Deck 12: The Term Newborn

Question 1

To protect newborns from infection while in the nursery, the nurse plans to:

A) Keep the newborn dressed warmly.
B) Adjust room temperature between 75° F and 80° F.
C) Wash hands before touching each baby.
D) Wear a disposable gown when giving infant care.

Answer 1

Wash hands before touching each baby.

Question 2

The nurse compared the birthweight of a 3-day-old with her current weight and determined the infant had lost weight. The most appropriate intervention by the nurse is:

A) No action is necessary. This is a normal occurrence.
B) Report the discrepancy to the pediatrician immediately.
C) Decrease the interval between the infant's feedings.
D) Try feeding the infant a different type of formula.

Answer 2

No action is necessary. This is a normal occurrence.

Question 3

The statement that indicates the parent understands the guidelines for bathing a newborn is:

A) "I'll use a mild soap to clean all of the body parts."
B) "I am going to add bath oil to the water to keep the baby's skin soft."
C) "I should shampoo the head after washing the rest of the body."
D) "I'll wash from the feet upward and change the wash cloth for the face."

Answer 3

"I should shampoo the head after washing the rest of the body."

Question 4

The statement that indicates the parents understand when to contact the pediatrician or nurse practitioner is:

A) The baby refuses a feeding.
B) The baby has an axillary temperature of 97° F.
C) The infant has three pasty, yellow-brown stools in 24 hours.
D) The infant's diaper is not wet after 8 hours.

Question 5

A first-time mother reports that she is experiencing difficulty breastfeeding her newborn. The neonatal reflex that the nurse would teach the mother to elicit, in order to facilitate breastfeeding, is:

A) Sucking
B) Rooting
C) Grasp
D) Tonic neck

Question 6

The nurse's best response to a mother who is voicing concern about the molding of her 2-day-old baby is:

A) "Molding doesn't cause any problems and it will go away soon."
B) "Did you deliver vaginally or by cesarean section?"
C) "The baby's head had to conform to the shape of the birth canal."
D) "A traumatic delivery can cause molding."

Question 7

The nurse is measuring the vital signs of a full-term newborn. An abnormal finding would be:

A) Axillary temperature of 98° F
B) Apical pulse rate of 178 beats/min
C) Respirations of 35 breaths/min
D) Blood pressure of 80/50 mm Hg

Question 8

The mother of a 4-day-old calls the pediatrician's office because she is concerned about her baby's skin. The finding that needs to be reported promptly to the child's pediatrician is:

A) The hands and feet feel cooler than the rest of the body.
B) Skin is peeling on several parts of the baby's body.
C) There is a small pink patch on the left eyelid and one on the neck.
D) Today, the baby's skin has a yellowish tinge.

Question 9

The mother of a 2-week-old infant tells the nurse, "I think the baby is constipated. I've noticed she strains when she has a bowel movement." The nurse's most helpful response would be:

A) "Give the baby one serving of fruit per day."
B) "Increase the amount and frequency of her feedings."
C) "It sounds like the baby is uncomfortable because she is constipated."
D) "Newborns might strain with bowel movements because their muscles aren't fully developed."

Question 10

Shortly after delivery, a symptom of respiratory distress in the newborn that should be reported is:

A) Cyanosis of the hands and feet
B) Irregular heart rate
C) Mucus draining from the nose
D) Sternal or chest retractions

Question 11

On what knowledge would the nurse base a response to a mother who questions, "Do you think my baby recognizes my voice?"

A) Voice recognition is delayed because the ears are not well developed at birth.
B) Infants respond to voice by increasing movements and sucking.
C) Infants initially respond to low-pitched voices.
D) Neonates can distinguish a mother's voice from other sounds in the first days of life.

Question 12

The nurse is caring for a newborn that is being breastfed. The nurse would expect the stool color to be:

A) Yellow
B) Brown
C) Greenish brown
D) Black and tarry

Question 13

Parents express concern about the milia on the face and nose of their baby. The nurse's most helpful response would be to instruct the parents to:

A) Contact a pediatric dermatologist for topical medication.
B) Squeeze out the white material after cleansing the face.
C) Wash the baby's face with a mild astringent several times a day.
D) Leave the milia alone; it will disappear spontaneously. No treatment is needed.

Question 14

The mother of a 2-week-old infant tells the nurse that she thinks her baby is sleeping too much. The most appropriate nursing response to this mother would be:

A) "Tell me how many hours per day your baby sleeps."
B) "It is normal for newborns to sleep most of the day."
C) "Newborns generally sleep 12 to 15 hours per day."
D) "You will find as the baby gets older, he sleeps less."

Question 15

When the newborn's crib was moved suddenly, the nurse noticed that his legs flexed and the arms fanned out, and then both came back toward the midline. The nurse would interpret this behavior as:

A) The Moro reflex was elicited
B) The full-term infant should not react to sudden movement
C) There may be an abnormality in the musculoskeletal system
D) This is abnormal for a full-term infant

Question 16

While inspecting a newborn's head, the nurse identifies a swelling of the scalp that does not cross the suture line. The nurse would document this finding as:

A) Molding
B) Caput succedaneum
C) Cephalohematoma
D) Enlarged fontanelle

Question 17

A full-term newborn weighs 3600 grams at birth. When he is weighed 3 days later, the nurse would expect this newborn to weigh:

A) 2900 grams
B) 3100 grams
C) 3300 grams
D) 3800 grams

Question 18

The nurse is going to use a bulb syringe to clear mucus from a newborn's nose and mouth. The nurse's first action is to:

A) Place the tip in the nose and squeeze the bulb gently.
B) Suction secretions from the nose before the mouth.
C) Depress the bulb before inserting the syringe tip into the mouth.
D) Insert the tip into the back of the mouth to reach mucus.

Question 19

The parents of a newborn baby girl express concern about the baby's vaginal discharge, which appears to be bloody mucus. The nurse explains that this is caused by:

A) Premature stimulation of the ovarian hormones by the pituitary system
B) Cessation of female sex hormones transferred in utero from mother to baby
C) The increased amount of circulating blood from the mother throughout pregnancy
D) Trauma to the genitalia during the birth process

Question 20

While assessing the head of a healthy, full-term newborn, the nurse anticipates that the anterior fontanelle is:

A) Depressed and sunken
B) Triangular shaped
C) Smaller than the posterior fontanelle
D) Open and flat

Question 21

The nurse reminds the parents of a newborn that newborns must be protected from environments that are too cold or too hot because newborns have: Select all that apply.

A) Very little subcutaneous fat
B) Low metabolic rates
C) Ineffective sweat glands
D) Small fluid reserves
E) Low red blood cells counts

Question 22

The nurse advises the nursing mother that the immune globulin that is found in breast milk is ____________________.

Question 23

The nurse in the nursery may use CRIES, PIPP, NIPS, or NPASS as a guide to ____________________ assessment.

Question 24

Nursing care of the newly circumcised infant includes: Select all that apply.

A) Wash penis with warm water.
B) Wipe with alcohol swab.
C) Gently remove the yellow crust formation.
D) Apply diaper loosely.
E) Dress with simple Band-Aid.

Question 25

The noninvasive forms of pain relief a nurse might apply to a newborn are: Select all that apply.

A) Swaddling
B) Rocking
C) Pacifier
D) Quiet environment
E) Cuddling
F) None of the above