Trouble Hearing Your Baby's Heartbeat at 12 Weeks? What to Expect

Question
I went to the doctor on Tuesday we were suppose to here the baby's heartbeat but he could not find it. I'm 12weeks along and I was just woundering if that was normal or not. What should I do?

Answer
Hello Kristen- this is perfectly normal- your little one is SO small, it has endless space in which to hide and the fetal heart can be VERY hard to find even with a doppler- which by the way uses incredibly strong ultrasound and I NEVER use them during prenatal visits unless VERY URGENT. Ask for a fetascope to be used- they won't hear a heart until 20 weeks but that way we know no harm has been done to baby- ultrasound has still not been judged to be perfectly safe. All the best- Cheri.