there was never any hb then even seeing one would be better if there was never one the last time.

[mommamin]

I can't wait to hear the heartbeat!! My first appointment is 11/3 and it just seems SO FAR AWAY! :

[wombatclay]

Last pregnancy I had a lot of bleeding off and on (didn't stop till the third trimester) so I had a number of u/s to see if we could figure out what was happening. It always helped to see the heartbeat...

And then we got one of those "listen to your belly" headset things so I could listen any time I got nervous. I'd sit for hours listening to dd wiggle and burble. And it was an interesting experience seeing what sounds came through my innards the most clearly...trucks passing on the road were actually louder through my "belly phones" than through my unaided ears!

Beckyphyr- I think you can see the heart beating via a transvaginal ultrasound between 6-8 weeks (looks like a fluttery brine shrimp or lima bean) and I think you can hear it with a doppler between 10-12 weeks.

[jstar]

i really look forward to hearing it on the doppler. it seems like SUCH a long wait. my appt is nov 7th

[beckyphry]

Well, my first ultrasound is at 8 weeks, on 10/26. This is going to be a LONG 3 weeks! I think once we hear the heartbeat we'll be more confident to tell people.

[irises]

I am with you. I can't wait for my u/s on 10/23. Part of what is so wonderful about being pregnant is the magic and mystery of it, but it will also be such a relief to have an opportunity to see the inner workings.

[mommamin]

Originally Posted by violetisadora

again, i'm right there with ya. i was totally planning to go to my old ob/gyn just to get a u/s to see the but after what you told me i changed my mind. i'm such a big baby. now i'm like "well if jillian does it, then i'm doing it too"
i agree that even though it doesn't mean we're "in the clear" it would be very reassuring tosee that little flicker.

Did I miss some info regarding u/s?

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by mommamin

Did I miss some info regarding u/s?

There was an article on the risks of u/s in Mothering a while back (I can probably dig through my back issues and give you the date and issue # if you want). A good friend of mine has been doing research on early u/s's and links to speech and motor delays. She said there was an article in Compleat mother about it. I've decided to only go with the 18 week screening (and make it as quick as possible) because the risks of ultrasounds are still unknown. My own son has motor and speech delays and we had 2 or 3 early u/s because my OB was worried about an ectopic pregnancy. I also had a 3D U/s around 20 weeks because the thought my DS had a heart defect (they saw calcium on his heart at the 18 week u/s and freaked me out - it was nothing). So in total, I had about 5 or 6 u/s's. I'm not sure if his speech and motor delays are related to the ultrasounds or not.

It's a personal decision, just like everything else in parenting. I'm just the type who likes to leave things alone and decline tests unless there is a serious reason to have the test. I also don't want to be scared into more u/s's like I was in my last pregnancy. It seems that every time I went in for a u/s there was something wrong and I needed another one.

[MammaV]

I don't do u/s. I have to be patient and wait until about 18-20 weeks to hear w/ a fetoscope. I don't mind waiting though. With my last live birth, I felt DS move at 14 weeks, so I knew he was there and safe before I heard the heartbeat. I have a fetoscope at home, it's a crappy one, but it works and we used it just about everyday to listen to baby. DD loved it, and I know she will again this time around.
early u/s heartbeat wouldn't necessarily be a comfort to me because my m/c's were at 12 and 14 weeks.
Happy heart tones to all the momma's going in for a listen soon! It's miraculous isn't it?

[mommamin]

Originally Posted by Jilian

There was an article on the risks of u/s in Mothering a while back (I can probably dig through my back issues and give you the date and issue # if you want). A good friend of mine has been doing research on early u/s's and links to speech and motor delays. She said there was an article in Compleat mother about it. I've decided to only go with the 18 week screening (and make it as quick as possible) because the risks of ultrasounds are still unknown. My own son has motor and speech delays and we had 2 or 3 early u/s because my OB was worried about an ectopic pregnancy. I also had a 3D U/s around 20 weeks because the thought my DS had a heart defect (they saw calcium on his heart at the 18 week u/s and freaked me out - it was nothing). So in total, I had about 5 or 6 u/s's. I'm not sure if his speech and motor delays are related to the ultrasounds or not.

It's a personal decision, just like everything else in parenting. I'm just the type who likes to leave things alone and decline tests unless there is a serious reason to have the test. I also don't want to be scared into more u/s's like I was in my last pregnancy. It seems that every time I went in for a u/s there was something wrong and I needed another one.

I subscribe to mothering but my memory is working. Do you know what issue/month it was? Thanks Jillian!