I was wondering why your DR would order NST when nothing appears to be wrong in the first place? Yesterday my OB decided I'd go on over to L&D twice a week ( I think he said 2x) for NST. But when I started to think about it, I don't think he ever really said WHY. The only issue I ever have at his office is my BP is always slightly elevated when I go there ( but 10 minutes or so later he checks it again and its fine ). This has been the case for several months now. My BP is always fine at home, at my Peri's office and even when I was in the hospital. Honestly I think its the stress of getting to his office in the afternoons (I live about 30 - 45 minutes away depending on traffic and I see my Peri in the mornings when traffic is not as bad and it only takes about 15-20 minutes to get to her office). So I'm just confused as to why he suddenly wants to do the monitoring. There has never been an issue with the babies, just with my cervix. Considering the fact that both he and my Peri want me staying in bed, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for me to be traveling 4 days a week! ( 2x a week for the hospital, 1x a week for my Peri and 1x a week for my OB ). I know it may sound crazy, but knowing that he and my Peri seem to be having a bit of a "power struggle" going on, I can't help but wonder if I am getting caught in the middle. Which isn't fair to me or to my babies. What do you guys think??
I think NST's are actually very common with twins. My MW already told me that I would be starting them at 30 weeks. I haven't started with all the extra appointments yet but I can imagine its tiring to have to get to all of them.
I think it is fairly standard for twins, I started at 29 weeks 2x a week and both my little ones are big and healthy. They just want to make sure they are active and not going into any kind of distress. QUOTE(mom2betimes2 @ Apr 2 2008, 09:13 AM) [snapback]700705[/snapback] I was wondering why your DR would order NST when nothing appears to be wrong in the first place? Yesterday my OB decided I'd go on over to L&D twice a week ( I think he said 2x) for NST. But when I started to think about it, I don't think he ever really said WHY. The only issue I ever have at his office is my BP is always slightly elevated when I go there ( but 10 minutes or so later he checks it again and its fine ). This has been the case for several months now. My BP is always fine at home, at my Peri's office and even when I was in the hospital. Honestly I think its the stress of getting to his office in the afternoons (I live about 30 - 45 minutes away depending on traffic and I see my Peri in the mornings when traffic is not as bad and it only takes about 15-20 minutes to get to her office). So I'm just confused as to why he suddenly wants to do the monitoring. There has never been an issue with the babies, just with my cervix. Considering the fact that both he and my Peri want me staying in bed, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for me to be traveling 4 days a week! ( 2x a week for the hospital, 1x a week for my Peri and 1x a week for my OB ). I know it may sound crazy, but knowing that he and my Peri seem to be having a bit of a "power struggle" going on, I can't help but wonder if I am getting caught in the middle. Which isn't fair to me or to my babies. What do you guys think??
I had NST's the last 7 or 8 weeks of my pregnancy one time a week. I think that it is very standard for twins. I did not have a single complication during my entire pregnancy and I still had them. I didn't mind it. It gave me piece of mind.
I was warned at my 10 w appointment of these NST… and now that I’m doing it along with the weekly Dr appointment and the occasional peri… it’s a full time job… but the good thing for me is its making these final weeks go faster…. Because every time I turn around I have a Dr appointment… plus I like to hear the heart beat… I too live 20-40 min away from my Dr/Hospital … I had traffic so bad one time it took an hour… and the kicker is I have hospital only 3 miles down the hill from me… but my Dr doesn’t deliver there and I wasn’t gonna change Dr (especially considering I LOVE my Dr) mid pregnancy with twins
Ok, well I feel a little more at ease knowing it's probably standard at this point. My girls hate the NST and rarely cooperate. In the hospital it took 3 nurses an hour and a half to get a "simple" 20 minute strip, and that was EVERY shift change! I guess that's a big part of why I am not looking forward to doing it so often. I always do what they tell me to, even if I don't know why. I was just curious this time..
They are standard procedure for twins. It is a way for them to see how they are tolerating their environment. It is a way to check their fluid level and heartrates among other things without doing an ultrasound. I have one once a week so far. It is always reassuring to hear how well they are doing. The hospital my OB is affiliated does them, it is right across the street from his office and is about 30-40 minutes from my house. I don't see a peri, so I don't know who typically orders it in this situation. I would feel good knowing that they are keeping such a close eye on you guys.
I started NST's at 28 weeks with my twins. I did have them with my first child, but I don't think they started until 32 weeks. I didn't have any issues with him. I am diabetic though. That may have something to do with it. Anyway, I'm on the second week of NST's & I like them just because I can listen to their heartbeats while I'm there. I would have been glad to start them sooner. I'm not allowed to work anymore either. Doctor appointments are the only reason I get to leave the house!!
I went to a practice with 4 doctors. I saw one of them for the first time in the 3rd tri and he recommended twice weekly NSTs. So I show up for the first one and it's with a different dr and this one asks why we are doing them and I can't really say. He says they are not necessary and he would not rec them for me, or at the very most once a week. I already had the 2nd one scheduled so I go and it's with yet another dr who rec twice weekly. BTW the tests were totally fine. I go in for the 3rd one and it's with the same dr that did not think they were needed and he really strongly reiterates that I don't need to be doing them, there is no benefit if I have no complications. He said he spoke with my primary dr and he agreed I didn't need them. I was having a really hard time walking at that point and I had PUPPP so the straps REALLY irritated my tummy, so I decided that I wouldn't make an appt for another one. I did just fine and made it my scheduled c-section at 38 weeks with no problems. I guess my point is that I think it's just standard, maybe they aren't even necessary in most cases and the drs are just covering their butts. But it certainly can't hurt so if they want you to do them I'd keep going. If it is a hardship I'd probably ask if it was really necessary but if not, keep going.
I also had weekly NST's from about 24 weeks on. As well as what other pp's have said, they also check the intensity of your contractions.
I think it's just standard procedure. I was told I'd have 2x week NST starting at 32 weeks. Of course, I do have slight complications (PTL and velamentous cord on baby B). When I was in the hospital at 24 weeks it took 45-60 minutes for them to track both babies heartbeats. I was told they were just too small and mobile at that age to track consistently. The bigger they are (32+ weeks), the easier tracking becomes. Their goal is to track both for 20 minutes to check heart accels and decels from periods of activity and rest.
My doctor started talking to me about NST’s approaching around 24 weeks and I started them at 30 once a week. She told me that because there can be so many things go wrong with twins NST’s are just another way to insure they don’t or if they do they catch it as soon as possible.
QUOTE(babydrivers @ Apr 3 2008, 02:31 PM) [snapback]703168[/snapback] When I was in the hospital at 24 weeks it took 45-60 minutes for them to track both babies heartbeats. I was told they were just too small and mobile at that age to track consistently. The bigger they are (32+ weeks), the easier tracking becomes. That is what the nurse told me yesterday when I went for the test. She didn't understand why I was there at 28+, she thought it was too early. We ended up doing the BPP like she said we would probably have to.
QUOTE(Alli Baby @ Apr 3 2008, 02:24 PM) [snapback]703151[/snapback] they also check the intensity of your contractions. And that ended up being what I stayed there for! I was having ALOT of contractions and I didnt know it/feel them ( again ). It was something like 5 or 6 in the first 30 minutes I was hooked up! So it was probably a good thing I went in there anyways.
QUOTE(mom2betimes2 @ Apr 2 2008, 09:13 AM) [snapback]700705[/snapback] I was wondering why your DR would order NST when nothing appears to be wrong in the first place? Yesterday my OB decided I'd go on over to L&D twice a week ( I think he said 2x) for NST. But when I started to think about it, I don't think he ever really said WHY. The only issue I ever have at his office is my BP is always slightly elevated when I go there ( but 10 minutes or so later he checks it again and its fine ). This has been the case for several months now. My BP is always fine at home, at my Peri's office and even when I was in the hospital. Honestly I think its the stress of getting to his office in the afternoons (I live about 30 - 45 minutes away depending on traffic and I see my Peri in the mornings when traffic is not as bad and it only takes about 15-20 minutes to get to her office). So I'm just confused as to why he suddenly wants to do the monitoring. There has never been an issue with the babies, just with my cervix. Considering the fact that both he and my Peri want me staying in bed, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for me to be traveling 4 days a week! ( 2x a week for the hospital, 1x a week for my Peri and 1x a week for my OB ). I know it may sound crazy, but knowing that he and my Peri seem to be having a bit of a "power struggle" going on, I can't help but wonder if I am getting caught in the middle. Which isn't fair to me or to my babies. What do you guys think?? Well I am 34 weeks now and my doc still has not ordered a NST for me yet. She said that everything looked fine on the ultrasounds (which are in my opinion uncomfortable enough) and that the babies are growing fine, but from what I have been reading alot of ladies get them much earlier and continue to get them throughout the pregnancy...so maybe it just depends on your doc.
