Maternal and Newborn Nursing Flashcards
7 cards from real LVN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Maternal and Newborn Nursing flashcards as text
During active labor, how frequently should a nurse assess contractions and fetal heart rate for a low-risk patient?
Answer: Every 15–30 minutes
AWHONN guidelines recommend assessing FHR and contractions every 15–30 minutes during active labor for low-risk patients.
A patient in the transition phase of labor (8–10 cm dilated) reports a strong urge to push. What is the nurse's priority action?
Answer: Assess cervical dilation before allowing the patient to push
Complete dilation (10 cm) must be confirmed before pushing; pushing on an incompletely dilated cervix can cause lacerations and complications.
Which medication is routinely administered after delivery of the placenta to prevent postpartum hemorrhage?
Answer: Oxytocin (Pitocin)
Oxytocin is the first-line uterotonic agent given immediately after placental delivery to stimulate uterine contraction and prevent hemorrhage.
During a postpartum assessment, the nurse finds the fundus is boggy and displaced to the right of midline. What is the most likely cause?
Answer: A full bladder
A full bladder is the most common cause of a boggy, displaced fundus because the distended bladder pushes the uterus out of midline and prevents contraction.
Which description best defines late decelerations on an electronic fetal monitor tracing?
Answer: FHR decreases beginning after the peak of a contraction and recovering after the contraction ends
Late decelerations are gradual FHR decreases that begin after the acme of a contraction and return to baseline after the contraction ends, signaling uteroplacental insufficiency.
A newborn at 1 minute has a heart rate of 102, weak cry, some muscle flexion, a grimace to stimulation, and a pink body with blue extremities. What is the APGAR score?
Answer: 6
Heart rate ≥100=2, weak cry=1, some flexion=1, grimace=1, acrocyanosis (pink body/blue extremities)=1, totaling an APGAR score of 6.
What is the most common cause of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH)?
Answer: Uterine atony
Uterine atony—failure of the uterus to contract after delivery—accounts for approximately 80% of all postpartum hemorrhage cases.