Kick Counts and Well-being
FETAL KICK COUNTS
You have probably noticed that your baby moves around
a lot after 22 or 23 weeks. Fetal movement is a good indicator of the baby's health. In order to better monitor your baby's health, it is a good idea to do daily kick counts beginning around 28 weeks. Kick counts are done as follows:
Pick out a time in the evening after supper when you can lay down and pay attention to your baby. Note the time. Begin counting the baby's movements. At the 10th movement, note the time. Do this each night, and you will notice it takes about the same amount of time for the baby to make its 10 movements. Usually this is about 15-30 minutes. If you notice that it seems to take long each night, or if it takes longer than 12 hours to feel the baby move, please call us. We will arrange to have an NST done immediately.
NON-STRESS TEST
If you have reached 41 weeks, or have special health problems, we might have you do a special test called a "non-stress test" (NST). This involves being placed on the fetal monitor for approximately 20-30 minutes. The baby's heart rate will be monitored. Just as your heart speeds up when you exercise, so should your baby's. A normal NST reassures us that the baby will probably remain healthy for the next 3 to 4 days.
Bio Physical Profiles or BPP
If you have passed your due date we will schedule a BPP to ensure that your baby is doing well inside still. This test is done by sonogram and is based on a scoring system; 2 points each for fetal movement, amniotic fluid volume, placental output and fetal breathing movements. A score of less than 8 indicates it is time to get baby on it's way and sometimes it is appropriate to go ahead and induce the birth.
