QuestionHi, You helped me with a question last week and I had another to ask today. During my NST, I did not have any contractions or visible decels during fetal rest. I did notice however that during one acceleration where the baby was moving and moving thru the accel, the hb dropped a little bit (not below baseline though) and then went back up during the accel. Another time, after the accel peaked and was returning to normal, the hb dipped a bit below baseline before returning to normal. I asked the nurse about these patterns and she said they were normal. I hadn't seen them before and was wondering what they could mean.
Also, if a baseline is 125, is it in the normal range for the hb to fluctuate as low as 120 or is that a decel?
AnswerHi again :)
The average normal FHR range is between 120 and 160 beats per minute (bpm).
The baseline rate is interpreted as changed if the alteration persists for more than 15 minutes. From what you say, there was no 15 minute change in the baseline.
I agree with your nurse. Sounds more like normal variability and I would ask your doctor if your still not sure. Your doctor knows you best.
Prematurity, maternal anxiety and maternal fever may increase the baseline rate, while fetal maturity decreases the baseline rate.
Hope that helps :)
