So you are thinking it may be twins? Hmmmm, well its really hard to say. Twin pregnancies are rarely diagnosed using a fetal doppler. But if there is a possibility of twins your doctor will likely order an ultrasound.

The doppler will jump around a bit when it is trying to pick up a reading of the heartbeat until it has a good accurate read. Its not unusual for it to bounce back between 80 and 180 while it is searching for the heartbeat. Once the heartbeat can be heard well (say at 140) then it shouldnt jump around too much from there. (maybe from 140-148 or something) You will be able to hear the baby's heartbeat in different locations on your belly regardless of twins or not. In fact, twins heartbeats arent often very far apart on the belly and can often be found quite close together depending on how far along you are.

I really cant say for sure whether or not it sounds like twins, but there is always a possibility. If you are getting two different readouts, meaning one readout is around 140 with a strong audio sound (hearing the heartbeat as well) and then when you move the probe are finding another heartbeat at 160 with a strong audio sound then I would say it may be twins because its unlikely (but not unheard of) that a baby's heartbeat would jump 20 BPM in a matter of seconds. However, keep in mind that the display cannot be trusted until you are hearing the audio of the baby's heartbeat loud and clear first.

I hope that helps. Let me know either way, I am eager to hear the results!

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Michelle,
Site Administrator