Your Pregnancy Quick Guide by Glade Curtis

Author:Glade Curtis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Published: 2010-06-03T00:00:00+00:00

• You will be attached to an I.V. that dispenses small amounts of the hormone oxytocin to make your uterus contract, or nipple stimulation may be used to make your uterus contract.

• Three contractions must be recorded in about 10 minutes, and each contraction must last about 40 seconds. The entire test can take as long as 2 hours.

• The baby’s heartbeat is monitored for its response to the contractions.

• When your uterus contracts, the blood flow to the placenta decreases.

• If the baby is having trouble or the placenta isn’t working well, the contraction can decrease the oxygen supply to the baby. This causes the fetal heart rate to drop.

• The results of the test can be classified as negative, positive, unsatisfactory or equivocal.

• A negative test is good. A positive test is not good. Unsatisfactory or equivocal results mean the test was neither positive nor negative.

• Test results can indicate how well a baby might tolerate contractions and labor.

• If the baby doesn’t respond well to contractions, it can be a sign of fetal stress.

• A slowed heart rate after a contraction may be a sign of fetal stress.

• Your doctor may recommend delivery of the baby, if the CST is not reassuring.

• In other cases, the test may be repeated the next day, or a biophysical profile may be ordered. (See the discussion beginning on page 69.)

• If the test shows no sign of a slowed fetal heart rate, the test result is reassuring.

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