Deck 22: Transition to Parenthood

Question 1

The early postpartum period is a time of emotional and physical vulnerability. Many mothers can easily become psychologically overwhelmed by the reality of their new parental responsibilities. Fatigue compounds these issues. Although the baby blues are a common occurrence in the postpartum period,about one-half million women in America experience a more severe syndrome known as postpartum depression (PPD). Which statement regarding PPD is essential for the nurse to be aware of when attempting to formulate a nursing diagnosis?

A)PPD symptoms are consistently severe.
B)This syndrome affects only new mothers.
C)PPD can easily go undetected.
D)Only mental health professionals should teach new parents about this condition.

Answer 1

PPD can easily go undetected.

Question 2

Other early sensual contacts between infant and mother involve sound and smell. Nurses should be aware that,despite what folk wisdom might say:

A)High-pitched voices irritate newborns.
B)Infants can learn to distinguish their mother's voice from others soon after birth.
C)All babies in the hospital smell alike.
D)A mother's breast milk has no distinctive odor.

Answer 2

Infants can learn to distinguish their mother's voice from others soon after birth.

Question 3

In the United States the en face position is preferred immediately after birth. Nurses can facilitate this process by all of these actions except:

A)Washing both the infant's face and the mother's face.
B)Placing the infant on the mother's abdomen or breast with their heads on the same plane.
C)Dimming the lights.
D)Delaying the instillation of prophylactic antibiotic ointment in the infant's eyes.

Answer 3

Washing both the infant's face and the mother's face.

Question 4

The nurse observes several interactions between a postpartum woman and her new son. What behavior,if exhibited by this woman,would the nurse identify as a possible maladaptive behavior regarding parent-infant attachment?

A)Talks and coos to her son
B)Seldom makes eye contact with her son
C)Cuddles her son close to her
D)Tells visitors how well her son is feeding

Question 5

With regard to parents' early and extended contact with their infant and the relationships built,nurses should be aware that:

A)Immediate contact is essential for the parent-child relationship.
B)Skin-to-skin contact is preferable to contact with the body totally wrapped in a blanket.
C)Extended contact is especially important for adolescents and low-income women because they are at risk for parenting inadequacies.
D)Mothers need to take precedence over their partners and other family matters.

Question 6

Nursing activities that promote parent-infant attachment are many and varied. One activity that should not be overlooked is the management of the environment. While providing routine mother-baby care,the nurse should ensure that:

A)The baby is able to return to the nursery at night so that the new mother can sleep.
B)Routine times for care are established to reassure the parents.
C)The father should be encouraged to go home at night to prepare for mother-baby discharge.
D)An environment that fosters as much privacy as possible should be created.

Question 7

New parents express concern that,because of the mother's emergency cesarean birth under general anesthesia,they did not have the opportunity to hold and bond with their daughter immediately after her birth. The nurse's response should convey to the parents that:

A)Attachment,or bonding,is a process that occurs over time and does not require early contact.
B)The time immediately after birth is a critical period for people.
C)Early contact is essential for optimum parent-infant relationships.
D)They should just be happy that the infant is healthy.

Question 8

The nurse observes that a 15-year-old mother seems to ignore her newborn. A strategy that the nurse can use to facilitate mother-infant attachment in this mother is to:

A)Tell the mother she must pay attention to her infant.
B)Show the mother how the infant initiates interaction and pays attention to her.
C)Demonstrate for the mother different positions for holding her infant while feeding.
D)Arrange for the mother to watch a video on parent-infant interaction.

Question 9

Of the many factors that influence parental responses,nurses should be aware that all of these statements regarding age are true except:

A)An adolescent mother's egocentricity and unmet developmental needs interfere with her ability to parent effectively.
B)An adolescent mother is likely to use less verbal instruction,be less responsive,and interact less positively than other mothers.
C)Adolescent mothers have a higher documented incidence of child abuse.
D)Mothers older than 35 often deal with more stress related to work and career issues and decreasing libido.

Question 10

In follow-up appointments or visits with parents and their new baby,it may be useful if the nurse can identify parental behaviors that can either facilitate or inhibit attachment. What is a facilitating behavior?

A)The parents have difficulty naming the infant.
B)The parents hover around the infant,directing attention to and pointing at the infant.
C)The parents make no effort to interpret the actions or needs of the infant.
D)The parents do not move from fingertip touch to palmar contact and holding.

Question 11

The nurse hears a primiparous woman talking to her son and telling him that his chin is just like his dad's chin. This woman's statement reflects:

A)Mutuality.
B)Synchrony.
C)Claiming.
D)Reciprocity.

Question 12

After birth a crying infant may be soothed by being held in a position in which the newborn can hear the mother's heartbeat. This phenomenon is known as:

A)Entrainment.
B)Reciprocity.
C)Synchrony.
D)Biorhythmicity.

Question 13

Many first-time parents do not plan on their parents' help immediately after the newborn arrives. What statement by the nurse is the most appropriate when counseling new parents about the involvement of grandparents?

A)"You should tell your parents to leave you alone."
B)"Grandparents can help you with parenting skills and also help preserve family traditions."
C)"Grandparent involvement can be very disruptive to the family."
D)"They are getting old. You should let them be involved while they can."

Question 14

During a phone follow-up conversation with a woman who is 4 days' postpartum,the woman tells the nurse,"I don't know what's wrong. I love my son,but I feel so let down. I seem to cry for no reason!" The nurse would recognize that the woman is experiencing:

A)Taking-in.
B)Postpartum depression (PPD).
C)Postpartum (PP) blues.
D)Attachment difficulty.

Question 15

The nurse can help a father in his transition to parenthood by:

A)Pointing out that the infant turned at the sound of his voice.
B)Encouraging him to go home to get some sleep.
C)Telling him to tape the infant's diaper a different way.
D)Suggesting that he let the infant sleep in the bassinet.

Question 16

When the infant's behaviors and characteristics call forth a corresponding set of maternal behaviors and characteristics,this is called:

A)Mutuality.
B)Bonding.
C)Claiming.
D)Acquaintance.

Question 17

When dealing with parents who have some form of sensory impairment,nurses should realize that all of these statements are true except:

A)One of the major difficulties visually impaired parents experience is the skepticism of health care professionals.
B)Visually impaired mothers cannot overcome the infant's need for eye-to-eye contact.
C)The best approach for the nurse is to assess the parents' capabilities rather than focusing on their disabilities.
D)Technologic advances,including the Internet,can provide deaf parents with a full range of parenting activities and information.

Question 18

After giving birth to a healthy infant boy,a primiparous woman,16,is admitted to the postpartum unit. An appropriate nursing diagnosis for her at this time is risk for impaired parenting related to deficient knowledge of newborn care. In planning for the woman's discharge,what should the nurse be certain to include in the plan of care?

A)Tell the woman how to feed and bathe her infant.
B)Give the woman written information on bathing her infant.
C)Advise the woman that all mothers instinctively know how to care for their infants.
D)Provide time for the woman to bathe her infant after she views an infant bath demonstration.

Question 19

With regard to the adaptation of other family members,mainly siblings and grandparents,to the newborn,nurses should be aware that:

A)Sibling rivalry cannot be dismissed as overblown psychobabble;negative feelings and behaviors can take a long time to blow over.
B)Participation in preparation classes helps both siblings and grandparents.
C)In the United States paternal and maternal grandparents consider themselves of equal importance and status.
D)Since 1990 the number of grandparents providing permanent care to their grandchildren has been declining.

Question 20

The nurse notes that a Vietnamese woman does not cuddle or interact with her newborn other than to feed him,change his diapers or soiled clothes,and put him to bed. In evaluating the woman's behavior with her infant,the nurse realizes that:

A)What appears to be a lack of interest in the newborn is in fact the Vietnamese way of demonstrating intense love by attempting to ward off evil spirits.
B)The woman is inexperienced in caring for newborns.
C)The woman needs a referral to a social worker for further evaluation of her parenting behaviors once she goes home with the newborn.
D)Extra time needs to be planned for assisting the woman in bonding with her newborn.

Question 21

What concerns about parenthood are often expressed by visually impaired mothers? Choose all that apply.

A)Infant safety
B)Transportation
C)The ability to care for the infant
D)Missing out visually
E)Needing extra time for parenting activities to accommodate the visual limitations

Question 22

____________________ is the process by which the parent and infant come to love and accept each other.