NST, a ? about fetal monitoring

[ewp11100]

Ok so I'm at 41w 3 days and running out of time with my birth center I have an appt. for a NST today at 5:30pm. I declined the sonogram but unforcunately "policy" says it's this NST or opt out. What I want to know is what exactly are they looking for? Steady heart beat I'm sure but what else? My baby is a cool cucumber and doesn't move a whole lot. Some one suggetsed caffine, so they could see some movement going on. Is that what they are looking for?

Ugh... Off to find a accupuntuist...TIA

[lunabelly]

I think they also want to check the level of amniotic fluid and what kind of shape your placenta is in. I don't know if you need to go with caffeine. Orange juice might do the trick. Good luck!

[MissInformed]

I had to have that done with my last that I delivered at the birth center. I believe on the NST they were looking for the movement and monitoring the heart rate during that....to see if there were proper decels and accels....mine was sleepy during that time, so they gave me some juice to sip on which woke her up a little....I did have the sonogram which they wanted to check the amniotic fluid levels and placenta....and I also let her strip my membranes that day...result...baby next morning.....all that said though, it's not what I would want to do again (which is why we're having a homebirth), but I did not like other options which were induction in hospital...exactly the reason I was going to the birth center to avoid that intervention. I think I ended up being 11 days over with her, and I don't know why the mw was freaking out so much over me being 10 days late, but she was already talking induction blah, blah, blah...even when their policy was delivery was okay at the bc up until 43 weeks...that appt that all this happened at was with the one who seemed a little more of a worry wart and a lot more on the medical end of midwifery instead of the trust end. anyway...that was my experience with the whole thing....so...drink some juice and don't sweat it!

[JanB]

Not a member of your DDC but have had plenty o' NSTs in my day. Basically what they are looking for is a reactive heartbeat, meaning that when the baby moves, baby's heartbeat increases accordingly. Typically they'll get about 20 minutes of recording the heartbeat and having you click a button every time you feel a kick/movement, and then you're out of there.

Caffeine is not a terrible idea beforehand, because if baby happens to be sleeping when you go in, they'll want you to stay until he/she wakes up and they can get a good 20-minute read. After one lengthy NST where we had to wait almost 45 minutes for my daughter to wake up, I started having a latte in the morning on the way to my NST, and it did help. (I had them twice-weekly at the very end of my pregnancy, mostly due to being insulin-dependent diabetic.)

NSTs were actually one of my least-hated fetal tests, because my doctor's office had nice leather recliners to sit in while doing the monitoring, so I'd read a novel and listen to the heartbeat and kind of just chill out and enjoy having a little break. (Although that still doesn't mean I really wanted to be there for over an hour. )

Good luck!

[jkg]

For me, orange juice and a granola bar on the way to the NST did the trick. Like pp said, they are looking for baby to be reactive, thus determining if things like your circulation and the placenta are still sufficient to keep the babe in there a little longer. I'm sure you'll be fine.

[maxmama]

They may also want a BPP (biophysical profile). With a BPP, a reactive NST (baseline HR of 110-160, two accels of at least 15 bpm x 15 seconds and no decels in 20 min) counts for two points. AFI counts for 2, as do breathing movements and gross body movement and general tone (is the baby well-flexed). Maximum score is 10; scores of <6 are associated with poorer outcomes. So if you have a good BPP, you can wait a lot longer without making your provider all freaked out.

[Yo Becca]

Let us know how it went! I was in a similar position with DD (delivered at 42 weeks) and had many an NST. For me, I chugged an apple juice box as they strapped the monitor on and that motivated the baby to wiggle around an appropriate amount.