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Foetal heart rate monitor warning

(BBC 06/11/2009)

Doctors are warning expectant parents that at-home foetal heart rate monitors should only be used for "fun" and not as an alternative to medical advice. The devices, which pick up the sound of the baby's heartbeat, can give "false reassurance", the British Medical Journal reports. They can also cause unnecessary anxiety in untrained hands, doctors warn. The Royal College of Midwives said the availability of the devices was of concern to their members.