Hearing heartbeat with stethescope?

[tlcdoula]

Does anyone know when it would be possible to hear the baby's heartbeat with a good quality stethescope? I am asking because my oldest dd is in her second year of her nursing education and she thought it would be cool to look for her sibling's heartbeat, but I thought it was a little early to try as I am 16 weeks right now.

I know that there are fetoscopes, dopplers, etc but we don't want to buy one as I don't really feel the "need" to check up on the baby as I believe my body is doing as it should - she just thought it would be neat to try, but wanted to know when it was possible to hear. I actually told her that if she wanted to try she could go ahead because I am patient and wouldn't be concerned if she didn't find it

[onlyboys]

I could hear my baby's clearly around 28 weeks. Before that, it seemed like I could hear it, but I was never SURE.

It was always fun to hear it and share. You have to be really still and quiet to hear it, and it doesn't sound like a doppler.

[hottmama]

I heard my baby with a stethoscope at 16 weeks, but that is very early. I happen to be a skinny, short-torsoed girl with big babies.
I'd let her try, but don't worry if she can't find anything for another month or two.

[mwherbs]

she can try now you need to get right over the middle of the chest. I have heard with a fetalscope at 16 weeks it is probably the very edge of early -20 weeks more common and use to be used as one way to date a pregnancy- so have her keep trying and eventually she should be able to hear with the stethoscope. when a baby is so small using your hand to limit the space the baby can swim through helps to find the heart beat