Perry - Chapter 8 Flashcards
The nurse caring for a newly pregnant woman would advise her that ideally prenatal care should begin:
a. Before the first missed menstrual period.
b. After the first missed menstrual period.
c. After the second missed menstrual period.
d. After the third missed menstrual period.
ANS: B
Prenatal care ideally should begin soon after the first missed menstrual period. Regular prenatal visits offer opportunities to ensure the health of the expectant mother and her infant.
Prenatal testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is recommended for:
a. All women, regardless of risk factors.
b. A woman who has had more than one sexual partner.
c. A woman who has had a sexually transmitted infection.
d. A woman who is monogamous with her partner.
ANS: A
Testing for the antibody to HIV is strongly recommended for all pregnant women. A HIV test is recommended for all women, regardless of risk factors. Women who test positive for HIV can be treated, reducing the risk of transmission to the fetus.
Which symptom is considered a first-trimester warning sign and should be reported immediately by the pregnant woman to her health care provider?
a. Nausea with occasional vomiting c. Urinary frequency
b. Fatigue d. Vaginal bleeding
ANS: D
Signs and symptoms that must be reported include severe vomiting, fever and chills, burning on urination, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and vaginal bleeding. These symptoms may be signs of potential complications of the pregnancy. Nausea with occasional vomiting, fatigue, and urinary frequency are normal first-trimester complaints. Although they may be worrisome or annoying to the mother, they usually are not indications of pregnancy problems.
A pregnant woman at 10 weeks of gestation jogs three or four times per week. She is concerned about the effect of exercise on the fetus. The nurse should inform her:
a. “You don’t need to modify your exercising any time during your pregnancy.”
b. “Stop exercising because it will harm the fetus.”
c. “You may find that you need to modify your exercise to walking later in your pregnancy, around the seventh month.”
d. “Jogging is too hard on your joints; switch to walking now.”
ANS: C
Typically running should be replaced with walking around the seventh month of pregnancy. The nurse should inform the woman that she may need to reduce her exercise level as the pregnancy progresses. Physical activity promotes a feeling of well-being in pregnant women. It improves circulation, promotes relaxation and rest, and counteracts boredom. Simple measures should be initiated to prevent injuries, such as warm-up and stretching exercises to prepare the joints for more strenuous exercise.
The multiple marker test is used to assess the fetus for which condition?
a. Down syndrome c. Congenital cardiac abnormality
b. Diaphragmatic hernia d. Anencephaly
ANS: A
The maternal serum level of alpha-fetoprotein is used to screen for Down syndrome, neural tube defects, and other chromosome anomalies. The multiple marker test would not detect diaphragmatic hernia, congenital cardiac abnormality, or anencephaly. Additional testing, such as ultrasonography and amniocentesis, would be required to diagnose these conditions.
A woman who is 32 weeks’ pregnant is informed by the nurse that a danger sign of pregnancy could be:
a. Constipation.
b. Alteration in the pattern of fetal movement.
c. Heart palpitations.
d. Edema in the ankles and feet at the end of the day.
ANS: B
An alteration in the pattern or amount of fetal movement may indicate fetal jeopardy. Constipation, heart palpitations, and ankle and foot edema are normal discomforts of pregnancy that occur in the second and third trimesters.
A woman who is 14 weeks pregnant tells the nurse that she always had a glass of wine with dinner before she became pregnant. She has abstained during her first trimester and would like to know if it is safe for her to have a drink with dinner now. The nurse would tell her:
a. “Since you’re in your second trimester, there’s no problem with having one drink with dinner.”
b. “One drink every night is too much. One drink three times a week should be fine.”
c. “Since you’re in your second trimester, you can drink as much as you like.”
d. “Because no one knows how much or how little alcohol it takes to cause fetal problems, the best course is to abstain throughout your pregnancy.”
ANS: D
The statement “Because no one knows how much or how little alcohol it takes to cause fetal problems, the best course is to abstain throughout your pregnancy” is accurate. A safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy has not yet been established. Although the consumption of occasional alcoholic beverages may not be harmful to the mother or her developing fetus, complete abstinence is strongly advised.
A pregnant woman at 18 weeks of gestation calls the clinic to report that she has been experiencing occasional backaches of mild-to-moderate intensity. The nurse would recommend that she:
a. Do Kegel exercises. c. Use a softer mattress.
b. Do pelvic rock exercises. d. Stay in bed for 24 hours.
ANS: B
Pelvic rock exercises may help stretch and strengthen the abdominal and lower back muscles and relieve low back pain. Kegel exercises increase the tone of the pelvic area, not the back. A softer mattress may not provide the support needed to maintain proper alignment of the spine and may contribute to back pain. Stretching and other exercises to relieve back pain should be performed several times a day.
For what reason would breastfeeding be contraindicated?
a. Hepatitis B
b. Everted nipples
c. History of breast cancer 3 years ago
d. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive
ANS: D
Women who are HIV positive are discouraged from breastfeeding. Although hepatitis B antigen has not been shown to be transmitted through breast milk, as an added precaution infants born to HBsAg-positive women should receive the hepatitis B vaccine and immune globulin immediately after birth. Everted nipples are functional for breastfeeding. Newly diagnosed breast cancer would be a contraindication to breastfeeding.
A woman is 3 months pregnant. At her prenatal visit, she tells the nurse that she doesn’t know what is happening; one minute she’s happy that she is pregnant, and the next minute she cries for no reason. Which response by the nurse is most appropriate?
a. “Don’t worry about it; you’ll feel better in a month or so.”
b. “Have you talked to your husband about how you feel?”
c. “Perhaps you really don’t want to be pregnant.”
d. “Hormonal changes during pregnancy commonly result in mood swings.”
ANS: D
The statement “Hormonal changes during pregnancy commonly result in mood swings” is accurate and the most appropriate response by the nurse. The statement “Don’t worry about it; you’ll feel better in a month or so” dismisses the client’s concerns and is not the most appropriate response. Although women should be encouraged to share their feelings, “Have you talked to your husband about how you feel” is not the most appropriate response and does not provide the client with a rationale for the psychosocial dynamics of her pregnancy. “Perhaps you really don’t want to be pregnant” is completely inappropriate and deleterious to the psychologic well-being of the woman. Hormonal and metabolic adaptations often cause mood swings in pregnancy. The woman’s responses are normal. She should be reassured about her feelings.
The nurse should be aware that the partner’s main role in pregnancy is to:
a. Provide financial support.
b. Protect the pregnant woman from “old wives’ tales.”
c. Support and nurture the pregnant woman.
d. Make sure the pregnant woman keeps prenatal appointments.
ANS: C
The partner’s main role in pregnancy is to nurture the pregnant woman and respond to her feelings of vulnerability. In older societies, the man enacted the ritual couvade. Changing cultural and professional attitudes have encouraged fathers’ participation in the birth experience over the past 30 years.
During the first trimester, a woman can expect which of the following changes in her sexual desire?
a. An increase, because of enlarging breasts
b. A decrease, because of nausea and fatigue
c. No change
d. An increase, because of increased levels of female hormones
ANS: B
Maternal physiologic changes such as breast enlargement, nausea, fatigue, abdominal changes, perineal enlargement, leukorrhea, pelvic vasocongestion, and orgasmic responses may affect sexuality and sexual expression. Libido may be depressed in the first trimester but often increases during the second and third trimesters. During pregnancy, the breasts may become enlarged and tender; this tends to interfere with coitus, decreasing the desire to engage in sexual activity.
Which behavior indicates that a woman is “seeking safe passage” for herself and her infant?
a. She keeps all prenatal appointments. c. She drives her car slowly.
b. She “eats for two.” d. She wears only low-heeled shoes.
ANS: A
The goal of prenatal care is to foster a safe birth for the infant and mother. Although eating properly, driving carefully, and using proper body mechanics all are healthy measures that a mother can take, obtaining prenatal care is the optimal method for providing safety for both herself and her baby.
A 3-year-old girl’s mother is 6 months pregnant. What concern is this child likely to verbalize?
a. How the baby will “get out” c. Whether her mother will die
b. What the baby will eat d. What color eyes the baby has
ANS: B
By age 3 or 4, children like to be told the story of their own beginning and accept its comparison with the present pregnancy. They like to listen to the fetal heartbeat and feel the baby move. Sometimes they worry about how the baby is being fed and what it wears. School-age children take a more clinical interest in their mother’s pregnancy and may want to know, “How did the baby get in there?” and “How will it get out?” Whether her mother will die does not tend to be the focus of a child’s questions about the impending birth of a sibling. The baby’s eye color does not tend to be the focus of children’s questions about the impending birth of a sibling.
In her work with pregnant women of various cultures, a nurse practitioner has observed various practices that seemed strange or unusual. She has learned that cultural rituals and practices during pregnancy seem to have one purpose in common. Which statement best describes that purpose?
a. To promote family unity
b. To ward off the “evil eye”
c. To appease the gods of fertility
d. To protect the mother and fetus during pregnancy
ANS: D
The purpose of all cultural practices is to protect the mother and fetus during pregnancy. Although many cultures consider pregnancy normal, certain practices are expected of women of all cultures to ensure a good outcome. Cultural prescriptions tell women what to do, and cultural proscriptions establish taboos. The purposes of these practices are to prevent maternal illness resulting from a pregnancy-induced imbalanced state and to protect the vulnerable fetus.