Which of the following groups of newborn reflexes below are present at birth and remain unchanged through adulthood?
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Solution
Blink, cough, sneeze, gag
Blink, cough, sneeze, swallowing and gag reflexes are all present at birth and remain unchanged through adulthood. Reflexes such as rooting and stepping subside within the first year.
Which of the following is true regarding the fontanels of the newborn?
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Solution
The anterior is large in size when compared to the posterior fontanel.
The anterior fontanel is larger in size than the posterior fontanel. Additionally, the anterior fontanel, which is diamond shaped, closes at 18 months, whereas the posterior fontanel, which is triangular shaped, closes at 8 to 12 weeks. Neither fontanel should appear bulging, which may indicate increased intracranial pressure, or sunken, which may indicate dehydration.
When assessing the newborn’s heart rate, which of the following ranges would be considered normal if the newborn were sleeping?
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Solution
100 beats per minute
The normal heart rate for a newborn that is sleeping is approximately 100 beats per minute. If the newborn was awake, the normal heart rate would range from 120 to 160 beats per minute.
Which of the following when present in the urine may cause a reddish stain on the diaper of a newborn?
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Solution
Uric acid crystals
Uric acid crystals in the urine may produce the reddish “brick dust” stain on the diaper.
Option A: Mucus would not produce a stain.
Options C and D: Bilirubin and iron are from hepatic adaptation.
Before birth, which of the following structures connects the right and left auricles of the heart?
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Solution
Foramen ovale
The foramen ovale is an opening between the right and left auricles (atria) that should close shortly after birth so the newborn will not have a murmur or mixed blood traveling through the vascular system.
Options A, C, and D: The umbilical vein, ductus arteriosus, and ductus venosus are obliterated at birth.
Immediately before expulsion, which of the following cardinal movements occur?
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Solution
External rotation
Immediately before expulsion or birth of the rest of the body, the cardinal movement of external rotation occurs.
Options A, B, and C: Descent flexion, internal rotation, extension, and restitution (in this order) occur before external rotation.
Which of the following actions demonstrates the nurse’s understanding of the newborn’s thermoregulatory ability?
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Solution
Placing the newborn under a radiant warmer.
The newborn’s ability to regulate body temperature is poor. Therefore, placing the newborn under a radiant warmer aids in maintaining his or her body temperature.
Option B: Suctioning with a bulb syringe helps maintain a patent airway.
Option C: Obtaining an Apgar score measures the newborn’s immediate adjustment to extrauterine life.
Option D: Inspecting the umbilical cord aids in detecting cord anomalies.
Which of the following nursing interventions would the nurse perform during the third stage of labor?
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Solution
Promote parent-newborn interaction.
During the third stage of labor, which begins with the delivery of the newborn, the nurse would promote parent-newborn interaction by placing the newborn on the mother’s abdomen and encouraging the parents to touch the newborn.
Option A: Collecting a urine specimen and other laboratory tests is done on admission during the first stage of labor.
Option B: Assessing uterine contractions every 30 minutes is performed during the latent phase of the first stage of labor.
Option D: Coaching the client to push effectively is appropriate during the second stage of labor.
Barbiturates are usually not given for pain relief during active labor for which of the following reasons?
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Solution
They rapidly transfer across the placenta, and lack of an antagonist make them generally inappropriate during labor.
Barbiturates are rapidly transferred across the placental barrier, and lack of an antagonist makes them generally inappropriate during active labor.
Option A: Neonatal side effects of barbiturates include central nervous system depression, prolonged drowsiness, delayed establishment of feeding (e.g. due to poor sucking reflex or poor sucking pressure). Tranquilizers are associated with neonatal effects such as hypotonia, hypothermia, generalized drowsiness, and reluctance to feed for the first few days.
Option B: Narcotic analgesic readily crosses the placental barrier, causing depressive effects in the newborn 2 to 3 hours after intramuscular injection.
Option D: Regional anesthesia is associated with adverse reactions such as maternal hypotension, allergic or toxic reaction, or partial or total respiratory failure.
During which of the following stages of labor would the nurse assess “crowning”?
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Solution
Second stage
Crowing, which occurs when the newborn’s head or presenting part appears at the vaginal opening, occurs during the second stage of labor.
Option A: During the first stage of labor, cervical dilation and effacement occur.
Option C: During the third stage of labor, the newborn and placenta are delivered.
Option D: The fourth stage of labor lasts from 1 to 4 hours after birth, during which time the mother and newborn recover from the physical process of birth and the mother’s organs undergo the initial readjustment to the nonpregnant state.