Just wondering how long a NST usually takes. I have to line up someone to watch the boys and not sure how long to tell them it will take.
I just made my appt and they said it could take and hour to an hour and 15 minutes. It maybe hard to get the babies on so they need longer time. It usually is 30-45 minutes.
It all depends on how well your babies cooperate... my advice is to eat something starchy or drink OJ before your appt to make sure they are nice and active if you want to get out of there quickly. Mine were typically an hour at the least... but I also had my NSTs back to back with the BPPs...so after the NST, they'd have me in for an u/s...
NSTs depend on how easy or difficult it is to monitor their heartbeats. Basically, where they are located could pose some problems. It usually takes an hour but I've managed to get out of my last few in 30-40 min. And, I was told my twins would be difficult to monitor because one is right behind the other. The also move around a lot during NSTs. However, my kids have proven them wrong and they've been really easy so you never know. If you've had an u/s lately and know where/how they are situated, it is very helpful to get a good monitor on them. I've also found some nurses are better at monitoring NSTs, where I happened to find that in my case sitting on my side provided a much reading than when I lay on my back with one nurse. So I made sure that if I got a different nurse the following week, I told them how I'd like to be monitored and it's worked out. Good luck!
Mine have been pretty quick. The longest for me is about a half hour. The girls seem to cooperate for them and I am usually on for about 15-20 minutes. I am glad for this b/c I usually have to hold one of the monitors and by the time I am done my fingers are stiff and numb. That is the worse part for me. I didn't have to do it yesterday and it was so nice just to relax. It just depends on the babies. Eat before you go and that should help. April
