can you hear baby's heartbeat at approx 11 weeks gestation?

[misdee]

i have a booking in appointment when i am 11 weeks. letter says they will listen for a heartbeat at this appointment, no mention of a scan, and nothing about drinking pints of water.

is it easy to hear a heartbeat at this stage? or will i be anxious as they try and locate it?

think i get a scan two weeks later.

[juuule]

Baby's hb picked up on sonicaid at just 12w with one of mine. The midwife was amazed to have found it and called in another midwife to have a listen, too. So I wouldn't be surprised or worried, if I was you, if they don't find a hb.

[scorpio1]

i don't think its easy at this stage, earliest i have heard mine is 12+6. think it may also depend if you have padding or not....don't worry if you cannot hear it.

[levan]

Heard mine at 11 weeks but midwife said it's not always possible to hear it.

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

Sometimes they can find it, but I think it's more likely they won't.

So don't panic if they can't get it. You'll see the heartbeat at your scan

[artichokes]

When I was pregnant with DD they could not hear the hreatbeat until about 12-13 weeks. And even then it took a while. Do you know if you definitley get a 12 week scan in your area?

[misdee]

well i had my scans at a different hospital with dd3, but lisad123 had her dd2 at the hospital i am going to this time and she thinks you get 12 week scan there as well.

i hope i do, i am worrying a bit, just incase i am imagining it all lol.

[Haylstones]

With dd I heard her hb at 11 weeks. dh wasn't there so the mw came back the next day to let him hear it but couldn't hear it. All was OK though

[maxbear]

I heard mine at 9 weeks, but then could not get it again until 11 weeks. It is variable. On most people you can hear it at 12 weeks, but sometimes even on the thinnest women you cannot hear it at 13 w. As a midwife I would never listen to anyone before 10 weeks (apart from myself ) If a woman is between 10 - 12 weeks I would only listen if I thought that she would be able to not worry if I didn't hear it. Iyswim

[meglet]

the GP managed to find my DS's heartbeat at 11 weeks (I had had some light bleeding so rushed to the doc's), although he did say it is unusual to hear it that early. I'm quite skinny so that may have made a difference.

[ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight]

Obstetrician heard the HB at 9 weeks. Amazing. However I don't know whether he had super strong equipment or what! TBH at a booking in appt they just fill in forms and take wee/blood tests. If you have a fair bit of belly fat it will be harder to hear early on.

[goingfor3]

The midwife didn't listen to my babies heartbeat at my booking in appointment. My next appointment was at 20 weeks and she didn't listen then either becuase I had had my scan a few minutes earlier.

[oliviaelanasmum]

Im 12 weeks and have a doppler and i can't hear the hb yet but as im fat im not worried yet, my mw wont check until 14 weeks.

[misdee]

oh i do hope they can find it. i am fat though, so will try not to worry if they cant.

[dizzydixies]

misdee please don't be offended if I pipe in here

had a second heavy bleed at 15wks and they couldn't find heartbeat with sonic aid - scan showed all ok thank goodness and apparently sonic aid was no use as baby has plenty of room

am a size 18-20 if that helps?

[misdee]

not offended at all. i am a size 20. i think midwife managed to pick up dd1's heartbeat at about 12 weeks with a sonicaid thingy, but i was a size 16 then.

[Heartmum2Jamie]

I have heard this baby's heartbeat at 9 1/2 weeks (same with ds2) but that is with a rental doppler and ALOT of determination (it's getting easier now at 11 weeks tomorrow). Around here, it is not uncommon for consultants & midwives to not even try and listen for the heartbeat until 16 weeks as it can be sooo tricky to locate.

With ds2, I had an appt to see an OB at 15 weeks, had just had a scan and seen all was well, but he could NOT find the heartbeat. Would have been worried except I had just seen baby and I could feel the little monkey moving away from the probe, lol! I have everything crossed you will get a scan soon.

[Daniya]

Hi all - can someone clarify for me. Whats the difference between listening for the heartbeat and having a scan?? I thought you would hear the heartbeat on the scan. As you can see I'm very new to all of this!!

I just rented a doppler last week and I can't find the heartbeat - the website said you should hear it from 10 weeks and then the packaging said 12 weeks so I feel slightly cheated as I can't hear anything (except some wooshings) I'm 11+1 today - not too worried about the lack of heartbeat as my breasts are so sore it would be cruel for them to hurt this much if anything was wrong!

[Haylstones]

Your mw will listen for the hb using a doppler at some check ups. A scan looks at the whole baby and you can see/hear the hb. You normally only get 1 or 2 scans though. 12 weeks is early to hear the hb, especially at home

[belgo]

I thought you weren't supposed to listen for a heart beat until after 12 weeks. I was told by a sonographer that it could upset the baby but she didn't eleborate on why.

I know at earlier scans they can track the heart beat but not actually listen to it.