No phone recording should be used to check fetal wellbeing. Sounds can be misidentified, and hearing something that seems like a heartbeat cannot show that a baby is well. Contact your midwife, maternity unit or local qualified care team about concerns.
If your baby is moving less than usual, stops moving or the usual pattern changes, seek maternity advice immediately. Do not wait for an app, recording or home device to reassure you.
Microphone recording and fetal monitoring are different
A phone microphone records pressure waves that reach the device. It may capture your own pulse, digestion, movement, clothing, voices and background noise. It does not know which sound came from where. Clinical fetal-heart assessment uses appropriate equipment, trained interpretation and the wider clinical picture.
What about a home Doppler?
The US Food and Drug Administration says over-the-counter fetal heartbeat monitoring systems should be used only by trained healthcare providers when medically necessary, because untrained use may involve prolonged exposure or incorrect interpretation. The NHS similarly warns that even hearing a heartbeat with a home Doppler does not mean a baby is well.
What a keepsake app can safely promise
An audio keepsake can record your voice, a loved one’s message, a song or meaningful everyday sounds. It should be honest about being a memory tool. Bump Echo does not isolate a fetal heartbeat, measure heart rate, monitor movement, diagnose a condition or assess pregnancy or fetal wellbeing.
When to contact care
Use the instructions from your own maternity team. NHS guidance says to call immediately when movement is less than usual, cannot be felt or changes from the usual pattern, and not to wait until the next day. If you believe there is an emergency, use your local emergency service.
Sources
- NHS: Your baby’s movements
- US FDA: Ultrasound imaging and fetal heartbeat monitors
- University College London Hospitals: Your baby’s movements
A private pregnancy Soundbook
Keep the voices, not just the timeline.
Bump Echo keeps messages, songs and meaningful everyday sounds together on your iPhone. No account, deliberate sharing and a one-time lifetime unlock.
View Bump Echo on the App Store ↗