have to go for non stress test and bio physicals...what the heck is that?

so today was my first appt with a high risk dr for my GD. he said my numbers were great and hes not worried at all. he asked me to come back in a month to go over the next set of numbers

the office called me back telling me that in a month (i'll be 34 weeks then) i have to start going for weekly non stress tests and bio physicals. as well as monthly sonos. what the heck do those 2 tests consist of? has anyone gotten them before?

Re: have to go for non stress test and bio physicals...what the heck is that?

I go for them weekly...it's nothing at all. No worries!

You sit in a chair with monitors on your belly -- one measures the baby's heartbeat and the other checks to ensure you are not contracting. They give you a little button to push each time you feel movement. The key to them is that they are looking for the baby to be "reactive" so it's good to eat something before you go or drink some juice/something cold.

They will then do a quick sonogram which is the biophysical profile. It's on a smaller machine then the big sonogram and they are just checking your fluid and other measurements.

More than anything it's time consuming. You can sit in the chair from 20 minutes to an hour. Drink PLENTY of water the day before and morning of, to ensure that your uterus is not contracting so they don't have to keep you there longer.

I've had 4 so far and two times I was having contractions and didn't know. Those times I had to sit longer, and even do a cervical length check.

Message edited 4/21/2011 7:38:07 PM.

Re: have to go for non stress test and bio physicals...what the heck is that?

time consuming booo! its gonna be rough making these weekly. do you go to your dr or somewhere else?
today i was at madonna in mineola which isnt very convenient for me. their other office is better but i have a feeling that their scheduling isnt going to work for me too well.

Re: have to go for non stress test and bio physicals...what the heck is that?

I do them at Madonna Perinatal in Brightwaters at my high risk's office.

I *think* you can see if your regular OB will do it in their office. When they go to schedule you though, I'm sure they will suggest Madonna, since that is something they do daily there.

The time consuming part can be sucky for sure. First time I went for the non-stress test was almost 2 hours because they had to do a cervical check too. The appts since then have averaged about 1 hour or so.

Re: have to go for non stress test and bio physicals...what the heck is that?

thanks for the info. i appreciate it. i'm gonna try calling bright waters tomorrow. maybe i can make all my appointments tomorrow so i get them out of the way for the next few weeks

Re: have to go for non stress test and bio physicals...what the heck is that?

that's what they did for me -- i did 4 appts at once to make sure i knew when it would be an plan accordingly.

good luck!

Re: have to go for non stress test and bio physicals...what the heck is that?

I had non-stress tests weekly from week 34 to week 41. They just hook you up to the monitors and have you sit in a room for 30 minutes. Bring a book!

Re: have to go for non stress test and bio physicals...what the heck is that?

I've had quite a few non stress tests due to high bp. They are nothing! Don't worry! They are time consuming but that's it. I actually enjoyed them. You get to listen to the baby's heart beat the entire time!!!

A non stress test basically measures the heart rate of your baby in response to its own movements. It also detects contractions and can give you information about them.

They will basically hook you up to a machine and they monitor the baby's heart rate and any uterine activity. Your asked to hit a button every time you feel fetal movement. They just see what the baby's heart beat does during that movement. I usually just watched tv during mine and they didnt last more than 20 min.


Good luck!!!

Re: have to go for non stress test and bio physicals...what the heck is that?

Jackie, I have a non stress test every other Thursday at LI Women's Healthcare. I also see the high risk doctor from Madonna but he comes to the practice twice a month. I started off going to the Brightwaters location but it's so much easier going to Bellmore.