Ban heartbeat-check devices

DOPPLER machines that enable pregnant women to check their baby’s heartbeat offer false reassurance and should be banned, say campaigners.

The pregnancy charity Kicks Count said the hand-held home doppler devices may fail to detect imminent stillbirth.

Home dopplers are growing in popularity and are available for as little as £15, while phone apps also claim to monitor an unborn baby’s heartbeat. Kicks Count wants the Government to ban home dopplers, saying that an untrained pregnant woman does not have the skills to understand what she is hearing using one of the devices.

The Royal College of Midwives also warned women against using the machines, saying it is too easy to confuse sounds coming from the mother with those from the baby.