The NST Test vs. The Kick Test
April 15, 2026
- All it takes is just a drop of saliva
Obstetricians use what they call a Non-Stress Test (NST) to check on the well-being of your baby. If your doctor thinks your baby may be too quiet or is in any way stressed, your doctor may order an NST. How often an obstetrician will order an NST during a pregnancy depends upon the age of the baby and risk factors a mother might have such as diabetes or high blood pressure. The NST test is done in your doctor’s office or in the labor and delivery area of a hospital.
Yes, women can do what is called a kick test, or what is sometimes referred to as a home NST. The kick test tracks your baby’s normal amount of movement and activity.
There are a number of ways, but I have read many studies of various options and the following is my favorite:
• a half hour after you finish eating lunch (if you eat at 12:30, do this test from 1:00 to 1:30 pm).
• lie on a comfortable place such as a bed or recliner midway between your left side and your back (called the left decubitus position).
• in this position, count your baby’s kicks.
• you will usually get about ten kicks in 20 minutes, but you may take another ten minutes to reach ten kicks.
• if your baby extends it’s legs and returns to it’s previous position, that is considered to be two movements, or “kicks.”
The kick test should be done half an hour after eating (i.e., if you finish eating at 12:00, run the test between 12:30 and 1:00). Lie down on a bed in the left lateral decubitus position or sit in a recliner with your feet up.
Count your baby’s kicks for 30 minutes. There should be 10 kicks in the half hour, although some references allow an hour for the accumulation of the 10 kicks. If you can feel the baby draw its leg up, that’s one kick. Stretching the leg back out is a second kick.
Knowing your baby’s usual movements helps you document unusual movements. Babies often frantically move around to avoid some sort of risk to themselves. If you feel your baby moving around much more than usual, do not hesitate to go to the nearest emergency room.
The kick test is done once a day. When to start the kick testing depends upon the age of the baby and what else may be going on with you such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
Research shows the two tests to be equally accurate. In my experience, both the kick test and NST seldom give false positive or false negative results.
New studies suggests that some doctors blame the kick test for being false positive (that is, not enough kicks in the half hour), indicating the baby is stressed. When the kick test indicates the baby is stressed, the NST test is ordered to verify the stress. These negative tests, according to the critics, cause further unnecessary testing which increases cost of the care.
My testing has not supported these allegations.
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