When you decide to have a baby there is a lot worry that goes with the pregnancy. How is the baby doing and hopefully it is healthy inside the womb. One of the great technological advances that has come along recently is the invention of the baby heartbeat monitor. This baby monitoring device has literally taken the world by storm and served a great purpose to new mothers the world over. Many newly pregnant families have found solace in investing in Baby heartbeat monitors . These fairly new inventions allow the mom to place a device on her stomach so that she can hear her baby’s heart beating.These baby heart monitors have really grown in popularity with women who have had a hard time getting pregnant or who have had miscarriages in the past. High risk pregnancies are the typical situation that one would feel at ease if having had one of these monitors. This little baby monitor allows them to know what is going on with the baby at all times. Some baby heart monitors allow you to listen to the baby as early as 8 weeks into the pregnancy. They even have video LCD baby heart monitors so you can actually see whats going on not just hear.

In fact, this has become so popular that now many companies will even rent out a “fetal Doppler” to you a month at a time. This is because not everyone would find it wise to outright purchase one. The prices are astounding for a new one and since you really only need it for about six or seven months its hard to justify spending that much on a baby monitoring system. In fact, there is even a used market for these items, and you can often find past mothers who are happy to sell their monitors for a lot less than they originally paid for them. Ebay has many of these on their site for sale and this would be a great way to get one at a much lower price.

According to the Mayo Clinic, baby heartbeat monitors are a safe way to keep track of your baby’s development. While they are obviously no replacement whatsoever for all the normal and appropriate pre-natal care that one should go through, they do at least offer a fun little peak into the growth of the fetus. The technology employed is quite advanced, yet the actual electronic device is not even that big. In fact, it’s quite compact in design. It can easily be stored in the baby closet organizer or in some other closet organizer in the parents room for safe keeping.

Now, these fetal dopplers, as they are called sometimes, actually are kind of expensive. I have seen some retailing new for around $500 - $600. Which is why many new mothers to be would rather rent them because they really do not want to keep them after baby is born anyway. The baby heartbeat monitor rental price may be around $25 - $45 per month. That’s really not that bad considering what it is able to do.

The true value of baby heartbeat monitors is probably in how it can put a mother’s worries to rest. Sometimes, especially early in pregnancy, she may not be able to actually hear, feel, or distinguish the little guy or gal’s heartbeat. This is all normal. But if it is too much for your to wait a month at a time in order to get confirmation that all is well from a doctor, then this baby monitor may go a long way to pacify your concerned mind. Some dopplers will actually be able to pick up a heartbeat as early as 8-9 weeks into the pregnancy. It’s just another example of how technology is extending its helpful tentacles into all areas of our lives, including health and motherhood.

One interesting thing about the way these devices work is that they aren’t even actually recording the real heartbeat. Rather, they’re representing a model of the sound based on the so-called doppler effect. It works by modeling the sound and pulsation by measuring it as it moves, like how you would note a train passing by. So it’s really recording physical pulses which are only converted into sound waves after the fact. But who really cares about all that science as long as it works? As long as it can assure a mom-to-be that her baby is alive and well, that’s all that matters in my opinion. It is an invaluable service.

Name Brand Fetal Dopplers

These brand names are the industry leading technology in baby heartbeat monitoring. They range in price from about $20 up to $175 new. You can find used ones on Ebay and all over the internet or rent one for about $30 a month.

Bebe Sounds Parental Heart Listener is a name brand baby heart monitor that can begin usage around month 5 and costs about $30.You can listen to the baby move, heartbeat and also any kind of hiccup or bodily noise.

BabyCom Home Doppler Fetal Heartbeat Monitor is a revolutionary device that cost quite a bit more than Bebe Sounds, around $150 but can be used about week 10 and records all beats and sounds.

Other brands include the following:

Sonotrax Basic LCD Fetal Doppler Baby Heartbeat Monitor - $149

FirstSound Deluxe Prenatal Gift Set - $40

BabyPlus Prenatal Education System Fetal Doppler - $224

Angelsounds Fetal Doppler - $43

The bottom line is that baby heart monitors are a great way to still your own mind about the life of your little one. Before your paranoia gets too out of whack, you can just grab the monitor off the nightstand and check in on him or her. This is another in a long line of baby safety monitors being used now to watch and care for your new baby. Technology is changing and moving along so fast that it is hard to keep up at times. While some mothers will not choose to use the technology because they think its paranoia others deem it justified with your mind pacified, you’ll be able to get some much-needed sleep, because God knows you’re going to need as much of it as you can get now!