I have been having stomach cramps and went to the doctors but couldn't hear the heartbeat. When is it that you can hear the heartbeat. I have heard from a friend that she didn't hear it until she was 20 weeks. I was told that I didn't have to have a scan yet even though it is my 1st baby.

They didn't listen for my daughter's heartbeat until I was into my 4th month of pregnancy. The cramping might just be Braxton-Hicks contractions; have you talked to your doctor about them?

When you say that they couldn't hear the heartbeat, how did they listen for it?

(Can someone please correct me if I'm wrong... )

If I remember correctly, the heartbeat can be heard as early as 6-7 weeks during an ultrasound. But it sounds like your doctor did not opt for an ultrasound scan. If they were concerned about a lack of heartbeat they probably would have done an ultrasound to check things out.

If you don't have insurance or just have a really uneventful pregnancy, you probably won't get an ultrasound until you're 20 weeks along to check for fetal abnormalities. You will definitely hear the heartbeat then.

A doppler would most likely be used rather than an ultrasound at this stage. It is possible to hear the heartbeat at 9 weeks with doppler, but the best bet would be around 12-14 weeks on doppler... unless you have been classified as high risk or start bleeding, the chances of an ultrasound before 18 weeks would be slim.