NURS 155 Exam 2 Success Questions Maternal Chapters 6 & 7

34. A client is receiving an epidural infusion of a narcotic for pain relief after a cesarean section. The nurse would report to the anesthesiologist if which of the following were assessed? 1. Respiratory rate 8 rpm. 2. Complaint of thirst. 3. Urinary output of 250 cc/hr. 4. Numbness of feet and ankles

1. This action is appropriate. This client's respiratory rate is below normal.

33. The obstetrician has ordered that a post-op cesarean section client's patient controlled analgesia (PCA) be discontinued. Which of the following actions by the nurse is appropriate? 1. Discard the remaining medication in the presence of another nurse. 2. Recommend waiting until her pain level is zero to discontinue the medicine. 3. Discontinue the medication only after the analgesia is completely absorbed. 4. Return the unused portion of medication to the narcotics cabinet.

1. This answer is correct. Because the medication in a PCA pump is controlled by law, the medication must be wasted in the presence of another nurse.

49. A client, G1P0101, postpartum 1 day, is assessed. The nurse notes that the client's lochia rubra is moderate and her fundus is boggy 2 cm above the umbilicus and deviated to the right. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first? 1. Notify the woman's primary health care provider. 2. Massage the woman's fundus. 3. Escort the woman to the bathroom to urinate. 4. Check the quantity of lochia on the peripad.

2. This action is the first that the nurse should take.

30. A woman is receiving patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) post-cesarean section. Which of the following must be included in the patient teaching? 1. The client should monitor how often she presses the button. 2. The client should report any feelings of nausea or itching to the nurse. 3. The family should press the button whenever they feel the woman is in pain. 4. The family should inform the nurse if the client becomes sleepy.

2. This information is correct. Clients often experience nausea and/or itching when PCA narcotics are administered.

64. A nurse is counseling a woman about postpartum blues. Which of the following should be included in the discussion? 1. The father may become sad and weepy. 2. Postpartum blues last about a week or two. 3. Medications are available to relieve the symptoms. 4. Very few women experience postpartum blues.

2. This information is correct. The blues usually resolve within 2 weeks of delivery.

81. Why are obstetric clients most at high risk for cardiovascular compromise during the one hour immediately following a delivery? 1. Because the weight of the uterine body is significantly reduced. 2. Because the excess blood volume from pregnancy is circulating in the woman's periphery. 3. Because the cervix is fully dilated and the lochia flows freely. 4. Because the maternal blood pressure drops precipitously once the baby's head emerges.

2. This response is true. Once the placenta is birthed, the reservoir for the mother's large blood volume is gone.

48. The nurse palpates a distended bladder on a woman who delivered vaginally 2 hours earlier. The woman refuses to go to the bathroom, "I really don't need to go." Which of the following responses by the nurse is appropriate? 1. "Okay. I must be palpating your uterus." 2. "I understand but I still would like you to try to urinate." 3. "You still must be numb from the local anesthesia." 4. "That is a problem. I will have to catheterize you."

2. This statement is accurate. Mothers often do not feel bladder pressure after delivery.

51. The nurse informs a postpartum woman that ibuprofen (Advil) is especially effective for afterbirth pains. What is the scientific rationale for this? 1. Ibuprofen is taken every two hours. 2. Ibuprofen has an antiprostaglandin effect. 3. Ibuprofen is given via the parenteral route. 4. Ibuprofen is administered in high doses.

2. This statement is correct. Ibuprofen has an antiprostaglandin effect.

6. A breastfeeding woman has been counseled on how to prevent engorgement. Which of the following actions by the mother shows that the teaching was effective? 1. She pumps her breasts after each feeding. 2. She feeds her baby every 2 to 3 hours. 3. She feeds her baby 10 minutes on each side. 4. She supplements each feeding with formula.

2. This statement is true. The best way to prevent engorgement is to feed the baby every 2 to 3 hours.

63. A primipara, 4 hours postpartum, requests that the nurse diaper her baby after a feeding because, "I am so tired right now. I just want to have something to eat and take a nap." Based on this information, the nurse concludes that the woman is exhibiting signs of which of the following? 1. Social deprivation. 2. Child neglect. 3. Normal postpartum behavior. 4. Postpartum depression.

3. The client is exhibiting normal postpartum behavior.

53. A physician has ordered an iron supplement for a postpartum woman. The nurse strongly suggests that the woman take the medicine with which of the following drinks? 1. Skim milk. 2. Ginger ale. 3. Orange juice. 4. Chamomile tea

3. The nurse would recommend that the iron be taken with orange juice because ascorbic acid, which is in orange juice, promotes the absorption of iron into the body

79. A client has just been transferred to the postpartum unit from labor and delivery. Which of the following tasks should the registered nurse delegate to the nursing care assistant? 1. Assess client's fundal height. 2. Teach client how to massage her fundus. 3. Take the client's vital signs. 4. Document quantity of lochia in the chart.

3. This action can be delegated to a nursing assistant. Once the vital signs are checked, the nursing assistant can report the results to the nurse for his or her interpretation.

47. The nurse is examining a 2-day postpartum client whose fundus is 2 cm below the umbilicus and whose bright red lochia saturates about 4 inches of a pad in 1 hour. What should the nurse document in the nursing record? 1. Abnormal involution, lochia rubra heavy. 2. Abnormal involution, lochia serosa scant. 3. Normal involution, lochia rubra moderate. 4. Normal involution, lochia serosa heavy.

3. This response is correct. The involution is normal and the lochia is rubra

37. A nurse is assessing a 1-day postpartum woman who had her baby by cesarean section. Which of the following should the nurse report to the surgeon? 1. Fundus at the umbilicus. 2. Nodular breasts. 3. Pulse rate 60 bpm. 4. Pad saturation every 30 minutes.

4. This blood loss is excessive, especially for a postoperative cesarean section client. The surgeon should be notified.

29. A woman had a cesarean section yesterday. She states that she needs to cough but that she is afraid to. Which of the following is the nurse's best response? 1. "I know that it hurts but it is very important for you to cough." 2. "Let me check your lung fields to see if coughing is really necessary." 3. "If you take a few deep breaths in, that should be as good as coughing." 4. "If you support your incision with a pillow, coughing should hurt less."

4. This is the appropriate response. The nurse is providing the client with a means of reducing the discomfort of postsurgical coughing.

45. A bottlefeeding woman, 11 ⁄2 weeks postpartum from a vaginal delivery, calls the obstetric office to state that she has saturated 2 pads in the past 1 hour. Which of the following responses by the nurse is appropriate? 1. "You must be doing too much. Lie down for a few hours and call back if the bleeding has not subsided." 2. "You are probably getting your period back. You will bleed like that for a day or two and then it will lighten up." 3. "It is not unusual to bleed heavily every once in a while after a baby is born. It should subside shortly." 4. "It is important for you to be examined by the doctor today. Let me check to see when you can come in."

4. This response is appropriate. The client should be examined to assess her involution.

83. The nurse is preparing to place a peripad on the perineum of a client who delivered her baby 10 minutes earlier. The client states, "Oh, I don't use those. I always use tampons." Which of the following actions by the nurse is appropriate at this time? 1. Remove the peripad and insert a tampon into the woman's vagina. 2. Advise the client that for the first two days she will be bleeding too heavily for a tampon. 3. Remind the client that a tampon would hurt until the soreness from the delivery resolves. 4. State that it is unsafe to place anything into the vagina until involution is complete.

4. This response is correct. It is unsafe to place anything in the vagina before involution is complete.

39. A client, G1P1, who had an epidural, has just delivered a daughter, Apgar 9/9, over a mediolateral episiotomy. The physician used low forceps. While recovering, the client states, "I'm a failure. I couldn't stand the pain and couldn't even push my baby out by myself!" Which of the following is the best response for the nurse to make? 1. "You'll feel better later after you have had a chance to rest and to eat." 2. "Don't say that. There are many women who would be ecstatic to have that baby." 3. "I am sure that you will have another baby. I bet that it will be a natural delivery." 4. "To have things work out differently than you had planned is disappointing."

4. This response shows that the nurse has an understanding of the client's feelings.

20. The nurse is assessing a newborn on admission to the newborn nursery. Which of the following findings should the nurse report to the neonatalogist? 1. Intracostal retractions. 2. Caput succedaneum. 3. Epstein's pearls. 4. Harlequin sign

. 1. Intracostal retractions are a sign of respiratory distress.

9. The pediatrician has ordered vitamin K 0.5 mg IM for a newly born baby. The medication is available as 2 mg/mL. How many milliliters (mL) should the nurse administer to the baby? ______ mL

0.25 mL

1. A 3-day postpartum client, who is not immune to rubella, is to receive the vaccine at discharge. Which of the following must the nurse include in her discharge teaching regarding the vaccine? 1. The woman should not become pregnant for at least 4 weeks. 2. The woman should pump and dump her breast milk for 1 week. 3. The mother must wear a surgical mask when she cares for the baby. 4. Passive antibodies transported across the placenta will protect the baby

1. 1. This statement is correct. The rubella vaccine is a live attenuated vaccine. Severe birth defects can develop if the woman becomes pregnant within 4 weeks of receiving the injection.

26. Which of the following full-term babies requires immediate intervention? 1. Baby with seesaw breathing. 2. Baby with irregular breathing with 10-second apnea spells. 3. Baby with coordinated thoracic and abdominal breathing. 4. Baby with respiratory rate of 52.

1. Seesaw breathing is an indication of respiratory distress

22. A neonate is in the active alert behavioral state. Which of the following would the nurse expect to see? 1. Baby is showing signs of hunger and frustration. 2. Baby is starting to whimper and cry. 3. Baby is wide awake and attending to a picture. 4. Baby is asleep and breathing rhythmically

1. Showing signs of hunger and frustration describes the active alert or active awake state.

7. A 2-day-old breastfeeding baby born via normal spontaneous vaginal delivery has just been weighed in the newborn nursery. The nurse determines that the baby has lost 3.5% of the birth weight. Which of the following nursing actions is appropriate? 1. Do nothing because this is a normal weight loss. 2. Notify the neonatalogist of the significant weight loss. 3. Advise the mother to bottlefeed the baby at the next feed. 4. Assess the baby for hypoglycemia with a glucose monitor.

1. The baby has lost less than 4% of its birth weight. The normal weight loss for babies is 5% to 10%.

69. An Asian client's temperature 10 hours after delivery is 100.2ºF. She refuses to drink her iced water. Which of the following actions is most appropriate? 1. Replace the iced water with hot water. 2. Notify the client's health care provider. 3. Assess the client's breasts for engorgement. 4. Remind the client that drinking is very important

1. This action is appropriate. Asians, many of whom believe in the hot-cold theory of disease, will often not drink cold fluids or eat cold foods during the postpartum.

3. A full-term newborn was just born. Which nursing intervention is important for the nurse to perform first? 1. Remove wet blankets. 2. Assess Apgar score. 3. Insert eye prophylaxis. 4. Elicit the Moro reflex

1. When newborns are wet they can become hypothermic from heat loss resulting from evaporation. They may then develop cold stress syndrome.

21. Four babies have just been admitted into the neonatal nursery. Which of the babies should the nurse assess first? 1. Baby with respirations 42, oxygen saturation 96%. 2. Baby with Apgar 9/9, weight 4660 grams. 3. Baby with temperature 97.8ºF, length 21 inches. 4. Baby with glucose 55 mg/dL, heart rate 121.

2. Although the Apgar score—9—is excellent, the baby's weight—4660 grams—is well above the average of 2500 to 4000 grams. Babies who are large-for-gestational age are at high risk for hypoglycemia.

26. A breastfeeding client, G10P6408, delivered 10 minutes ago. Which of the following assessments is most important for the nurse to perform at this time? 1. Pulse. 2. Fundus. 3. Bladder. 4. Breast

2. An assessment of the woman's fundus is the most important assessment to perform on this client.

24. The nursery charge nurse is assessing a 1-day-old female on morning rounds. Which of the following findings should be reported to the neonatalogist as soon as possible? 1. Blood in the diaper. 2. Grunting during expiration. 3. Deep red coloring on one side of the body with pale pink on the other side. 4. Lacy and mottled appearance over the entire chest and abdomen.

2. Expiratory grunting is an indication of respiratory distress

4. To prevent infection, the nurse teaches the postpartum client to perform which of the following tasks? 1. Apply antibiotic ointment to the perineum daily. 2. Change the peripad at each voiding. 3. Void at least every two hours. 4. Spray the perineum with a povidone-iodine solution after toileting

2. Clients should be advised to change their pads at each voiding.

42. A nurse is assessing the fundus of a client during the immediate postpartum period. Which of the following actions indicates that the nurse is performing the skill correctly? 1. The nurse measures the fundal height using a paper centimeter tape. 2. The nurse stabilizes the base of the uterus with his or her dependent hand. 3. The nurse palpates the fundus with the tips of his or her fingers. 4. The nurse precedes the assessment with a sterile vaginal exam.

2. The nurse should stabilize the base of the uterus with his or her dependent hand

20. Which of the following laboratory values would the nurse expect to see in a normal postpartum woman? 1. Hematocrit 39%. 2. White blood cell count 16,000 cells/mm3 . 3. Red blood cell count 5 million cells/mm3 . 4. Hemoglobin 15 grams/dL.

2. The nurse would expect to see an elevated white cell count

38. The nurse is assessing the midline episiotomy on a postpartum client. Which of the following findings should the nurse expect to see? 1. Moderate serosanguinous drainage. 2. Well-approximated edges. 3. Ecchymotic area distal to the episiotomy. 4. An area of redness adjacent to the incision.

2. The nurse would expect to see well approximated edges.

23. A mother asks whether or not she should be concerned that her baby never opens his mouth to breathe when his nose is so small. Which of the following is the nurse's best response? 1. "The baby does rarely open his mouth but you can see that he isn't in any distress." 2. "Babies usually breathe in and out through their noses so they can feed without choking." 3. "Everything about babies is small. It truly is amazing how everything works so well." 4. "You are right. I will report the baby's small nasal openings to the pediatrician right away."

2. This statement provides the mother with the knowledge that babies are obligate nose breathers in order to be able to suck, swallow, and breathe without choking

28. The following four babies are in the neonatal nursery. Which of the babies should be seen by the neonatalogist? 1. 1-day-old, HR 110 beats per minute in deep sleep. 2. 2-day-old, T 97.7ºF, slightly jaundiced. 3. 3-day-old, breastfeeding every 4 hours, jittery. 4. 4-day-old, crying, papular rash on an erythematous base

3. Babies who breastfeed fewer than 8 times a day are not receiving adequate nutrition. Jitters are indicative of hypoglycemia.

8. Four newborns are in the neonatal nursery. Which of the babies should the nurse report to the neonatalogist? 1. 16-hour-old baby who has yet to pass meconium. 2. 16-hour-old baby whose blood glucose is 50 mg/dL. 3. 2-day-old baby who is breathing irregularly at 70 breaths per minute. 4. 2-day-old baby who is excreting a milky discharge from both nipples.

3. Normal neonatal breathing is irregular at 30 to 60 breaths per minute. This baby is tachypneic.

13. A breastfeeding mother states that she has sore nipples. In response to the complaint, the nurse assists with "latch on" and recommends that the mother do which of the following? 1. Use a nipple shield at each breastfeeding. 2. Cleanse the nipples with soap 3 times a day. 3. Rotate infant positions at each feed. 4. Bottle feed for 2 days then resume breastfeeding

3. Rotating positions at feedings is one action that can help to minimize the severity of sore nipples.

11. A nurse notes that a 6-hour-old neonate has cyanotic hands and feet. Which of the following actions by the nurse is appropriate? 1. Place child in isolette. 2. Administer oxygen. 3. Swaddle baby in blanket. 4. Apply pulse oximeter

3. The baby's extremities are cyanotic as a result of the baby's immature circulatory system. Swaddling helps to warm the baby's hands and feet.

50. The nurse has taught a new admission to the postpartum unit about pericare. Which of the following indicates that the client understands the procedure? 1. The woman performs the procedure twice a day. 2. The woman sits in warm tap water for ten minutes. 3. The woman sprays her perineum from front to back. 4. The woman mixes tap water with hydrogen peroxide

3. This statement is accurate.

18. A neonate is being admitted to the well-baby nursery. Which of the following findings should be reported to the neonatalogist? 1. Umbilical cord with three vessels. 2. Diamond-shaped anterior fontanelle. 3. Cryptorchidism. 4. Café au lait spot.

3. Undescended testes—cryptorcidism— is an unexpected finding. It is one sign of prematurity.

67. A Muslim woman requests something to eat after the delivery of her baby. Which of the following meals would be most appropriate for the nurse to give her? 1. Ham sandwich. 2. Bacon and eggs. 3. Spaghetti with sausage. 4. Chicken and dumplings.

4. Although this is not a traditional Muslim dish, the foods are allowable by Muslim tradition.

27. Which of the following drawings is consistent with a baby who was in the frank breech position in utero?

4. This is an image of a baby in the breech posture.

8. A G2P2002, who is postpartum 6 hours from a spontaneous vaginal delivery, is assessed. The nurse notes that the fundus is firm at the umbilicus, there is heavy lochia, and perineal sutures are intact. Which of the following actions should the nurse take at this time? 1. Do nothing. This is a normal finding. 2. Massage the woman's fundus. 3. Take the woman to the bathroom to void. 4. Notify the woman's primary health care provider.

4. Because of the heavy lochia, the nurse should notify the woman's health care provider.

1. The nurse is discussing the neonatal blood screening test with a new mother. The nurse knows that more teaching is needed when the mother states that which of the following diseases is included in the screening test? 1. Hypothyroidism. 2. Sickle cell anemia. 3. Galactosemia. 4. Cerebral palsy.

4. Cerebral palsy (CP) is a disorder characterized by motor dysfunction resulting from a nonprogressive injury to brain tissue. The injury usually occurs during labor, delivery, or shortly after delivery. Physical examination is required to diagnose CP. Blood screening is not an appropriate means of diagnosis.

7. A 2-day-postpartum breastfeeding woman states, "I am sick of being fat. When can I go on a diet?" Which of the following responses is appropriate? 1. "It is fine for you to start dieting right now as long as you drink plenty of milk." 2. "Your breast milk will be low in vitamins if you start to diet while breastfeeding." 3. "You must eat at least 3000 calories per day in order to produce enough milk for your baby." 4. "Many mothers lose weight when they breastfeed because the baby consumes about 600 calories a day."

4. Many mothers who consume approximately the same number of calories while breastfeeding as they did when they were pregnant do lose weight while breastfeeding.

12. A couple is asking the nurse whether or not their son should be circumcised. On which fact should the nurse's response be based? 1. Boys should be circumcised in order for them to establish a positive self-image. 2. Boys should not be circumcised because there is no medical rationale for the procedure. 3. Experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention argue that circumcision is desirable. 4. A statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics asserts that circumcision is optional.

4. The AAP, although acknowledging that there are some advantages to circumcision, states that there is not enough evidence to suggest that all baby boys be circumcised.

23. The nurse is evaluating the involution of a woman who is 3 days postpartum. Which of the following findings would the nurse evaluate as normal? 1. Fundus 1 cm above the umbilicus, lochia rosa. 2. Fundus 2 cm above the umbilicus, lochia alba. 3. Fundus 2 cm below the umbilicus, lochia rubra. 4. Fundus 3 cm below the umbilicus, lochia serosa.

4. The fundus is usually 3 cm below the umbilicus on day 3 and the lochia usually has turned to serosa by day 3

30. Four newborns were admitted into the neonatal nursery 1 hour ago. They are all sleeping in overhead warmers. Which of the babies should the nurse ask the neonatalogist to evaluate? 1. The neonate with a temperature of 97.9ºF and weight of 3000 grams. 2. The neonate with white spots on the bridge of the nose. 3. The neonate with raised white specks on the gums. 4. The neonate with respirations of 72 and heart rate of 166.

4. The normal resting respiratory rate of a neonate is 30 to 60 and the normal resting heart rate of a neonate is 110 to 160.

68. The nurse is caring for a Seventh Day Adventist woman who delivered a baby boy by cesarean section. Which of the following questions should be asked regarding this woman's care? 1. "Would you like me to order a vegetarian clear liquid diet for you?" 2. "Is there anything special you will need for your Sabbath on Sunday?" 3. "Would you like to telephone your clergy to set up a date for the baptism?" 4. "Will a rabbi be performing the circumcision on your baby?"

68. 1. This question is appropriate. Seventh Day Adventists usually follow vegetarian diets.

28. The nurse is caring for a postpartum client who experienced a second-degree perineal laceration at delivery 2 hours ago. Which of the following interventions should the nurse perform at this time? 1. Apply an ice pack to the perineum. 2. Advise the woman to use a sitz bath after every voiding. 3. Advise the woman to sit on a pillow. 4. Teach the woman to insert nothing into her rectum

It is appropriate to apply an ice pack to the area.