Abdominal Palpation Flashcards
1
Hand Hygiene: Perform hand hygiene before coming into contact with woman
2
Communication: Introduce yourself and what you will be doing in the appointment
3
Empty Bladder: Ask the woman if she has emptied her bladder, and to do so if she hasn’t
4
Movements: Ask the woman if she has been feeling her baby move regularly since her last appointment
5
Gestation: Calculate gestation from EDD
6
Consent: Obtain consent to life her shirt to gain access to her abdomen
7
Visual Inspection: Presence of obesity, scars, size and shape of uterus, skin rashes, linea nigra etc.
8
Fundal Height: Feel for the symphysis pubis, place the bottom of the tape measure there. Feel for the fundus, and measure to that point. Should correlate with gestation
9
Abdominal Palpation: Start at the fundus and work your way down. Feel for the lie and the presentation
10
Engagement: Place thumb and index finger at the top of the symphysis pubis and feel for the engagement of the presenting part. Measure in fifths
11
Position: State the position of the baby (for example LOA) and explain to the woman what this means
12
FHR Auscultation with Pinnard: Inform woman you will be measuring FHR firstly with a pinnard, then with the doppler. Place pinnard on anterior shoulder of fetus and listen for a full minute
13
FHR Auscultation with Doppler: Ask woman if she would like to hear her baby’s heart beat. Place doppler on anterior shoulder and listen for FHR
14
Document: Document all findings on yellow card, and verbalise for examiners
15
Address Concerns: Address any concerns the woman may have, such as discomforts in pregnancy
