http://www.tinyheartbeats.org

What a wonderful organization.  I too will use a home doppler if/when I get pregnant again.  I just don't think I could go through another pregnancy without one.  I hope you raise a lot of money.  And I hope that somewhere a doctor will come out and support this.  I don't think that they understand the piece of mind once can get when they hear the heartbeat ~ sometimes it can just really help drop the anxiety level ~ particularly after a loss.

 -Heather

CON:

(1) Finding a heartbeat on the home doppler does not necessarily mean the baby is okay.  It could mask the fact there is a problem and
because we find the heartbeat, we may not go to our doctor when we really should;
(2) If we hear no heartbeat, it is most likely too late to save the baby, so we have not helped ourselves; and
(3) When doctors listen to the baby with the doppler, they also listen for movement etc.  They don't just use dopplers to listen to heartbeat
which is just one indicator of possible health.                 -submitted anonymously

I am a nurse and I wish there were more programs and nonprofit organizations to help mothers who have lost children.  As medical personnel we are taught to have some detactchment from our patients.  Some of us are better at it than others and many doctors are *really* good at it.  You want to have some compassion and feeling for your patient, but not to the point that it affects your medical judgment.  It is important, but I also believe that caring for our patients is even more important than protecting ourselves from becoming too involved.  I for one have learned to care and be involved without hurting myself emotionally.  I suspect this has a lot to do with doctors not supporting what you are doing.  They can't or won't put themselves in our shoes so they don't fully understand the anxiety a spals pregnancy can cause.  And I doubt any doctor is going to come in on a Sunday morning at 3 a.m. to let a mother hear her baby's heartbeat unless the doctor is worried that the baby isn't doing well, but she isn't going to come in just because a mother is anxious!!! 

I also think that doctors don't want us playing doctor to ourselves and many worry if we have a doppler that we won't seek medical care when it is needed just because we have heard the baby's heartbeat.  But again, they don't understand what we are going through and that we are going to ask to come in if we feel something is wrong whether we hear the baby's heartbeat or not.   - Fern

PRO:

During my last pregnancy, I  did rent a home doppler, and just being able to hear my baby's heartbeat in the morning made a HUGE difference.  Before that, I  spent much of the day worrying that my baby may have already died.  With hearing the heartbeat in the morning, I was able to feel like right now, today, my baby is alive.  This was huge for me and greatly  reduced overall anxiety.
My doctors and midwife were also really opposed to my renting a  doppler.  I just don't get it.  They all gave the reason that it 
could cause more anxiety if I couldn't find the HB. They also said I  could come in whenever I wanted for a HB check - every day?  A couple times a day?  For the cost of renting a doppler of my own?  No.  In  fact, when I couldn't find Benen's heartbeat and I called my peri's office to be seen, the nurse said in a rather snotty voice, "This is  the problem with these home dopplers." I refrained from saying, no this is the problem with 3 prior unexplained losses.  I really wanted  to track her down after the U/S confirmed Benen's death and scream at 
her that my doppler worked just fine.
I certainly agree that a home doppler should not replace prenatal  visits and seeking medical advice if there is a reason for concern. 
However, in my opinion, it gave me a tremendous amount of relief from anxiety and I still had weekly visits with my perinatologist and 
called once a week on top of that with questions.  Having the doppler certainly did not reduce my seeking medical help. And, yes, it did nothing to prevent Benen's death.  However, I did  know about his death earlier than I would have, which gave us a  better chance of getting Benen's karyotype and having other analysis done.  I don't see how I would have benefited from not knowing until later that he died - having done it both ways, not knowing for a week or two, or knowing right away - as far as the grief and anguish that follows goes, I don't think there was a difference.
I agree that I think there must be political reasons for these doctors to oppose us having home dopplers - whether this is because 
of insurance, of them wanting control, I really don't know.  I just haven't felt the reasons given for this opposition ever made sense 
(assuming people with a history of loss would most likely see their doctor regularly and if there were signs of a problem, regardless of hearing the heartbeat on a home doppler). -Amy

PRO/CON:

I lost my first baby to miscarriage.  Like so many others, I was a nervous wreck when I became pregnant again.  I felt movement very early with my spals baby, but of course it was inconsistent for a long time, which fed my paranoia.  I simply rented one (a doppler) and had a great experience from that point on.  I never had any difficulty finding the heartbeat and it provided me a tremendous deal of reassurance at a time that I really needed it. 
However, I realize that not everyone shares my thoughts or experience.   I also heard that most doctors don't recommend patients using them at home, and I wondered why.  This is what I think some of the issues are.  Depending on several factors such as a woman's weight, placental position, etc. it can be difficult for some to hear the heartbeat even in the doctor's office.  This is especially true in the beginning .  For some women the doppler could cause even more anxiety and stress if they felt compelled to check all the time, and had difficulty finding the heartbeat.  Then you have more worry when nothing is wrong.
The flip side of that is when you have people relying too heavily on the doppler.  As you know, there can still be a heartbeat and be problems.  Even if there was a strong heartbeat, if the baby wasn't moving normally or if the mother felt there was something wrong, she should get checked out by her doctor. 
Anyway, what it all comes down to is that whether or not to use a doppler is a personal decision.  For some, it could potentially cause more harm and stress than good, but for others (like myself) it can be an absolute lifesaver.  As mothers we should have the freedom to choose what care we think is best for us and our children, and your organization opens up options, so I commend you.    -Anne