Do you know anyone who has used a home fetal heart monitor?  For some reason, they make me uncomfortable, and the authors in a recent BMJ article feel the same.  A home fetal heart monitor can be bought over the counter or on the internet, and it is meant to be used for “entertainment” purposes only.  However, my suspicion is that the women who are buying and using them, are using them for reassurance reasons.  They want to be reassured that everything is OK with their baby.  They want peace of mind.  This is totally understandable.  I fell into this same trap with my first pregnancy.  I wrote a post awhile back about how I was ultrasound addicted with my first pregnancy, and would scan myself at work every chance I could get.  But really, scanning yourself constantly at work, or using a home fetal heart monitor does not offer real “reassurance” or even guarantee the health status of the baby.

The BMJ commentary explains the case of a mom who at 38 weeks, delayed a visit to her doctor because she was reassured everything was OK because she heard her infant’s heart rate on the home monitor.  Tragically, the infant had died in utero and the mom was actually listening to her own heart beat, not the baby’s.  These are the cases I worry about when we take medical technology and sell it for home use, and just for “entertainment” purposes.  Companies that sell  these monitors explain how the monitors can help you bond with your baby, and reassure you that your baby is “happy and safe.”  Do we really think a heart monitor can do that?  The cynical side of me does not believe a piece of machinery can help you bond more with your baby.  The cynically part of me does not see how hearing the fetal heart rate can reassure you that you have a “happy” fetus.

The not-so-cynical part of me however, understands that if you had trouble getting pregnant, or suffered from miscarriages, listening to that fetal heart rate can mean a lot.  You may be afraid of bonding and suffering more pain from a loss.  Hearing the baby’s heart rate may give real peace of mind.  But, I also think, like the BMJ article addresses, that a home fetal heart monitor may offer a false sense of security, and actually cause more anxiety if the mom can not pick up the fetal heart rate.

As far as I know, there have been no studies on the use of these home fetal heart monitors, as it relates to the psychology of why a mom would use one.  I also have no idea how widespread the use of these machines are.  They just give me an uneasy feeling, which most likely is unwarranted, but that is just how I feel.

How do you feel about them?

RR