UPTON, England, Aug 21, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A British doctor warns
mothers-to-be not to use personal monitoring devices because they may lead to a
false sense of security and delay medical action.
Dr. Thomas Aust and colleagues at Arrowe Park Hospital in England told of a
27-year-old pregnant woman who presented to the hospital 32 weeks into her first
pregnancy with reduced fetal movements.
The women had noticed a reduction in her baby's activity two days earlier, but
said she had used her own Doppler fetal monitoring device to listen to the
heartbeat and had reassured herself everything was normal. After monitoring the
baby's heart, the child was delivered by Caesarean section. The infant has been
treated in a special care baby unit for eight weeks and is making steady
progress, Aust said.
The fetal monitors, usually used by midwives and obstetricians, are available
for purchase online and some claim "you will be able to locate and hear the
heartbeat with excellent clarity," the researchers said.
However, Aust said in untrained hands it is more likely that blood flow through
the placenta or the mother's main blood vessels will be heard via the Doppler
monitors.
The findings are published in the British Medical Journal.
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