What do they do at a non-stress test and at a genetic counseling appointment??

Question

I have these appointments next tuesday and wanted to know what they do there. And why would they give me a genetic counseling if in my family we have no abnormalities or birth defects...

I am only 19 weeks pregnant so I dont feel the baby that much I feel sometimes some flutter but not like kicking and stuff... And all my test came out normal as far as i know, to be honest i have no clue why they send me to the genetic counseling... I know they wanted me to do the non-stress test because I had an infection with blood.

Im 22 and Im Aruba most part of my family is from europe and a part is hispanic... We have a bunch of influences but the general one is europe because of the settlers. I didnt have an ultra sound i had a papsmear where they found a bloody infection...

Answer 1

At 19 weeks it seems a little late in proceedings to bother with genetic counselling, but some details you have left out of your question are your age and racial heritage. These could have something to do with it. It just seems a little odd that you would be referred without being told why.

Next time your doctor or caregiver does or recommends ANYTHING you din't understand - ask them rather than an anonymous forum, you'll probably get a more accurate answer.

But back to your general inquiry, there doesn't have to be any history of birth defects in the family for a patient to be referred for genetic counselling. Any number of things could have prompted this:

- If you have recently had an ultrasound exammination, it could have been that there was a discrepancy between the baby's size and the dates.

- If you are over 35, it's pretty routine (although usually done way at the beginning of the pregnancy or before conception if you are planning to become pregnant).

- If your racial heritage carries a risk (and before anyone jumps up and down this is NOT a racist comment, just a scientific fact) eg: African backgrounds could carry Sickle Cell Anemia, Italian Greek or Middle Eastern backgrounds could carry Thalassemia etc.

Best thing to do is pick up the phone and talk to the doctor or caregiver who referred you and let them know that it's worrying you, and you want to know why they have referred you and what you can expect.

Best of luck.

Answer 2

A NST is a non stress test. They hook up fetal monitors & it records every move & contraction your baby makes. They are pretty common not scary at all, think of it as a strechy belt around your belly. The genetic counseling is weird though. Did you have a Nucal folds test or quad screen come back off, call your OB and ask them why that is not common to be sent for no reason.

Answer 3

im not sure about the genetic counseling part but the NST is nothing to worry about. They place 2 round discs on your stomach. One up high and one down low. The top one will measure to see if you are having any contractions and the lower one will measure the babys heart rate. You will also see little black dots above the contraction line. Those dots symbolize every movement your baby makes.

Answer 4

i had to do a non-stress test to. its nothing to be scared of. i was soo scared when i was first having to do them because i was already around 7-8 months pregant, they found out that the babies cord was not right. it only had two arteries, and its spos to have three. so i had to go every week.

all they do is lay you down and wrap this belt type thing around your stomach, with a heart moniter attached (to the belt), and listen for your baby's heart rythem.then they will give you a cute little hand held button pusher and every time you feel your baby move, you push the button and it will be recorded onto a machine which they will later check for problems. this will go on for about 30mins to an hour depending what they are looking for. they make sure that your babies heart isnt to high and not to low.

i hope i helped you out. just think positive and stay calm, its the only thing that will make you get through this.

-good luck

Answer 5

The non-stress test, NST, they will hook you up to a monitor that tracks the baby's heartbeat and give you a little button to push everytime you feel baby move. They may also check to see if you are having any mild contractions on the monitor.
The genetics appt--I'm guessing they will take a family history and possibly draw blood.