Prenatal Flashcards
Review stages of pregnancy, signs of pregnancy, physical and psychological changes, prenatal tests, and complications.
How many weeks is the first trimester of pregnancy?
week 1 to week 13
At how many weeks is the second trimester of pregnancy?
week 14 to week 27
At how many weeks is the third trimester of pregnancy?
week 28 to week 40
At what week of gestation can the sex of the fetus be determined?
Sex of fetus determined at week 12 by ultrasound.
What is the normal 1st trimester fetal heart rate?
160 - 170 beats per minute
What is the normal heart rate of a fetus by the end of the 3rd trimester?
110 - 160 beats per minute
What are some risk factors for a difficult pregnancy or loss of the fetus?
- age: <20 years old or >35 years old
- obesity
- abuse and violence
- diabetes or cardiac disorders
- drugs/smoking/alcohol
- medications
How often are prenatal visits?
- every 4 weeks from confirmation of pregnancy until end of 2nd trimester
- every 3 weeks from 28 to 36 weeks (starting at 3rd trimester)
- then weekly until delivery
What are the general assessments for every prenatal visit?
-
pregnant woman assessment:
- blood pressure
- weight
- urine screening for proteins (pre-eclampsia)
-
fetus assessment:
- fundal height (of woman)
- fetal ultrasound for heart tones and growth
What is Nagele’s rule?
Nagele’s rule is calculating the due date of the baby:
- due date = + 9 months + 7 days (adjust the year) from the date of when the last period started
Define:
Gravida and Para
- Gravida: the number of total pregnancies (including present one)
- Para: the number of births after 20 weeks
What does GTPAL stand for?
- Gravida: number of pregnancies
- Term: births after 37 weeks
- Preterm: births before 37 weeks
- Abortions (miscarriages)
- Living children
What is a presumptive sign of pregnancy?
- quickening (feeling movement of fetus)
- nausea/vomiting
- sore breasts
- missed period
What is a probable sign of pregnancy?
A probable sign of pregnancy is a pregnancy test that comes back positive and the signs detected by the HCP such as:
- Heger’s sign
- Goodell’s sign
- Chadwick’s sign
What is Heger’s sign?
A probable sign of pregnancy when the lower part of uterus starts to get soft at about week 6.
What is Goodell’s sign?
A probable sign of pregnancy when there is softening of the cervix at about week 9.
What is Chadwick’s sign?
A probable sign of pregnancy when the cervix turns a bluish-purple color at about week 6.
What is ballottement?
A probable sign of pregnancy of when the fetus rebounds when the HCP presses on the uterus.
What are Braxton-hick contractions?
A probable sign of pregnancy of irregular contractions.
What hormone indicates a positive pregnancy test?
Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) indicates a positive pregnancy test (which is a probable sign of pregnancy).
HCG can be detected in urine in as early as 8 days after conception.
What is a positive sign of pregnancy?
- fetal heart rate is detected by doppler and fetoscope
- HCP can feel the fetus move on palpation
- fetus is seen on ultrasound
What is the fundal height?
A measurement from the top of the fundus to the symphysis pubis as measured in centimeters.
It estimates the gestational age.
Complete the sentence:
After week 18, the fundal height in centimeters = number of ______ pregnant.
After week 18, the fundal height in centimeters = number of weeks pregnant.
The fundal height and gestational age of fetus can be off by how many centimeters?
Fundal height and gestational age can be off by plus or minus 2 centimeters.
Ex: a fundal height of 20 cm can indicate that the fetus is somewhere between 18 and 22 weeks old.
What are the physical and psychological changes in pregnancy caused by?
Changes are caused by hormones.
What cardiovascular changes does a pregnant woman go through?
- lower than normal hemoglobin and hematocrit
- heart rate increases
- blood pressure changes
Changes are due to increased blood volume.
What hemoglobin and hematocrit levels is considered anemia in a pregnant client?
Hematocrit < 30% and Hemoglobin < 10 is considered anemia in a pregnant client.
Pregnant clients have a slightly lower hemoglobin and hematocrit due to increased fluid volume.
How high does the heart rate of the pregnant woman increase due to increased blood volume during pregnancy?
A pregnant woman’s heart rate increases 10-15 beats per minute from the baseline.
Ex: if the heart rate is normally 60 bpm, it will increase to 70-75 bpm
What are the blood pressure changes of a pregnant woman?
- blood pressure ↓ in 1st and 2nd trimester
- hormonal changes cause vessel dilation
- blood pressure ↑ in 3rd trimester
- due to increased blood volume being pumped to fetus
What interventions help relieve morning sickness for a pregnant woman?
Eat crackers and small meals to help relieve morning sickness.
What urinary changes occur in a pregnant woman?
- 1st trimester increased urination is caused by hormone changes
- 2nd trimester urinary frequency decreases
- 3rd trimester increased urination is caused by increased pressure of fetus on bladder
What is linea nigra during pregnancy?
A dark line down the middle of the abdomen
What is chloasma during pregnancy?
Chloasma is the “mask of pregnancy”: brown spots on the face.
What are the typical psychological changes that occur to the woman when she finds out she is pregnant?
- ambivalent, excited or scared
- very emotional
What is the recommended weight gain for a pregnant woman for the entire pregnancy?
25 - 35 pounds (11 - 16 kg)
What is the recommended weight gain during the first trimester of pregnancy?
3 - 5 pounds (1.4 - 2.3 kg)