Unisar Prenatal Heart Monitor User Manual

Prenatal Gift Set

Listen, talk, and play music to your unborn baby!

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PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING

TO ENJOY OUR PRODUCT!

• Please have patience when listening for your unborn baby’s heartbeat. This product requires a little practice but the results are wonderful.

• What you will hear through the BébéSounds® Prenatal Heart Listener will be different from what you hear at your doctor’s office. Your doctor probably uses Doppler technology, which turns movement into sound. Our Prenatal Heart Listener® amplifies the natural sounds of your baby.

• Please use a new 9-volt alkaline battery.

• The best time to listen is 3 – 4 hours after eating and when you are relaxed.

• The Monitor must be used in a very quiet room and on bare skin. Place the listening cone against your bare stomach (start two inches below and a little to the right of your belly button), and press the activation button to listen. Move the Monitor very slightly (at most an inch at a time) but be sure not to press the activation button as you move it.

• Placing the volume control at a low to moderate level will produce the best results and avoid static.

• Your baby’s heartbeat does not sound like your own. A fetal heart beats

from 120-180 times per minute. It will sound like a rapidly galloping horse.

• You will also hear kicks, hiccups, and nutrients passing through the placenta. Kicks sound like uneven thumps, hiccups like two rapid

drumbeats, and the nutrients like a whooshing sound.

The Prenatal Gift Set is a Personal Care Product

and cannot be returned to the retailer. All exchange and refund

requests should be directed to our Help Desk.

If you are having difficulty, have questions, or need assistance, call our Help Desk toll free at

1-888-232-6476 Mon-Fri from 9:00AM-5:00PM EST

• You might not hear sounds immediately but please don’t be disappointed. It takes practice and you must have patience when trying to hear your baby’s sounds. The baby’s position will also greatly affect whether or not you will hear her. The best position is with her back to your stomach. You may have to try several times before you hear your baby’s sounds, particularly the heartbeat, which may be heard as early as the fifth month. Other sounds may be heard even earlier.

Please read on

TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION I. Listening to your unborn baby

1. Introduction 5

2. Your baby’s sounds 5-7

3. Recording your baby’s sounds 7-8

4. Instructions 8-9

5. Troubleshooting 9

6. Diagrams 10-11

PAGE

SECTION I. Listening to your unborn baby INTRODUCTION

Please read the following material carefully to maximize your enjoyment of your BébéSounds® Prenatal Heart Listener™.

It is important to understand that many factors affect what you will hear with your Fetal Monitor. The position of your baby, the baby’s weight, your weight, how far into your pregnancy you are, and where you place the Monitor all help to determine what you will hear.

SECTION II. Talking and playing music to your unborn baby

1. Introduction 12-13

2. How your baby develops 13-15

3. Research findings 15-16

4. Instructions for playing music 16-17

5. Instructions for talking and singing 18

6. Frequently asked questions 18-19

7. Endnotes 19

8. Diagrams 20-22

9. Music schedule 23

Record and Email your baby's sounds: 24

Warranty and Disclaimer: 25-26

Other products by BébéSounds®: 27-28

SECTION III. En Espagnol: 29-54

For example, when listening for the fetal heartbeat, the sound will be loudest in your third trimester and if your baby is positioned with her back to your belly button. Your baby may naturally shift her position, thereby creating the situation where you will hear the baby one moment but not the next. However, once you’ve passed your second trimester, your baby will be growing very rapidly and you will hear the heartbeat and all other sounds on a much more regular basis.

Don’t worry! It is quite normal that there will be times you will not be able to hear your baby’s sounds due to her position or stage of development. This is especially true of the heartbeat, which is highly dependent on your baby’s position.

IDENTIFYING THE FETAL SOUNDS YOU WILL HEAR You will hear the heartbeat, kicks, hiccups, and nutrients passing through the placenta. Each one is distinctive and being able to identify them will significantly enhance your experience.

We think the best way to describe each sound is as follows:

Heartbeat: A rapidly galloping horse Kicks: A soft thud Hiccups:Two rapid intermittent thumps Nutrients: A whooshing sound

A fetal heart beats from 120-180 times a minute while the heart of a pregnant woman beats much slower. Knowing this should help prevent you from confusing your own heartbeat with your baby’s.

WHEN YOU WILL HEAR THESE SOUNDS The heartbeat may be heard as early as your fifth month. You will need to listen very carefully for your baby’s heartbeat at this point, as it may be difficult to hear it over the other sounds of your body as well as your own heartbeat. While the Prenatal Heart Listener® is designed to tune out these sounds, they can still get in the way. That is why the best time to listen is 3-4 hours after a meal and when you are relaxed and have a slower heartbeat.

You may be able to hear your baby’s kicks and hiccups in the middle of your second trimester, and you will hear the passing of nutrients even earlier. Remember, as your baby grows and gets stronger, so does her heartbeat and her ability to kick harder, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear them right away.

NATURAL SOUNDS vs. ELECTRONIC NOISE CREATED BY DOPPLER EQUIPMENT You will notice that the sounds you hear through the Fetal Monitor are different from those you have heard at your doctor’s office. This is because your doctor probably uses Doppler ultrasound equipment that creates noise

based on movement while the Prenatal Heart Listener® amplifies the natural sounds of your baby by using the absolutely safe and non-invasive Bell stethoscope method of amplification. Your baby’s heartbeat will sound like a rapidly galloping horse through the monitor while it will sound more like a gushing noise with the Doppler equipment. Please keep in mind that it will take a little practice to pick up this faint sound so listen very carefully.

RECORD YOUR BABY’S SOUNDS AND YOUR OWN HEARTBEAT With our recording cable and your own tape recorder you can record your baby’s sounds to cherish forever. We also encourage you to record your own heartbeat prior to your baby being born. The sound of your heartbeat will have a calming and soothing effect on your newborn baby.

The Prenatal Gift Set is a Personal Care Product

and cannot be returned to the retailer. All exchange and refund

requests should be directed to our Help Desk.

If you are having difficulty, have questions, or need assistance, call our Help Desk toll free at

1-888-232-6476 Mon-Fri from 9:00AM-5:00PM EST

Please read on

INSTRUCTIONS For Listening (Please refer to diagrams on P. 10-11):

1. Make sure the foam cover is in place on the listening cone.

2. Remove battery compartment door and install a new 9-volt alkaline battery (not included), keeping the ribbon under the battery and exposed for easy removal. Press battery forward and down. Be sure to use a new battery as an old one will severely interfere with the performance of your Monitor.

3. Insert the headphone plug into either jack on the Monitor.

4. Turn on the Prenatal Heart Listener ® using the ON/OFF volume control switch. The red LED will light to indicate the unit is in the ON position.

5. Use the Monitor on bare skin in a quiet room.

6. Hold the cone to your stomach or lower back (near your kidneys) and press and hold down the activation button. Adjust the volume to optimize the listening level and amplification. Start with a low to moderate setting to avoid static.

7. If you do not hear the heartbeat, release the activation button and gently move the Monitor one inch at a time to different places until you find the best position for listening to your baby’s sounds. Start two inches below and a little to the right of your belly button. Always release the activation button when you are moving the Monitor across your stomach or back.

For Recording:

1. To record these sounds plug the L-shaped end of the recording cable into either jack of the Monitor and the straight end into the line input of your tape recorder. (Some portable recorders do not provide this input.)

2. Position the Monitor on your bare skin so you can hear the sounds you wish to record.

3. Adjust the recording level on your tape recorder if necessary.

4. Hold the Monitor very still and begin recording.

5. When you record your own heartbeat to play to your newborn, reduce the volume as your heartbeat is much louder than you unborn baby’s. We suggest making a 30-minute recording of your heartbeat.

TROUBLESHOOTING If your unit is not working properly, please check the following:

1. Activation button is not held down during listening.

2. Volume control is too low.

3. Battery and/or headphone connection is not complete.

4. Foreign matter is in the listening cone.

5. Weak battery (ON/OFF LED signal will be dim).

6. Feedback/squealing noises – turn down the volume and/or move the headphones further away from the Monitor. Press activation button only when the Monitor is against your body.

7. Foam cover is not in place on the listening cone.

The Prenatal Gift Set is a Personal Care Product

and cannot be returned to the retailer. All exchange and refund

requests should be directed to our Help Desk.

If you are having difficulty, have questions, or need assistance, call our Help Desk toll free at

1-888-232-6476 Mon-Fri from 9:00AM-5:00PM EST

Please read on

KIT COMPONENTS TOP VIEW AND BOTTOM VIEW GRAPHIC

Headphone

FIG. 2

FIG. 1

Instruction Manual

Recording

Cable

Prenatal Heart Listener

YOU MUST PRESS AND HOLD DOWN

ON/OFF Volume Control

THE ACTIVATION BUTTON TO LISTEN

ON/OFF LED Signal

Prenatal Heart Listener

BébéSounds Fetal Monitor

Activation Button

LED Power Indicator

FRONT VIEW

FIG. 3

Foam Cover

Battery Compartment

FIG. 6

ON/OFF Volume Control

Speaker/Headphone Jack

Listening Cone

FIG. 4

FIG. 5

FIG. 7

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SECTION II. Talking and playing music to your baby INTRODUCTION

Research Into the benefits of stimulating your unborn baby has been done worldwide and it is now believed that your baby can learn while still in your womb. Therefore, while most of the attention in the past has focused on the positive results of infant stimulation, it is very important not to overlook the benefits of prenatal stimulation.

Studies have shown that the prenatally stimulated baby tends to display faster visual, linguistic, and motor development than the baby who was not stimulated. Research has also shown that the brain of the prenatally stimulated baby tends to be more developed, thereby providing a better foundation for the child to have a higher IQ and intelligence level.

Prenatal stimulation can come from playing classical music (considered to be one of the best sources of stimulation), talking or singing to your baby,

and even rubbing your stomach. “The most effective way to stimulate your baby and enhance her brain development while still in the womb is through

sound.”

Dr. Norman A. Ravski, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine, and Attending Physician at Yale New Haven Hospital has endorsed playing classical music

to your baby. In his endorsement Dr. Ravski states, “In-utero fetal acoustic stimulation has been shown to improve pregnancy outcomes as well as

benefit the growing fetus.” The BébéSounds® Prenatal Gift Set enables you to direct our specially selected classical music through your womb to your baby with our Fetal Speakers.

It is also believed that your newborn baby will recognize the voices of her parents immediately after birth if they are heard while in the womb. In addition to stimulating your baby, talking to her will help your baby’s father bond with her. Talk and sing to your unborn baby by using the BébéSounds® Fetal Speakers and Microphone, which will amplify your voices so they will be heard over the other noises inside the womb.

When speaking to your baby, keep in mind that the first step of your baby’s development of language skills is the recognition of intonations so it is important for both parents to speak to their child. Although the mother’s voice tends to be more melodic and is constantly heard, the father’s voice is louder and deeper and penetrates the womb more easily.

It is always a good idea to keep your doctor informed of what you are doing during your pregnancy. Therefore, we suggest that you inform your doctor that you will be stimulating your unborn baby with the BébéSounds® Prenatal Gift Set.

HOW YOUR UNBORN BABY DEVELOPS First Trimester – The embryo begins to develop; head and limbs start to form; the head, body, and limbs begin to move (you won’t feel this movement yet); the nervous system that deals with equilibrium and spatial relations begins to develop; and the heart begins to beat more strongly.

Second Trimester – The head develops more actively than the rest of the body; the eyes respond to light; key organs mature; the fetus reacts to music and loud noises; arms and legs are moving strongly enough so you can feel them; the fetus can hear and the ability to learn significantly increases; signs of memory and the ability to respond to various stimuli are apparent; and music has a calming effect while harsh sounds have an agitating effect.

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Third Trimester – The nervous system has matured and becomes fully formed; the brain enters a rapid growth phase; movements are more coordinated and muscles are stronger; the fetus moves to the rhythm of music; sight has developed and response to light is evident; movement is less frequent but stronger toward the end of the ninth month; and growth and development continue until birth.

HOW YOUR UNBORN BABY’S BRAIN DEVELOPS Your baby’s brain begins developing almost immediately and by the fifth month the number of brain cells your baby will have for the rest of her life is determined. From this point forward her brain develops by increasing the size and complexity of the cells already created. Around the eighth month your unborn baby’s brain changes significantly. At this time it doubles in weight and the connections between the brain cells, known as synapses, become even more complex.

The following is the structure of a brain cell:

1. Dendrites – receive messages from the body

2. Cell body – decides whether to send the message received from the dendrites or to store it

3. Axon – transmits messages received from the cell body

RESEARCH FINDINGS It is now known that stimulation of the senses affects the growth of the brain cells and if a fetus has little stimulation in the womb, fewer connections are made. Specialists in fetal and infant brain development have agreed that stimulating your unborn baby’s senses can affect the development of the connections between the brain cells. In fact, the lack of these connections can actually cause cells to die, especially in the eighth month of pregnancy.

By the end of the fifth month your baby can hear and begins to learn, and you can tell when she is reacting to external stimulation. In one case, pregnant mothers actually had to leave a concert of classical music before it was over because their babies were kicking so hard in time to the music that they couldn’t tolerate it.

In another case, mothers were asked to play their favorite classical music to their unborn baby for ten minutes a day at a volume that was just a little louder than a normal speaking voice. It was discovered that the babies recognized the change in their environments immediately as was evidenced by their heart rates increasing noticeably. What is also interesting is that the unborn baby does not respond in this way to many single notes even if they are played very loud and very close to her.

As the cells get larger, the axons grow longer and the dendrites become an increasingly complex system of multiple connections like branches of a tree. The more stimulation the cells receive, the more complex these dendrites become, resulting in a more developed brain.

The number of brain cells your baby is born with helps determine her potential, but it is also the number of connections between these cells that determines her final intelligence. Helping to increase the number of connections and the complexity of the brain cells with stimulation increases the probability of your baby having a higher intelligence level and IQ.

Yet another study showed that unborn babies who had classical music played to them from the middle of the fifth month until they were born, for 10 minutes, twice a day, developed more quickly, began to talk up to six months earlier, and had greater intellectual development than those babies who had not had classical music played to them inside the womb.

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Some women worry that if they improve the brain’s development the baby’s head will be larger, thereby causing an increase in the risk of delivery problems. In fact, there is reason to believe the opposite is true. Prenatal sound stimulation has led to shorter and less painful labor periods, a lower number of Cesarean section deliveries, and a greater number of non-traumatic births.6 In addition, a baby who experiences prenatal stimulation tends to:

• Be calmer and more alert

• Be happier and cry less

• Have a longer attention span

• Be stronger and have better coordination

• Lift his or her head up earlier and stand earlier

• Walk earlier

• Talk earlier

• Have more self-confidence

INSTRUCTIONS (You will need your own CD/Cassette player) Remember, by the end of the fifth month your unborn baby begins to hear, and by the sixth month her ability to learn increases significantly. It is now time to start stimulating your baby. Keep in mind that your baby is most alert during the evening hours so you may want to play music or talk to her a few more times. But remember, she also has to rest.

The Prenatal Gift Set is a Personal Care Product

and cannot be returned to the retailer. All exchange and refund

requests should be directed to our Help Desk.

If you are having difficulty, have questions, or need assistance, call our Help Desk toll free at

1-888-232-6476 Mon-Fri from 9:00AM-5:000PM EST

To Play Music to Your Unborn Baby (Please refer to diagrams on P. 20-22) The best time to play the music is once in the morning and once in the evening, for a period of 5-10 minutes, around the same time each day. Be careful not to play the music too long or too frequently, as your unborn baby also needs to rest. However, you will probably find that your baby will be very active and obviously awake during the evening.

Do not play the same music over and over again. It is believed that if your baby hears the same thing repeatedly, she will eventually ignore it. However, periodic repetition of the same music is advisable. In some cases when the music was played after the baby was born, the newborn seemed to recognize the melody.

Therefore, we suggest playing different music during each session in a single day, and replaying it two or three days later. We also suggest that you keep a schedule for the music you have played showing the date, music played, and times it was played. (We’ve provided you with a starter schedule on P.23 in this booklet.)

Now, simply follow these easy steps. (See diagrams P.20-22)

1. Connect the cable from the Fetal Speakers to your own CD/Cassette player. Use the adapter if you want to listen to the music at the same time.

2. Insert the enclosed CD or cassette of classical music.

3. Position the speakers against your belly. You will want to adjust the position of the speakers depending on what month of your pregnancy you are in. You should be able to tell where your baby’s head is by where you feel her kicking most frequently. You may tuck the speakers into your clothing or use the BébéSounds® maternity belt to hold them in place.

4. Play the music for approximately 10 minutes at a time and alternate the selections you play. Use the schedule included in this booklet as a record of what selections you have played and how frequently you played them.

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+ 19 hidden pages

Unisar Prenatal Heart Monitor User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual