Maternity - Care of Newborn
While assessing a newborn suspected of having Down syndrome, what does the nurse expect to note?
A single line across each palm
A nurse is assessing a newborn born after 32 weeks' gestation. What clinical finding does the nurse anticipate?
Barely visible areola and nipple.
Despite medication, a client's preterm labor continues, her cervix dilates, and birth appears inevitable. Which medication does the nurse anticipate will be prescribed to increase the chance of the newborn's survival?
Betamethasone (Celestone)
What are the initial nursing actions after the birth of a preterm baby with an Apgar score of 6?
Drying the infant and placing the infant in a warm controlled environment.
A neonate born at 39 weeks' gestation is small for gestational age. What commonly occurring problem should the nurse anticipate when planning care for this infant?
Hypoglycemia
A client who recently gave birth has myasthenia gravis. For what clinical manifestation should the nurse monitor the newborn?
Hypotonia
The nurse is performing the nursery intake assessment of a 1-hour old newborn. The assessment reveals that the newborn's hands and feet are cyanotic and there is circumoral pallor when the infant cries or feeds. What action should the nurse perform based on these findings?
Notify the practitioner, because circumoral pallor may indicate cardiac problems
After a spontaneous vaginal birth, the nurse's first actions are clearing the airway and stimulating the newborn to cry. What nursing intervention should be implemented next?
Placing the infant in skin-to-skin contact with the mother
When a preterm newborn requires oxygen, the nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit monitors and adjusts the oxygen concentration. What complication do these adjustments attempt to prevent?
Retinopathy of prematurity
Jaundice develops in a newborn 72 hours after birth. What should the nurse tell the parents is the probable cause of the jaundice?
The physiologic destruction of fetal red blood cells
A newborn with acquired herpes simplex virus infection is being discharged. Which facet of development should the nurse teach the parents to monitor?
Visual clarity
The nurse assures a breastfeeding mother that one way she will know that her infant is getting an adequate supply of breast milk is if the infant gains weight. What behavior does the infant exhibit if an adequate amount of milk is being ingested?
Voids six or more times a day
A new mother is feeding her baby girl, who was born 36 hours ago in a spontaneous vaginal delivery. The nurse notices that the mother is crying and points to the top of her baby's head. She cries, "I don't know what's wrong with my baby! She didn't have this big lump on the right side of her head before now. I haven't dropped her! What happened to her?" What is the best response once the nurse has assessed the infant's head?
"Your baby may have a condition called cephalhematoma. It's common, but I'll make a note to have the pediatrician assess it."
An infant is born with a life-threatening congenital heart defect and is admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. What is the priority nursing intervention at this time?
Assisting the parents with the grieving process
A newborn whose mother has type 1 diabetes is receiving a continuous infusion of fluids with glucose. What should the nurse do when preparing to discontinue the IV?
Decrease the rate slowly.
A client with chronic hypertension and superimposed preeclampsia gives birth at 39 weeks' gestation to a 4-lb 12-oz (Canada: 2155 g) infant. What condition does the nurse anticipate when assessing this infant?
Intrauterine growth restriction
A nurse who is caring for a 32-week appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) neonate establishes a list of objectives for the infant. What objective should receive the highest priority?
Maintain respirations.
A nurse is caring for preterm infants with respiratory distress in the neonatal intensive care unit. What is the priority nursing action?
Maintaining a high-humidity environment to promote gas exchange
A newborn is admitted to the nursery and classified as small for gestational age (SGA). What is the priority nursing intervention for this infant?
Monitoring the infant's blood glucose level
A preterm newborn in the neonatal intensive care unit experiences periods of apnea, and apnea monitoring is instituted. What is the nurse's initial action if the apnea alarm sounds?
Provide tactile stimulation
An infant born in the 36th week of gestation weighs 4 lb 3 oz (Canada: 1899 g) and has Apgar scores of 7 and 9. What nursing actions will be performed on the infant's admission to the nursery?
Recording of vital signs. Evaluation of the neonate's health status. Supportive measures to keep the neonate's body temperature stable.
A newborn is found to have neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) after exhibiting jitteriness, irritability, and a shrill cry. What is the priority nursing care?
Reducing environmental stimuli to promote relaxation
A newborn has an Apgar score of 3 at 1 minute after birth. What is the immediate nursing action in response to this Apgar score?
Start resuscitation.
During a newborn assessment the nurse counts the infant's cord vessels. What does the nurse expect to observe in a healthy newborn?
Three vessels: one vein and two arteries
