Exam 22: Processes and Stages of Labor and Birth

The primiparous patient has asked the nurse why her cervix has only changed from 1 to 2 cm in 3 hours of contractions occurring every 5 minutes. The best response by the nurse is:

A patient is admitted to the labor unit with contractions 1-2 minutes apart lasting 60-90 seconds. The patient is apprehensive and irritable. This patient is most likely in what phase of labor?

The nurse is teaching a prenatal class about false labor. The nurse should teach patients that false labor most likely will include which of the following?

A patient is being admitted to the labor and delivery suite. The nurse will need to report the patient's progress to the primary healthcare practitioner. Which findings should the nurse report?

The labor and delivery nurse is preparing a prenatal class about facilitating the progress of labor. Which of the following frequent responses to pain should the nurse indicate is most likely to impede progress in labor?

During the fourth stage of labor, the patient's assessment includes a BP of 110/60, pulse 90, and the fundus is firm midline and halfway between the symphysis pubis and the umbilicus. The priority action of the nurse is to:

Four minutes after the birth of a baby, there is a sudden gush of blood from the mother's vagina and about 8 inches of umbilical cord slides out. What action should the nurse take first?

The midwife performs a vaginal exam and determines that the fetal head is at a -2 station. The nurse knows that birth:

The nurse is caring for a laboring patient. A cervical exam indicates 8 cm dilation. The patient is restless, frequently changing position in an attempt to get comfortable. Which nursing action is most important?

A woman who is 40 weeks pregnant calls the labor suite to ask whether she should be evaluated. Which statements by the patient indicate she is likely in labor?

A primigravida calls the labor and delivery unit and tells the nurse that she is 39 weeks pregnant and that over the last 4 or 5 days, she has noticed that although her breathing has become easier, she is having leg cramps, a slight amount of edema in her lower legs, and an increased amount of vaginal secretions. The nurse tells the patient that she has experienced what is commonly called:

The nurse has just palpated a laboring woman's contractions. The uterus cannot be indented during a contraction. The nurse compares the consistency of the uterus during a contraction with that of the forehead. The intensity of these contractions would best be characterized as:

While caring for a patient in labor, the nurse notices during a vaginal exam that the baby's head has rotated internally. What would the nurse expect the next set of cardinal movements for a baby in a vertex presentation to be?

The primiparous patient at 39 weeks' gestation calls the clinic and reports increased bladder pressure but easier breathing and irregular, mild contractions. She also states that she just cleaned the entire house. Which statement should the nurse make?