Question 1

The use of "twilight sleep" during the labor and birth process:

Accepted Answer

The use of so-called twilight sleep led to maternal confusion, disorientation, and heavy sedation and thus affected the mother's level of consciousness. Twilight sleep is the use of scopolamine and a narcotic to provide adequate pain relief during the labor and birth process. As a result of the use of this method, decreased maternal-infant bonding was observed because the client was confused, disoriented, and heavily sedated from the effects of the drug. There is no relationship between the incidence of puerperal infections and the use of twilight sleep.

Question 2

Which situation is most representative of an extended family?

Accepted Answer

An extended family is defined as a family having members from three generations living under the same roof. A family with adoptive children is a nuclear family. A single-parent family is headed by a single parent. A blended family is one that contains children from previous marriages.

Question 3

Which statement explains why below poverty level African-Americans have the highest infant mortality rate in the United States?

Accepted Answer

Inadequate prenatal care is the major factor associated with low-birth-weight infants, who are less likely to survive. A deficiency in protein is not a risk factor associated with infant mortality. Infectious disease is not more prevalent in the African-American population. There is not a higher incidence of congenital anomalies in the African-American population.

Question 4

A woman giving birth in the 1960s may have been given a narcotic plus scopolamine for pain control. What is the major problem with this medication regimen?

Accepted Answer

The combination of narcotics and scopolamine produced heavy sedation and disorientation. The new mother was not fully awake and oriented for several hours postbirth. The bonding process had to be delayed. The narcotic plus scopolamine did allow for continuous pain control. The combination was not expensive and would be given to any mother. The father was almost always the decision maker during the 1960s.

Question 5

Which factor significantly contributed to the shift from home births to hospital births in the early twentieth century?

Accepted Answer

The development of forceps to facilitate difficult births by physicians was a strong factor in the decrease of home births and increase of hospital births. With the shift toward hospital births, the numbers increased. The shift to hospital births decreased the amount of parental-infant contact. Puerperal sepsis has been a known problem for generations. In the late nineteenth century, Semmelweis discovered how it could be prevented.

Question 6

Which method would not be used by hospitals to control costs during perinatal health care for prospective birth management?

Accepted Answer

Diagnosis-related groups, prospective form of payment, and acceptance of capacitation can all be used by hospital facilities with regard to delivery of care within agreed on reimbursement for health care services. DRGs represent fee-based service for diagnosis and treatment. Prospective form of payment may be used as an up-front method to accept fees for anticipated service. Acceptance of capacitation by hospitals in agreement with insurers offers negotiated fees for services. Allowing a postpartum client to go home within 12 hours of birth is not within the standard of care and, as such, may lead to potential problems in the postpartum period. Typical LOS postbirth is 24 to 48 hours.

Question 7

The nurse is reviewing the principles of family-centered care with a primipara. Which client statement will the nurse need to correct?

Accepted Answer

The birth of an infant alters family relationships and structures; family dynamics will change with the birth of an infant. Childbirth is usually a normal and healthy event. Given professional support and guidance, the pregnant woman is able to make decisions about her prenatal care. Maintaining a focus on family or other support can benefit a woman as she seeks to maintain her health throughout pregnancy.

Question 8

The nurse is assessing a client's use of complementary and alternative therapies. Which should the nurse document as an alternative or complementary therapy practice? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies can be defined as those systems, practices, interventions, modalities, professions, therapies, applications, theories, and claims that are currently not an integral part of the conventional medical system in North America. Yoga is considered to be a mind-body alternative therapy. Green tea and aromatherapy are biologically based complementary therapies. Prilosec and the use of a lower back brace would be therapies consistent with those used by conventional medicine.

Question 9

A client who had a vaginal birth 12 hours ago without complications wants to go home. Typical discharge orders at this facility call for discharge to occur at 48 hours postbirth. The newborn and mother are considered to be stable and an order is written for discharge, with follow-up by home health. What type of variance would this discharge indicate?

Accepted Answer

A positive variance is one that occurs when an outcome occurs earlier than what is commonly accepted. In this case, the discharge is occurring earlier than planned but there are no adverse outcomes noted.

Question 10

In consideration of the historic evolution of maternity care, which treatment options were used? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Training of granny midwives was done by apprenticeship as opposed to formal medical school training. With the advent of usage of hygienic practices, improved health outcomes were seen with regard to a decrease in sepsis. New equipment such as forceps enabled easier birth. Women of privilege in the nineteenth century delivered at home, attended by a midwife. Chloroform was used by physicians and was not available to midwives.

Question 11

Which is an advantage to labor, birth, recovery, and postpartum (LDRP) rooms?

Accepted Answer

Sleeping equipment is provided and the support system is encouraged to stay. A hospital setting is never a familiar environment. An LDRP room is not less expensive than a traditional hospital room. The concept is to have the baby with the mother at all times.

Question 12

The nurse is reviewing a health history of a newly pregnant woman at a local health fair. Which statement made by the nurse will most likely improve the woman's outcome for a healthy pregnancy?

Accepted Answer

Early and consistent prenatal care reduces pregnancy complications and allows for the identification of problems. Calcium-rich foods provide for calcium needs throughout pregnancy but do not address other pregnancy-related concerns. Exercise is also excellent for the pregnant woman; however, it does not assess for any complications of pregnancy. Vision changes and unrelenting headaches are signs of gestational hypertension or preeclampsia.

Question 13

A single client who has just delivered a baby asks the nurse where she can receive help in getting formula for her baby. Which is the nurse's best response?

Accepted Answer

The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program provides supplemental food and nutrition for single mothers with children up to 5 years old. Medicaid provides funds to facilitate access to care by pregnant women and young children. Head Start provides educational opportunities for low-income children of preschool age. The National Center for Family Planning is a clearinghouse for contraceptive information.

Question 14

The prenatal clinic nurse is assessing a newly pregnant Hispanic client. Her husband is present. Which communication techniques should the nurse use with regard to the client's culture? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Preliminary social interaction is important, and Hispanics may be insulted if a problem is addressed directly without taking time for small talk. The curandero, a folk healer, may be consulted for health care before a professional health care worker is consulted. Spanish is the primary language for many Hispanics in their homes, although they may speak English fluently when working. The nurse should establish if Spanish is preferred over English. Direct, full eye contact is not considered polite in the Hispanic culture. Men usually serve as head of household and are considered strong ("macho"). Asking the husband to wait in the waiting area would not be appropriate.

Question 15

A client at 36 weeks of gestation states, "Why can't I have an induction now? My sister delivered at 36 weeks and her baby is fine." Which information about infants born at 34 to 36 weeks should the nurse consider when answering?

Accepted Answer

Late preterm births (34 to 36 completed weeks of gestation) have more health complications and higher death rates than infants born at term because the babies are immature. Birth by induction of labor or cesarean has risen markedly in this group. Infants born at 34 to 36 weeks may not have mature lungs and may need assistance with ventilation after birth. Late preterm births (34 to 36 weeks of gestation) increased 20% from 1990 to 2006.

Question 16

A nurse is teaching a group of nursing students about the history of family-centered maternity care. Which statement should the nurse include in the teaching session?

Accepted Answer

As research began to identify the benefits of early extended parent-infant contact, parents began to insist that the infant remain with them. This gradually developed into the practice of rooming-in and finally to family-centered maternity care. The Sheppard-Towner Act provided funds for state-managed programs for mothers and children but did not promote family-centered care. The changes in pharmacologic management of labor were not a factor in family-centered maternity care. Family-centered care was a request by parents, not physicians.

Question 17

The nurse is teaching a parenting class to new parents. Which statement should the nurse include in the teaching session about the characteristics of a healthy family?

Accepted Answer

Adults in a healthy family communicate with each other, so there is minimal discord in areas such as discipline and sleep schedules. Healthy families remain flexible in their role assignments. Members of a healthy family accept assistance without feeling guilty. Healthy families can tolerate irregular sleep and meal schedules, which are common during the months after childbirth.

Question 18

Many communities now offer the availability of free-standing birth centers to provide care for low-risk women during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. When counseling the newly pregnant client regarding this option, the nurse should be aware that this type of care setting includes which advantages? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Clients who are at low risk and desire a safe, homelike birth are very satisfied with this type of care setting. The new mother may return to the birth center for postpartum follow-up care, breastfeeding assistance, and family planning information for 6 weeks postpartum. Because birth centers do not incorporate advanced technologies into their services, costs are significantly less than in a hospital setting. The major disadvantage of this care setting is that these facilities are not equipped to handle obstetric emergencies. Should unforeseen difficulties occur, the client must be transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital. Birth centers are usually staffed by certified nurse-midwives (CNMs); however, in some states, lay midwives may provide this service.

Question 19

The Grantly Dick-Read method of prepared childbirth allows for:

Accepted Answer

The Grantly Dick-Read method focuses on the use of maternal breathing exercises to gain control over pain by overcoming fear. This method promotes the use of non-pharmacologic methods to control labor pain. The recognition of the use of a labor coach is not a core concept in the Grantly Dick-Read method. This method does not recognize the use of pharmacologic interventions.

Question 20

Expectant parents ask a prenatal nurse educator, "Which setting for childbirth allows for the least amount of parent-infant interaction?" Which answer should the nurse give to the parents?

Accepted Answer

In the traditional hospital setting, the mother may see the infant for only short feeding periods, and the infant is cared for in a separate nursery. Birth centers are set up to allow an increase in parent-infant contact. Home births allow an increase in parent-infant contact. The labor, birth, recovery, and postpartum room setting allows increased parent-infant contact.

Quiz 1: Maternity and Women's Health Care Today