Keeping track of fetal movements is an important way of assessing the health of the baby in the womb. A popular method of this consists of counting your baby’s movements every day. This is often done in the third trimester. A lack of movement can signal a problem with the baby. In most cases, it just means the baby is asleep.
Set aside an hour a day and sit or lie down. Concentrate on your baby’s movements and count each kick, roll or other movement. By doing this every day, you get a feel for what is normal and when you should worry. In most cases, your doctor will ask you to record how long it takes to feel ten movements. For most women, ten movements in one hour is considered normal. Some babies may take a little longer, like an hour and a half.
If you don’t feel ten movements in an hour, you should repeat the test for a second hour. Often it will mean the baby was asleep. I have found that drinking a glass of orange juice and repeating the kick count always got me the ten kicks I was looking for. Of course, being neurotic, I do the kick count test a few times each day.
Try not to panic if you don’t feel ten movements within an hour. In the vast majority of the cases, everything is fine with the baby. You should call your doctor or midwife to be safe. Often they will ask you to come in for additional fetal monitoring. This will assess the baby’s condition and give you the peace of mind you need. There are several methods used to check on the baby. Your doctor may use one or more for you.
Ultrasound is often the first method used to check the baby’s condition. The ultrasound allows your health care provider to check on the baby’s movement. Smaller movements that may not be felt can be seen on the ultrasound. This test is also useful for checking the fetal heart rate and measuring the fluid around the baby.
The Non Stress Test measures the baby’s heart rate as the baby moves. In a healthy baby, the heartbeat increases with movement. This test is often done right in the office. You will sit in a chair with a fetal monitor around your belly.
A Biophysical profile is a combination of an ultrasound and non stress test. This test gives more information than either of the tests individually. The Biophysical profile checks the heart rate, fluid level, movements, breathing and muscle tone. The baby is given a score in each area and these scores are totaled. The information is used to determine whether the baby is fine, or if labor should be induced.