
All maternity sites in Queensland are participating. It is recommended they are assessed within two hours of presenting.”ĭecreased fetal movement is a key element of the Safer Baby Bundle which is designed to reduce preventable stillbirths across the country. “Presentations for fetal movement should not be delayed, for example, to try and stimulate the baby through food or drink. “Women who raise concerns around fetal movements should immediately attend a health service for assessment Their concerns override any low-risk pregnancy status or other factors.”

It also has a headphone jack for private listening. It is easy to use and comes with a built-in speaker and LCD display. A fetal doppler is a hand-held, ultrasound device used by some medical practitioners to hear your babys heartbeat at prenatal appointments. This device is designed to detect the fetal heartbeat from as early as 12 weeks of pregnancy. Prof Weaver reiterated the need for concerns to be taken seriously. The best affordable at-home Doppler is the Sonoline B Fetal Doppler. “Women should be reminded at each scheduled and unscheduled antenatal visit - especially after 28 weeks’ gestation - of the importance of being aware of fetal movements and to report any concerns of a decrease in strength and/or frequency,” he said. “Every woman’s perception of fetal movement is different and movement patterns can vary between pregnancies and throughout pregnancy.” Prof Weaver said fetal movement should be discussed with women early on in pregnancy and recommended the consumer Safer Baby Bundle resources. According to ACOG, this ultrasound measures the space at the back of a fetus' neck. “We should be cautioning expectant parents about the potential risks of using home fetal dopplers.” A nuchal translucency (NT) ultrasound occurs around weeks 10 to 13 of pregnancy. Prof Weaver said the four clinical incidents included three stillbirths and one baby dying shortly after birth.Īs a result of the audit, CEQ’s Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Service released a patient safety communique last week to flag the issue with clinicians (available on QHEPS). Frequent (every 23 daily) acupuncture treatment helped to rescue this pregnancy, even though initially the prognostic signs were not good (slow foetal.

In untrained hands, it is difficult to accurately obtain a fetal heart rate.” “Dopplers only provide a snapshot of the heart rate and do not indicate whether the baby is healthy or not. Professor Ted Weaver, Co-Chair of the QMPQC and Senior Medical Officer Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, said in the wrong hands home fetal dopplers could be easily misinterpreted.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is investigating. The audit identified four clinical incidents involving the use of fetal dopplers at home which saw women, concerned about a lack of fetal movement, being falsely reassured about their baby’s heart rate. A retrospective audit by the Queensland Maternal and Perinatal Quality Council has identified potential risks associated with the use of home fetal heart monitors in pregnancy. The newer EchoHeart 5-MHz transvaginal probes aids in the detection of fetal heart tones (FHT) early in pregnancy (68 weeks) and for patients who have a.
