Checking Baby’s Well-Being

When monitoring is needed and abnormal results

When monitoring is needed and abnormal results

Why monitoring is used in pregnancy Monitoring is most useful when the clinical question is time-sensitive: Is the pregnancy stable? Is a treatment working? Is there early evidence of maternal or fetal deterioration? In principle, the logic is the same across medicine: obtain a baseline, follow trends, and act if the data suggest a meaningful […]

Fetal monitoring and kick counts

Fetal monitoring and kick counts

What fetal movement patterns can tell you Fetal movement is one of the few signs of fetal wellbeing that you can notice directly at home. Early on, movement may feel like flutters, bubbles, or gentle taps. Your clinician may describe quickening and early fetal movement as the stage when movement first becomes reliably noticeable. Later […]

Non-stress test (NST) and biophysical profile (BPP)

Non-stress test (NST) and biophysical profile (BPP)

What is a non-stress test? A non-stress test, or NST, is a fetal monitoring test that records the fetal heart rate over time, usually along with uterine activity. It is called “non-stress” because it does not intentionally stress the fetus or trigger contractions. Instead, it observes the fetal heart rate pattern under usual conditions. The […]