N216 OB Ch 21 Nursing Care of the Family During the Postpartum Period

Question 1

couplet care; mother-baby care.

Answer 1

nursing care management approach in which one nurse cares for both the mother and her infant.

Question 2

early postpartum discharge; shortened hospital stay

Answer 2

term used for decreasing the length of hospital stays of mothers and their babies after low risk births.

Question 3

oxytocic

Answer 3

classification of medications that stimulation contraction of the uterine smooth muscle.

Question 4

uterine atony

Answer 4

failure of the uterine muscle to contract firmly. it is the most frequent cause for excessive bleeding following childbirth.

Question 5

sitz bath

Answer 5

perineal treatment that involves sitting in warm water for approximately 20 minutes to soothe and cleanse the site and to increase blood flow, thereby enhancing healing.

Question 6

afterpains (postbirth pains)

Answer 6

menstrual-like cramps experienced by many women as the uterus contracts after childbirth.

Question 7

splanchnic engorgement

Answer 7

dilation of blood vessels supplying the intestines as a result of the rapid decrease in intraabdominal pressure after birth. it causes blood to pool in the viscera and thereby contributing to orthostatic hypotension.

Question 8

orthostatic hypotension

Answer 8

a drop in blood pressure when the woman who has recently given birth sits or stands, first ambulates, or takes a warm shower.

Question 9

homans sign

Answer 9

complaint of pain in calf muscles when the foot is sharply dorsiflexed; it could signal the presence of DVT.

Question 10

kegel exercises

Answer 10

exercises that can assist women to regain muscle tone that is often lost when pelvic tissues are stretched and torn during pregnancy and birth.

Question 11

engorgement

Answer 11

swelling of breast tissue causes by increased blood and lymph supply to the breasts as the body begins the process of lactation; it occurs about 72 to 96 hours after birth.

Question 12

rubella

Answer 12

vaccine that can be given to postpartum women whose antibody titer is less than 1:8 or whose EIA level is less than 0.8. It is used to prevent nonimmune women from contracting this TORCH infection during a subsequent pregnancy

Question 13

RhoGAM

Answer 13

blood product that is administered to Rh-negative, antibody (Coombs’) negative women who give birth to Rh-positive newborns. It is administered at 28 weeks of gestation and again within 72 hours after birht.

Question 14

warm line

Answer 14

telephone-based postpartum consultation service that can provide information and support; it is not a crisis intervention line to be used for emergencies.