by Joyce Slaton posted in Products & Prizes

Many expecting moms aren't that wild about their ob-gyn checkups during pregnancy. You have to take time off work, travel to an inconvenient location, and then parade around an office holding a warm urine sample. But there's one part of OB-gyn appointments all pregnant moms love: listening to their baby's heartbeat. Even if you're filled with worries on how your pregnancy is going, once you hear that sweet, swift, strong sound, you're suffused with the feeling that everything's going to be all right.
Wouldn't it be great if you could get that reassuring feeling without having to get to the doctor's office" That's what Bellabeat Shell promises.

The free iOS app uses what the company calls an "advanced algorithm" to filter out noise and isolate the sound of your baby's heartbeat. You download it, you hold your phone's microphone to your belly, and, hopefully, you hear your baby's heartbeat.
Shown in this picture: Shell being used with the $69 add-on that's said to improve performance; the add-ons were sold out at presstime
Naturally, I had to give it a try. Advised by Bellabeat that Shell works best on women who are 30 weeks pregnant or more, we found a friend of a friend in her last trimester who we'll call Sarah. Sarah is a certified nurse-midwife, so I thought she'd be the ideal candidate, able to easily locate her baby's heartbeat.
I downloaded Shell onto my phone and, following the app's instructions, to...