Baby girl and I had our first NST (non-stress test) today. Basically, during an NST they hook up fetal monitors and track the baby's heart rate and any possible contractions. What they are looking for is the healthy spike in heart rate that occurs when baby is actively moving in the womb, all part of tracking her development and heading off any problems down the road. When I asked how long an NST usually lasts, the nurse explained to me that they need a full 20 minutes of 'active' monitoring time to get a clear picture. So, say if a baby is napping or not particularly active during a period of the monitoring, you can stay hooked up for much longer than 20 minutes. I laughed and told her this would NOT be a problem with us, Baby Girl is a wiggle worm. I'm sure everyone thinks/says this to her, and she just smiled and said, "Let's hope so!"
Before she could even get the monitor latched, the Doodle had kicked her hard. For the remaining 20 minutes, as the nurse filled out my paperwork and asked me all the standard questions, the gentle thump thump of the Doodle's heartbeat played background to the rumbling thunder of her rolling, flipping, kicking, and punching at my belly and the monitor. "You have a very happy baby in there," she said to me, as I was signing out no more than 30 minutes since pulling in the parking lot. "A very happy, perfect baby."
I never get tired of hearing that.
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