When it comes to hearing your baby’s heartbeat, there are a variety of practical methods and approaches you can choose. Most often, your practitioner will use a fetal doppler. For some soon-to-be mothers, a non-electrical approach is preferred. In these situations, a Pinard horn fetoscope can take the place of a powered doppler and identify the unique sounds of the womb.

Before using a Pinard horn fetoscope, it’s essential to understand how to properly use one to avoid confusion and unwarranted angst. Here, we’ll discuss the Pinard horn and its functions in addition to best practices and tips.

What Is a Pinard Horn?

A Pinard horn fetoscope is a type of listening device used to hear inside a pregnant person’s abdomen with the intent to listen to a growing fetus. Generally, a Pinard is wooden or aluminum, shaped like a cone with a flat end for the ear. The cone shape will amplify the sounds of the womb and help the listener to conclude the happenings occurring inside.

Initially, the Pinard was a tool to advance the monitoring of the growing fetus. Dr. Adolphe Pinard was a primary supporter of the efforts to advance prenatal care, including a closer examination of the fetal heart and health monitoring.

Around the world today, the fetal doppler is most widely used to detect and hear the baby’s heartbeat. Some practices and parents prefer the Pinard horn due to its lack of electrical power or exposure to the fetus. Most commonly, midwives carry a Pinard horn in their supply bag because it is a safer, less expensive variation to the doppler.

A midwife may also prefer a Pinard horn over other alternatives because it can help them determine the baby’s position inside the womb based on various detected sounds of the placenta and heartbeat location. It is a more accurate instrument, despite its non-electrical functions. However, if not placed correctly on the parent’s abdomen, the listener may have difficulty detecting a sound. Once this location is correct, the baby’s general position and heartbeat will surface through the horn.

Why Is a Pinard Horn a Good Choice?

So, what makes the Pinard horn a good choice with all of today’s technological advancements? A midwife may be the most common user of the horn, but it is an excellent skill to have any time you’re working with a pregnant person or womb space.

Sometimes, the batteries run out on the doppler at the wrong time, and the Pinard horn can compensate for its absence. A few other primary reasons why this type of fetoscope may be a good choice include the following:

• Involving the patient’s partner to hear the heartbeat at home without the use of electronic devices
• A doppler will provide an echoed sound, compared to a Pinard horn which provides the actual sound in real time. It is very distinct.
• A Pinard is an excellent option for pre-examination measures to fill in the gaps or ease an anxious parent’s mind while waiting.

It’s worth noting that the pregnancy must be far along before the Pinard horn fetoscope can detect any viable sounds. Generally, midwives will prefer 28 weeks gestation or more before they recommend using a Pinard. There are instances where parents prior to 28 weeks gestation can hear their womb space, but it is rarer as the fetus is not as close to the naval due to its small size.

The Five Steps to Success for Pinard Horns

There are five essential steps to learn if you want success with a Pinard horn fetoscope. These steps should only experience alteration on a case-by-case basis regarding gestation.

• Palpation is a significant aspect of the success of the Pinard. This is where you thoroughly examine the parent’s abdomen to understand the baby’s primary position. Ask the patient where they feel the baby is sitting and see if these feelings can help guide you toward the head, the bottom, and if the baby is facing in or out. The goal is to find the fetal heartbeat through the baby’s back.
• With knowledge and experience, you will understand the baby’s heartbeat based on their positioning. There should be an ideal or target point based on these factors.
• Set the Pinard horn on a chosen spot based on the previous steps, and place your ear on the flat O-shape of the horn. Quietly remove your hand from the horn and begin listening for sounds within the womb.
• Take a free hand and feel the parent’s pulse. If their pulse and the sounds you hear coincide, there is a strong possibility you found uterine vessels.
• If you are unsuccessful on your first attempt, palpate again until you find a new spot. Then, relocate the Pinard to the new location and begin listening again. You may need to move the horn a few times until you refine your skills.

Basic Tips for Using a Pinard Horn

The five basic steps to successfully using a Pinard horn will help you navigate best practices for listening. When it comes to overall usage and methods, there are a few other tips to consider.

• You want to develop the right touch. You don’t want to push the horn too hard against the patient’s abdomen, but you can’t be too gentle. When a listener cannot hear anything, it might have something to do with their pressure. Once you perfect the pressure, you will hear successful results repeatedly.
• The gentle pressure applied to the abdomen should be no more than a centimeter, less if the parent is further along than 28 weeks gestation.
• Place your ear directly over the opening or hole on the horn. It’s easy to place your ear around the opening, but getting this right can drastically change how well you perceive the sounds.

Proper use of a Pinard horn comes with many small details, but getting it correct and finding those unique womb space sounds is rewarding for both parent and midwife. To get your hands on a Pinard horn fetoscope or other practical fetal stethoscopes, get in touch with us at Cascade Health Care. We offer professional-grade instruments and devices to assist in fetal health monitoring and more!