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Chrissy Teigen Posted an Adorable Video of Luna Interrupting Her Fetal Nonstress Test

Cute? Yes. Stressful? Also yes.

When you’re pregnant, you're constantly doing two things: Getting asked when your due date is and going through all kinds of tests. And, as Chrissy Teigen recently showed, it's basically impossible to get through all of your doctor's appointments and medical tests without life getting in the way a bit.

Teigen, who is expecting her second child in June, recently shared an adorable video on Twitter of herself at the doctor’s office while her 2-year-old daughter Luna crawled all over her. “Luna, you’re going to fall,” Teigen says, laughing in the video. She captioned the video, “Don’t bring a toddler to your fetal stress test.”

She was likely referring to a fetal nonstress test, which is a prenatal test used to check on the baby’s heart rate, the Mayo Clinic explains. The term “nonstress” refers to the fact that nothing is done during the test that stresses or poses any risk to the baby.

But if you've been pregnant before and didn't get this specific test, don't feel like you're missing out—it's only used under certain circumstances.

The nonstress test is usually recommended when you have a high-risk pregnancy, and there are a ton of possible reasons for that.

Specifically, the test monitors your baby's heart rate and how it changes in response to the baby's movements. Using that information, doctors can get an idea of whether the baby is getting enough oxygen, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

The test itself is pretty simple: You sit in a chair for at least 20 minutes with two monitors strapped to your belly—one measures the baby’s heart rate, while the other looks at your uterine activity, Christine Greves, M.D., a board-certified ob/gyn at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, tells SELF. “It doesn’t hurt at all,” she notes.

If the tests shows that your baby's heart rate increased twice in a 20-minute session, that result is considered "reassuring," which indicates that there aren't any major problems, ACOG explains. But if there isn't enough heart rate activity, that could mean there's an issue with the baby. In that case, your doctor may order additional tests or, if you’re far enough along, may want to induce labor, Dr. Greves says.

You can have a nonstress test done when you hit 26 weeks of pregnancy, but it's especially useful later in pregnancy (around 30 or 32 weeks) when the baby should be more active and its heart rate should be more sustained, Shannon M. Clark, M.D., an associate professor of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch and founder of BabiesAfter35.com, tells SELF. If something feels off with the baby's movements, a nonstress test can help confirm whether there's really an issue.

But the test should only be done "if there's an indication to do it," Dr. Clark says, meaning that "either the mom or the fetus has a condition."

For example, your doctor might recommend a nonstress test if you have an underlying medical condition (such as type 1 diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure), you're two weeks past your due date, you have low amniotic fluid, or you have a history of complications from past pregnancies. And if you notice your baby isn't moving as much as usual having a baby who isn’t moving as much as usual, your doctor may issue one.

Depending on your circumstances, your doctor might want you to undergo nonstress tests regularly to keep tabs on your baby's heart rate.

That could mean coming in several times a week, once a week, once every other week, or even less, Jessica Shepherd, M.D., a minimally-invasive gynecologist at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, tells SELF.

It's probably best not to bring a toddler to the appointment if possible, but it's not a huge deal if they do have to join you. "I have patients bring their kids all the time," Dr. Clark says. The issue is that, once your doctor finds your baby's heartbeat, any big movements you do (like picking up your child or trying to get them to stop bouncing) might mean your doctor needs to adjust the monitor to get a continuous read on your baby's heart. "It's not ideal to have a child climbing on you because then a 20 minute test might turn into a 40 minute one," Dr. Clark says.

Overall, the nonstress test can be really helpful for doctors—even if it means wrangling a toddler at the same time. “It’s a great way for us to see what’s going on,” Dr. Shepherd says.

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