A stress test or contraction stress test is usually performed after a non-stress test does not give enough information or needs to be confirmed with another test.

A fetal monitoring belt will be placed around your abdomen and contractions will either be administered through a very small amount of pitocin or through nipple stimulation. Once contractions are registering on the fetal monitoring system, the nurse or doctor will evaluate how the baby is responding to the contractions. They will look at the heart rate and movements of the baby. If the baby is not responding well (like drop in heart beat with contractions), this could signal fetal distress.