Maternal Health
This term refers to the measurement, in centimeters, of the widening of the cervix during the first stage of labor.
What is dilation?
A fetal heart rate baseline sustained above this numerical value for 10 minutes or more is considered tachycardia.
What is Baseline Fetal Tachycardia?
If a nurse palpates the fundus and finds it displaced to the right and above the umbilicus, they should first assist the patient to do this.
What is Bladder Distention?
A patient presents with sudden onset of abdominal pain, a rigid, board-like abdomen, and dark red vaginal bleeding. This is the condition a nurse should suspect.
What is abruptio placentae?
A false labor contraction that doesn't cause cervical damage?
Braxton Hicks
If a laboring mother's fundus is found to be deviated to one side and boggy, this is the priority nursing action to address a potentially full bladder.
What is to have the mother urinate and then reassess the fundus?
An abrupt drop in FHR with a quick return to baseline, often caused by head compression.
What is a Variable Deceleration?
A boggy, soft uterus 30 mins postpartum is abnormal; this is the first nursing action.
What is Fundal Massage?
This medication is used to treat severe preeclampsia or eclampsia and requires a nurse to closely monitor the patient's reflexes and respiratory status.
What is Magnesium Sulfate?
Signs of placental separation include a sudden gush of blood and the cord lengthening.
What are signs of placental separation?
The thinning and shortening of the cervix that occurs during the first stage of labor.
What is effacement?
This procedure involves instilling room-temperature normal saline into the uterus to relieve recurrent variable decelerations caused by cord compression.
What is Amnioinfusion?
This is the term for the deep-red vaginal discharge containing blood and decidual debris that typically lasts 1–3 days after delivery.
What is Lochia Rubra?
The "4 T's" of postpartum hemorrhage causes include Tone (uterine atony), Tissue (retained placenta), Trauma (lacerations), and this last "T" related to clotting.
What is thrombin?
The typical duration of the first stage of labor?
What is 7-8 hours
In the event of a prolapsed umbilical cord, the nurse should immediately place the mother in this position to help relieve pressure on the cord.
What is the knees-to-chest (or left lateral, head-down, or Trendelenburg) position?
A gradual FHR decrease with the contraction, mirroring the contraction shape (uteroplacental insufficiency).
What is a Late Deceleration?
This acronym helps nurses assess the latch of a breastfeeding infant.
What is LATCH (Latch, Audible swallowing, Type of nipple, Comfort/Pain, Hold)?
When a laboring client experiences shoulder dystocia, the nurse would prioritize assisting with this maneuver.
What is the McRoberts maneuver or applying suprapubic pressure?
Strong, frequent contractions (every 2-3 mins, 60 secs) and increased pressure signal this intense part of Stage 1.
What is the transition phase?
The mnemonic used to remember the correlation between Fetal Heart Rate (FHR) Variables, Early decelerations, Accelerations, Late decelerations and their causes (Cord compression, Head compression, Okay, Placental insufficiency).
What is VEAL CHOP?
The first intervention for a variable deceleration is to change the mother's position.
What is repositioning the mother (e.g., to hands and knees)?
A WBC count up to 30,000 in a mother 2 days postpartum is normal; above that, we worry.
What is a normal finding for leukocytosis (high white blood cell count)?
This acronym is used by nurses to remember the five main factors affecting labor and delivery: Power, Passageway, Passenger, Position, and Psyche.
What are the 5 P's?
This is the crucial internal rotation the fetal head must perform to navigate the pelvis.
What is fetal rotation (or internal rotation)?