I have often spoken on this blog about the dangers of hand held doppler devices in the hands of lay people. On the weekend a pregnant mum I know sent me this screen shot from a popular App that she subscribes to.
I concerned (not because her battery was flat :)) but because of the flippant and completely careless way this piece of medical equipment is spoken about, as if there is no downside to a lay person attempting to use a device they are not trained to use. Imagine if you were to read in a do it yourself gardening book “ if a large tree is blocking your view just pick up a chainsaw at the local hardware store and cut the tree down” many people might get away with doing this without injury but it doesn’t mean it isn’t stupid dangerous advice. The thing that alarms me the most about this app is the statement “hearing the heartbeat lets you know that your baby’s developing and growing” this is simply NOT TRUE. All that the presence of a heart beat tells the mother, or anyone else for that matter, is simply that there is a heart beat! Babies who are not developing or growing very well at all can still have a heartbeat. So MUCH better careful advice would be “on days you are worried call your maternity care provider and express your concerns, if you don’t feel reassured by what they say immediately seek a second opinion.”
Similarly the statement that there are "perks" to an amnio- centesis left me gob smacked. If a maternity care provider orders an amniocentesis this is for very serious concerns about the mother or baby and no-one should EVER imply that this procedure should be done to get a good long look at the baby.
Similarly the statement that there are "perks" to an amnio- centesis left me gob smacked. If a maternity care provider orders an amniocentesis this is for very serious concerns about the mother or baby and no-one should EVER imply that this procedure should be done to get a good long look at the baby.
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