# Number of kids by fetal heartbeats?



## jerebear7 (Jan 31, 2012)

I read online you can get an idea of how many kids a doe will have by listening for fetal heartbeats with a stethoscope. Is this true? I just tried it and I heard a heartbeat on the left side like right behind the ribs..and another heartbeat on the right side about an in in front of the back leg..is this an actual way to tell how many kids she might have? I also ran the stethoscope around her entire abdomen and only heard those two... I also listened to the does heart and it was beating slower than the other two I heard..


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## fmizula (Jan 31, 2012)

this has been a debate here before. i asked this question thinking i to heard heart beats. i was told that it was impossible or unlikely with just a stetheoscope. however, i am still pretty sure i heard them as well.


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## Queen Mum (Jan 31, 2012)

My vet said and confirmed that you CAN hear fetal heartbeats and can count babies that way *somewhat*.  But you can't always tell how many babies she will have, because there may be some babies that are kind of "hiding" in there, the heartbeats *may be*disguised by the mom's rumen sounds.

The closer you get to the due date, the better chance you have of hearing those heartbeats.


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## jerebear7 (Jan 31, 2012)

Queen Mum said:
			
		

> My vet said and confirmed that you CAN hear fetal heartbeats and can count babies that way *somewhat*.  But you can't always tell how many babies she will have, because there may be some babies that are kind of "hiding" in there, the heartbeats *may be*disguised by the mom's rumen sounds.
> 
> The closer you get to the due date, the better chance you have of hearing those heartbeats.


So what I thought was a heartbeat on the left side behind her ribs was probably just gut sounds? Thanks for that info, I wasn't sure how credible the website I found that info on was.


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## Queen Mum (Jan 31, 2012)

No, that isn't what I meant.  You may be hearing baby heartbeats.  But you do need to listen VERY closely.  You usually hear the babies closer to the udder.  And the babies heartbeats can be covered up by the rumen sounds so you can't necessarily accurately count how many babies there are.


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## jerebear7 (Jan 31, 2012)

Queen Mum said:
			
		

> No, that isn't what I meant.  You may be hearing baby heartbeats.  But you do need to listen VERY closely.  You usually hear the babies closer to the udder.  And the babies heartbeats can be covered up by the rumen sounds so you can't necessarily accurately count how many babies there are.


I know, just when you brought that up I started to wonder if I was hearing gut sounds  I thought they sounded pretty clear, but now not so sure, I'll try again tomorrow. I know for a fact I heard one gut movement, as it was very very loud, lol, but I'll try again and closer to her udder like you said. Do you know if the baby heart beats are faster than the moms? Or could it be like an echo of the moms heart I was hearing? This is just a random question, can Nigerian dwarfs have multiples and still be 'small'?


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## Queen Mum (Jan 31, 2012)

Babies are faster than the mom.   The gut is much louder than the baby and more rumbly.


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## fmizula (Feb 1, 2012)

babys are more of a swish swish swish swish and mom is more of a louder lubdub lubdub noise.


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## PattySh (Feb 1, 2012)

You might be listening to artrey blood flow if it's "swish, swish".


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## jerebear7 (Feb 1, 2012)

PattySh said:
			
		

> You might be listening to artrey blood flow if it's "swish, swish".


What I heard yesterday and again today sounded like an actual heartbeat, not a swish sound. I also heard it in a different spot than yesterday. Hmm...  I'll just have to wait and see how many she has LOL , I wish a vet around here did ultrasound.


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## that's*satyrical (Feb 1, 2012)

I wouldn't think this would work because if the baby moves you could hear the heartbeat from the same baby in a different spot. Same for the other side of the belly, you could just be hearing the same baby from a different spot.


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