OK, so I went in for my second non stress test today and asked some questions. I was a little off on my explanation of exactly what we were doing and have been cringing at the thought of all the Nurses I know and love mumbling that I am dumb...so here are the facts:
The one strap-on belt is measuring the baby's heartbeat. That part I got right. The other one, however, is providing not electric stimulation (as I stated earlier), but is in fact, measuring my CONTRACTIONS!!!!! Whaaaaaaatttt??? To that, I asked, "Am I having any???" Clearly avoiding my question, my nurse said, "Oh, people as early as 15 weeks can have contractions." Huh, OK. Well, if I am having rumblings, I can't feel them. I moved on...and found out more. So, I have to push this button so they know when there is fetal movement and the baby's corresponding heart rate at that movement. So, I got the overall point of the NST pretty correct after all (talking like a nurse now, thank you very much): to see what stress the baby is under as he/she moves.
OK, so this morning, our baby decided he/she was sleepy and did not move at all in the first 15 minutes of the NST (non-stress test). I had already told the nurses that this baby moves most post-lunch through late evening, but office hours are 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, so relying on his/her regular cycle of movement is not an option. This, as you can imagine, is an issue that is resolved in a very technologically advanced manner: by banging a pie pan placed on my belly with a large metal spoon. I swear this is no lie! And, it worked. The baby woke up, allowing me to bang my fetal movement button a few times, then promptly went back to sleep. It made me laugh, but after 45 minutes of baby EKG, the doctor let us go off to start our day. So, let this be a lesson to you all...don't assume a metal pie pan and spoon are the leftovers of a staff potluck, they may be the tools of the trade on any given day at the OB's office!
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