Em, how far along are you? Chances are, you have more time/patience than a quick dr's visit will allow at times..... I've been able to find our baby's heartbeat long before our doc would even try (he's used ultrasound, just not the doppler yet). If you get the right probe (3.0 instead of 2.0, it's easier to hear a tiny heartbeat with) they say you can hear as early as 8-10 weeks. Just a thought! We're 17 weeks now, and it's a piece of cake to find our LO's heartbeat with it. Of course, some folks have their placenta in the way, etc.... so not everyone can make it work, but I still use mine frequently and love the peace of mind. How's the bleeding going?

RBX, I'm always tempted to do the same - I guess those folks may have purchased it for way higher than it's now selling - it's even dropped in price since we bought ours and that was only a few months ago! I used the same site mentioned, and got it REALLY fast. As for showing earlier - that's definitely the case for me! (Granted, this is our 4th. ) but my last pregnancy, I was the opposite.... folks at work still didn't know I was pregnant until 5-6 months along. Strange how differently our bodies can behave at different times! How are you feeling? Bet it was great to be able to see your OB this early, it sure gives a lot of peace-of-mind!

Lilchino - Interesting stuff, glad that's working out for you! I did the opposite a couple times, but eating actually helped me find the heartbeat because I suspect the baby was comfy and not laying where it was in hearing range.... but a wiggly tiny little thing sure makes it hard to "track" or listen in on! Sure can give you a sinking feeling when they can't find the heartbeat - and such a flood of relief when it's found or seen on ultrasound!

Servilia - I am sooooo with you - I would have been in a panic a few times (probably mostly emotional and not so much physical) had I not been able to check on things myself, I'm sure I would have been at the dr's a lot more frequently for sanity checks. LOL I haven't tried the aloe vera gel yet but may when my "gel" runs out (or IF it runs out)! I ordered a big tube of ultrasound gel from amazon, it was under $6 with the free 2day shipping that comes with the prime membership.... the awesome thing about it is that I can use it on my Polar HRM strap later on (funny how we justify these silly purchases in our heads, isn't it? LOL) Hope things are going better with the bleeding! I haven't spotted in weeks, but can't move away from the white toilet paper in every bathroom and checking every single time I use it..... :blushing: