In their visits to the doctor, many couples and expectant mothers become familiar with devices called fetal dopplers.
During most checkups, the doctor will use these devices to let the mother or couple listen to the beating heart of the unborn baby.
During this time, they usually learn that there are a number of home units available on the market that they can use at home to listen to their baby's heartbeat whenever they want.
These can be a wonderful, convenient device that allows the mother or couple to bond with their unborn baby and also to monitor the stress level of the fetus, potentially warning them of developing problems before they become dangerous.
What many expecting people may not realize or simply overlook is the capability that most of these devices have to actually record the sound of the fetal heartbeat.
Certain models will record the sound directly to a CD, but most of them will operate similar to how other digital sound recorders do.
The recorded sound is saved either to a miniature hard drive stored into the unit or to a flash memory chip in a digital format such as MP3 or AAC.
From there, the device can be connected to a computer through a USB port and the sound can be saved, burned to a CD, or manipulated using audio software.
Though it may be widely overlooked, the recording capability of these units can allow parents to create a treasured keepsake that they can hold on to all their lives.