Non-Responsive NST

I just got back from the doctor's around an hour ago, after having my 37 week internal and non-stress test, which I'm getting both weekly.

The doctor said that my NST was "non-responsive." I asked what it means and he said "come back again tomorrow morning and we'll repeat the test and make sure you eat something sweet first." I was like, hmm, okay, that didn't really answer my question.

Also the other dr in the practice was looking at it with him and heard him say that and was like "doesn't she have GD?" and he was like oh yea, don't have something sweet, just eat something first.

So now I'm worried because I don't know what non-responsive means, and I don't know if something is wrong, but my dr is such a jerk sometimes I felt stupid asking him since he clearly heard me ask the question the first time and didn't answer it.

So does anyone have any idea what this might mean?

ETA: Also, for those of you who've had NSTs, what do the lines normally look like? Are they consistant, go up and down, etc?

Message edited 9/22/2005 8:57:38 PM.

Re: Non-Responsive NST

No, but I wanted to give you

Re: Non-Responsive NST

The lines go up and down somewhat, but when the baby moves, I believe the lines are suppose to go up and down a lot. How active has the baby been recently?

Re: Non-Responsive NST

It certainly moves around all day. It's not the big huge hard kicks like I used to get, but I thought that was because the baby is more cramped. It's already measuring around 9 lbs on my sonos. The baby was moving during the sono and I clicked the button but I know that the heartbeat line was pretty much steady throughout the entire test. It like jiggled but there weren't big dips or jumps or anything.

Re: Non-Responsive NST

Hi,
I know its easier said then done but please try not to worry...Im sure if the Dr. thought something was wrong he would not have sent you home! Good luck tommorow and keep us posted

Message edited 9/22/2005 9:25:36 PM.

Re: Non-Responsive NST

When I had one done it was because I kept having Braxton Hicks every 5 minutes that I thought it was regular contractions. (Boy was I wrong!) They were looking to see how the baby's heartrate handles the contractions. I forgot why, but why were they giving the test?

Re: Non-Responsive NST

On an NST they get a baseline heartrate then what they look for is "excels" which is an increase in the baby's heartrate 15bpm from the baseline over 15 seconds.

I am assuming non responsive meant that the baby didn't have excels. Honestly I wouldn't have left the office until they got a good read out. My doctor's office will "buzz" the baby with the little vibrator thing if we can't get to wake up on our own. That usually gives them the excels they are looking for. Also this past time my midwife did my internal with the NST machine on and that got the baby going.

Good Luck tomorrow, demand answers. Remember you are the patient and they work for you!!

Re: Non-Responsive NST

Try some a large glass of ice water during the test or right before. You don't need to eat/drink anything sweet, this should do the trick!

Hope it goes better today!

Re: Non-Responsive NST

I was getting the NST because I get them weekly now, I'm assuming because of my Gestational Diabetes. I actually hadn't eaten since about 12 noon and was on the machine from about 7-730pm last night, after getting at the doctors at 5pm and waiting ALL that time for the NST to be ready beacuse apparently they left the woman before me on for over an hour because they forgot about her, and then when they went back the baby had moved and they needed to start all over again. Actually I know this woman, we went to Lamaze together, I should call her tonight!!

At any rate, I had been drinking water before I got to the doctors but by the time I had my NST 2 hours had passed since I finished my liter bottle of water so it probably didn't effect it anymore. I didn't know what I should be looking for on an NST, but I spoke with my friend Gina who worked for a dr's office for a few years adn she said that within 10 minutes there should be 2 big "peaks" on the baby's heartrate. Mine didn't peak at all. I could hear it loud and clear and it was steady at around 140, but it never peaked once on the 30 minutes or so that I was hooked up.

Basically what my friend is saying is that today, if the baby is nonresponsive again, and my doctor doesn't send me to the hospital for a repeat NST on thier machines, I should just drive myself there anyway. She said at the hospital they won't let me go home until they get a good NST, unlike my doctor.

So that seems to be my plan today. I'm also concerned because my BP has been up the last few visits to about 140/80 when it was around 110/70 for most of the pregnancy, and my ankles have been SO swollen for the past 2 weeks since I went back to work, and my dr always says the BP and the swelling is because I'm heavy, but to me it worries me because I was heavy the whole pregnancy, and it didn't effect me one week and then miraculously it did the next. So I'm hoping that my doctor really gives me the response I'm expecting, that of being concerned and not just blowing it off to my weight like he really does. But my friend Gina told me, if I don't feel comfortable with what he said, then I have enough reasons to warrant a trip to the hospital to have them check it all out.

Do you all aggree on this? I'm sorry I type so much! I'm such a talker! Thanks for all of your answers so far to this post!

-Melissa

Re: Non-Responsive NST