Another thing to worry about...
Written on August 16, 2005 by Kevin.
In the past few days my wife has noticed that the baby was not kicking as much as normal. Today, she spoke to her doctor and her doctor made an appointment for a non-stress test (NST). A lot of things go through your mind when your pregnant wife is quickly told to go to the hospital. We went to her appointment this evening and while waiting, I began to get a bit nervous. I wasn't exactly sure what the test was all about but my wife had a pretty good idea. The questions that were being asked really put more bad thoughts into my mind. Basic questions such as "have you had any headaches?" and "are your feet swollen?" seemed to be asked in a negative way which caused me to worry that much more. The test was easy though, which consisted of my wife having a fetal heart beat monitor and fetal movement monitor record data for about 20 minutes. Half way through, they used a device to buzz the baby which caused him to react with a lot of movement and high heart beat. They wanted to make sure the baby's movement was normal and responsive. Overall, the test turned out good and the baby continues to appear healthy. Further information about non-stress testing can be found at the link below.
Link: Prenatal test: Non-Stress Test via BabyCenter.com
When I was pregnant my daughter would always 'fail' the stress tests because she 'wasn't very active'. I was always being admitted to the hospital for a 2nd stress test and observation. The only times I wasn't, was if there was an ultrasound afterwards. They even broke my water in the hospital worrying about the apparent problems my daughter had on the fetal stress monitors.My daughter is fine...I think the tests are flawed, but I'm glad they have them to make sure the baby is active and well. I had never heard of buzzing the baby as you mentioned, they would just rub hard on my tummy or suggest I eat (like I wouldn't eat) before the test. I'm betting my daughter was just mad at all the attention because when left alone she'd kick me to death.Hope the rest of your stress tests go well. FYI: Head aches and swollen feet are possible signs of preeclampsia. If your wife has these symptoms help her relax and make her sit down with her feet up. Comfy shoes, belly support belt, and support socks help too.WebMd Link about preeclampsia:http://my.webmd.com/content/article/4/1680_51845.htm
Written by Nikki on Aug 17, 2005 01:25 AM
Now I think getting the test to make sure things are fine is a good thing, but my son was lazy, he hardly moved at all. some baby are more active than others.
Written by Gina on Aug 17, 2005 06:20 PM