Domestic use of foetal heart monitors putting babies at risk

• Expectant mothers should not rely on devices• Inexperienced users often hear their own heartbeatFoetal heart monitors, which growing numbers of expectant parents use at home to listen to their unborn child's heartbeat, are potentially dangerous to the mother and baby's health, doctors warn today.The devices are routinely used in hospitals by doctors and midwives to assess a baby's health in utero. They have also become increasingly popular in recent years among parents, some of whom rent one or buy one from high street shops or chemists for use at home.But doctors writing in the British Medical Journal warn that parents-to-be may receive false reassurance that a baby is well and they might delay seeking urgent medical help. They cite the case of a pregnant woman in Sussex who noticed one Friday that her baby was moving less than usual but did not go to see a doctor over that...

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