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Prenatal Testing

A Dad's Eye View

By Dr. Aneema Van Groenou

If you thought pregnancy testing just referred to the pregnancy test, you're in for a surprise. During the course of this pregnancy, your wife will visit the doctor regularly to get the pregnancy checked – and to get tested. If you're scratching your stubble about what these tests could possibly entail, this article will give you some perspective. It will also give you the vocabulary to sound like you know what you're talking about – and ask the right questions – when the time comes.

More importantly, you want to know what the test means for you and your expecting wife and what it means for your developing fetus. Some of the following tests are recommended for all pregnancies, and some are only suggested in special cases, such as a mother who will be over age 35 at the time of delivery.

Fetal monitoring is a method of listening to the growing fetus' heart tones (or heartbeat) using a monitor on the mother's belly. Most Doppler devices at doctors' offices can pick up the baby's heart by the end of the first trimester. This exam simply involves putting some gel and a probe on top of the mother's belly and listening for the fetal heart. The probe uses ultrasound to detect the heart and is not harmful to the fetus at any gestational age. However, the earlier the pregnancy and the more the fetus moves around, the harder it is to pick up the heartbeat.

You will hear the gallup of the fetus' heart, and the doctor will count the beats per minute to make sure they are in the healthy range. But be prepared, because hearing your little one's heart for the first time can be pretty emotional.

As the pregnancy progresses, the doctor will continue to check the fetal heart tones and will eventually schedule the mother for a non-stress test. The non-stress test (NST) monitors the fetal heart rate at the same time a toco transducer measures the mother's uterine contractions. Late in pregnancy, the uterus contracts – even though the mother cannot feel contractions – and the baby responds to these gentle contractions. The NST checks for a healthy fetal response to these contractions.

Want to see more?

• Picture Day! A Guide to Ultrasounds
• Prenatal Screening: The Pros and Cons of Enhanced AFP
• Coping With Morning Sickness: How to Help Your Partner
• Putting Yourself in Her Shoes: Sympathy-Building Exercises for the Dad-to-be
• What Not to Do in the Delivery Room
• Talk about it!

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