Nursing Managment for Labor/Birth Flashcards
What should you assess for Maternal status?
- Maternal vital signs
- Review prenatal records
- Vaginal exam
- Evaluate pain
When can you not perform a vaginal exam on the mom?
When there is active bleeding
How often will a vaginal exam be performed?
every 4 hours
What is the purpose of performing a vaginal exam?
To assess the amount of cervical dilation, the percentage of cervical effacement, and the fetal membrane status
And to gather info on presentation, position, station, degree of flexion, and presence of skull molding/swelling
What is used as lubricant for the initial vaginal exam?
water
How is the dilation and effacement assessed?
The width of the cervical opening determines dilation, and the length of the cervix assesses effacement
When the membranes rupture what should the priority focus be?
Assessing FHR first to identify deceleration which might indicate cord compression
What are signs of intrauterine infection?
maternal fever
fetal and maternal tachycardia
foul odor of vaginal discharge
increase in white blood cells
How is rupture of membranes confirmed?
Sample of fluid is taken via a nitrazine yellow dye swab to determine fluids pH
Is vaginal fluid acidic or alkaline?
Acidic
Is amniotic fluid acidic or alkaline?
Alkaline
What can cause a false-positive for a nitrazine test?
Women experiencing large amounts of bloody show
If the Nitrazine tets is inconclusive what other test may be performed to confirm rupture of membranes?
Fern test
What do the different levels of contractions feel like when palpating?
Mild-tip of nose
Moderate-like the chin
Strong- like the forehead
Leopold Maneuvers
method for determining the presentation, position, and lie of the fetus through the use of four specific steps
Maneuver 1
What fetal part (head or buttocks) is located in the fundus?
Maneuver 2
On which maternal side is the fetal back located
Where are fetal heart tones best auscultated?
On the back of the fetus
Maneuver 3
What is the presenting part?
Maneuver 4
Is the fetal head flexed and engaged in the pelvis?
When the membranes are ruptured what should the amniotic fluid look like?
Clear
Cloudy or foul smelling amniotic fluid indicates what?
Infection
What may green amniotic fluid indicate?
The fetus has passed meconium
What may cause the fetus to pass meconium before birth?
Transient hypoxia Prolonged pregnancy Cord compression Intrauterine growth restriction Maternal hypertension/diabetes Chorioamnionitis
When is the passage of meconium considered normal?
When fetus is in breech position
Analysis of FHR is one of the primary evaluation tools for what?
Determining fetal oxygen status directly
What are the guidelines for assessing FHR?
- Initial 10-20 mins continuous FHR assessment on entry into labor/birth area
- Prenatal/labor risk assessment
- Intermittent auscultation q 30 mins for low risk and q 15 mins for high risk women during active labor
- During second stage q 15 mins low risk and q 5 mins for high risk women during pushing stage
FHR Category I (Normal)
Does NOT require intervention
- Baseline 110-160 bpm
- variability moderate
- present or absent accelerations
- present or absent early decelerations
- No late or variable decelerations
FHR Category II (Indeterminate)
Requires evaluation and continued surveillance
- Fetal tachycardia >160 bpm present
- Bradycardia < 110 bpm not accompanied by absent baseline variability
- Absent baseline variability not accompanied by recurrent decelerations
- Minimal or marked variability
- Recurrent late decelerations
- Prolonged decelerations > 2 mins but < 10
FHR Category III (Abnormal)
Requires intervention
- Fetal bradycardia < 110 bpm
- Recurrent late decelerations
- Recurrent variable decelerations-declining or absent
- Sinusoidal pattern
Baseline variability
irregular fluctuations in the baseline FHR, which is measured as the amplitude of the peak to trough in bpm
What is the most common cause of fetal death that could’ve been prevented?
Fetal Hypoxia
Continuous Electronic Fetal Monitoring
-Uses a machine to produce a continuous tracing of the FHR
Produce a graphic record of the FHR pattern
What are the primary objectives of Electronic Fetal Monitoring?
- Provide info about fetal oxygenation and prevent fetal injury from impaired oxygenation
- Detect FHR changes early before they are prolonged and profound
What is the criteria for using continuous Internal monitoring of FHR?
- Ruptured membranes
- Cervical dilation of at least 2 cm
- Present fetal part low enough to allow placement of scalp electrode
- Skilled practitioner available to insert
What are the 4 Categories of Baseline Variability?
Absent
Minimal
Moderate
Marked
Absent
fluctuation range undetectable
Minimal
Fluctuation range observed at < 5 bpm
Moderate (Normal)
fluctuation range from 6-25 bpm
Marked
Fluctuation range >25 bpm
What is the average FHR?
110-160 bpm
Fetal Bradycardia
occurs when FHR is below 110 bpm and lasts 10 minutes or longer
What may cause fetal bradycardia?
Fetal hypoxia Prolonged maternal hypoglycemia Fetal acidosis Analgesic drugs for mom Anesthetic agents for mom Maternal hypotension Fetal hypothermia Prolonged umbilical cord compression Fetal congenital heart block