The BBC’s Morning Live hosts were forced to issue an on-air apology after sharing advice for expectant mothers that was labelled “dangerous” by a pregnancy and baby charity.
The apology came after a segment on women paying for private scans during their pregnancies featured presenter Zoe Hardman saying people concerned about their unborn babies could check their heartbeat with a stethoscope.
However, the pregnancy research charity Tommy’s soon issued a statement warning that doing so is not recommended by healthcare professionals.
After the episode, which aired on Thursday 29 January, they said: “The presenter said pregnant women could check their baby’s heartbeat themselves with a stethoscope for reassurance.
“This advice is not only wrong, but dangerous because you could be falsely reassured.”
“No home scanning device, doppler or app can tell you if your baby is well,” they continued. “While it may sound tempting, it’s not a safe way to listen to your baby’s heartbeat or check they're okay. This can only be done by a midwife or health professional who's received appropriate training.
“This is because unless you’re professionally trained, it's easy to confuse what you’re hearing or seeing and be falsely reassured.
“If you’re worried about reduction in baby’s movements, or have any other concerns, contact your maternity unit immediately.”
Presenters Kimberley Walsh and Gethin Jones addressed the mistake live on-air, with the former Girls Aloud singer telling viewers a midwife had been in touch with the programme.
“Debbie is a midwife, and said, ‘rather than using a stethoscope at home, anyone who is worried about their baby should contact a midwife. Stethoscopes can often give false reassurance by picking up the mum’s heartbeat, other sounds and not the baby's heartbeat’,” she said.
On BBC iPlayer, the episode is now accompanied by a pop-up stating: “This programme is subject to a correction. It mistakenly claims that pregnant women can use a stethoscope at home for reassurance.
“The correct advice is to speak to your maternity unit if you are worried about a reduction in your baby’s movements.”
It’s not the first time daytime hosts have had to apologise after an on-air slip-up. This Morning’s Cat Deeley previously said sorry after making an “appalling” seizure joke, while Good Morning Britain’s Kate Garraway suffered an awkward blunder as she got a colleague’s name wrong.
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