What is done during a Non-Stress Test (NST) appointment at the Perinatal Center?
If it is your 1st visit, you will need to do some paperwork before seen. You will weighed and blood pressure taken. You will be placed on external monitors that are placed on your abdomen will listen to the baby’s heart beat with one monitor and monitor contraction patterns with another. These monitors will be held in place with elastic belts. You will need to be on the monitor for at least 20 minutes. This may take longer if baby is not moving much. If there is a time of day that baby moves more, you may want to schedule your appointment around this if possible. We want to see the baby have an increase in heart rate 15 beats above its normal rate for 15 seconds twice in a 20 minute period of time. We may need to leave you on longer if baby does not cooperate or you are contracting frequently. If you have twins, we need to monitor you, for 1 full hour once weekly for contraction patterns.
