Prenatal care

• Prenatal care is the care you get while you’re pregnant.
• Regular prenatal care helps keep you and baby healthy.
• A doctor, midwife or other health provider gives this care.

What is Doppler ultrasound

Doppler ultrasound is a kind of prenatal test that can be used to check a baby’s health in high-risk pregnancies. Providers usually use Doppler ultrasound during the last trimester, but it may be done earlier.

During Doppler ultrasound, your provider uses a plastic tool called a transducer to measure the blood flow in the umbilical cord and some of your baby’s blood vessels. This test shows if your baby is getting enough oxygen. Your provider also can listen to your baby’s heartbeat using Doppler ultrasound.

Some providers use Doppler ultrasound to check mothers with Rh disease. This is a condition where a difference between the mother’s blood and baby’s blood can cause a dangerous kind of anemia in the baby. Anemia is when the body doesn’t have enough red blood cells or the red blood cells are too small. When the condition is found early and treated, most affected babies survive. 

See also: Ultrasound