Nothing is more exciting than the joy of expecting a baby! In fact many expectant mothers and fathers can't simply wait to hear the sound of their child's heartbeat. Today parents who can't wait and parents who want to share the wonderful experience of listening to the beating sound can buy a baby heart monitor known as a fetal Doppler.

In short, a fetal Doppler uses sound waves to detect the sound of the infant's cardio activity. The sound waves bounce off of the little baby's heart and are sent back to the listener. Also known as high frequency waves, the baby heart monitor sends these sounds, into a hearing device attached to the machine. Since the high frequency waves don't travel very well it is necessary to use a gel or oil to help things along. After which the sound conductor is applied directly to the mother's tummy and the baby heart monitor is placed over the area and moved until sound is detected.

The little heartbeat is amplified through an earphone and speaker built right into the baby heart monitor. On wearing the earphones one can hear the infant's beats and enjoy every precious moment, at least until someone else wants a turn.

The baby heart monitor is very safe to use, it has been tested and released by the United States governmental agencies that are responsible for such regulations. There has been no negative affects found in over thirty years of its use. The baby heart monitor is the same technology used in hospitals day after day on thousands and thousands of patients. While some may argue that there are wonderful benefits for using the device others think that too many sound waves may not be good for the developing fetus. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that you talk to your doctor and get permission before using a home baby heart monitor. This is always good practice.

While the baby heart monitor can be quite a costly investment for such a short-term item a lot of parents choose to rent one. This option of renting a baby heart monitor is much cheap and the parents can always change their minds and purchase the unit if they later want one. The renting option is an appealing feature offered by the manufacturers and the option to purchase the item gives parents even more incentive to try the product. After all, majority of families have a baby in their future plans, no matter if it is immediate or extended. A baby heart monitor is always a wonderful item to have!