NCLEX: Maternity Nursing

Question 1

amniotic fluid

Answer 1

pale, straw-colored fluid in which the fetus floats. It serves as a cushion against injury from sudden blows or movements and helps maintain a constant body fluid through the process of swallowing, urinating, and movement through the respiratory tract.

Question 2

ballottement

Answer 2

rebounding of the fetus against the examination’s finger on palpation. When the examiner taps the cervix, the fetus floats upward in the amniotic fluid. The examinar feels a rebound when the fetus falls back.

Question 3

chadwick’s signdelivery

Answer 3

violet coloration of the mucus membranes of the cervix, vagina, and vulva, that occurs at about 4 weeks of pregnancy caused by increased vascularity. This is considered a probable sign of pregnancy.

Question 4

delivery

Answer 4

actual event of birth; the explusion or extraction of the neonate

Question 5

embroyo

Answer 5

stage of fetal development that lasts from day 15 until approximately 8 weeks after conception or until the embroyo measures 3 cm from the crown to rump

Question 6

fertilization

Answer 6

uniting of the sperm and ovum, which occurs within 12 hours of ovulation and within 2 to 3 days of insemination, the average duration of viability for the ovum and sperm.

Question 7

goodell’s sign

Answer 7

softening of the cervix that occurs at the beginning of the second month of gestation. this is considered a probable sign of pregnancy

Question 8

gravida

Answer 8

a pregnant women; called gravida I (primigravida) during the first pregnancy, gravida II during the second pregnancy, and so on.

Question 9

Hegar’s sign

Answer 9

compressibility and softening of the lower uterine segment that occurs at about week 6 of gestation. this is considered a probable sign of pregancy

Question 10

implantation

Answer 10

embedding of the fertilized ovum in the uterine mucosa 6 to 10 days after conception

Question 11

infant

Answer 11

a human born alive; also, a human from 28 days of age until the first birthday

Question 12

labor

Answer 12

coordinated sequence of rhythmic involuntary uterine contractions resulting in effacement and dilation of the cervix, followed by explusion of the products of conception

Question 13

lecithin-tospingomyellin (L/S) ratio

Answer 13

ratio of two components of amniotic fluid, used for predicting fetal lung maturity; normal L/S ratio in amniotic fluid is 2:1 or greater when the fetal lungs are mature

Question 14

lochia

Answer 14

discharge from the uterus that consists of blood from the vessles of the placental site and debris from the decidua; lasts for 2 to 6 weeks after delivery

Question 15

Nagele’s rule

Answer 15

determines the estimated date of birth based on the premise that the women has 28 day menstrual cycle. add 7 days to the first day of the last menstrual period; subtract 3 months and add 1 year. alternatively, add 7 days to the last menstrual period and count forward 9 months

Question 16

newborn

Answer 16

a human from the time of birth to the twenty-eighth day of life; also called neonate

Question 17

parity

Answer 17

number of pregnancies that have reached viability regardless of whether the fetus was born alive or stillborn

Question 18

placenta

Answer 18

organ that provides for the exchange of nutrients and waste products between the fetus and the mother and produces hormones to maintain pregnancy. the placenta develops by the third month of gestation and is also called afterbirth

Question 19

quickening

Answer 19

maternal perception of fetal movement for the first time, occurring usually in the sixteenth to twentieth week of pregnancy

Question 20

surfactant

Answer 20

phospholipid that is necessary to keep the fetal lung alveoli from collapsing; amount is usually sufficient after 32 weeks gestation

Question 21

uterus

Answer 21

organ located behind the symphasis pubis, between the bladder and the rectum. it has four parts- fundas (upper), corpus (body), isthmus (lower segment) and cervix

Question 22

vagina

Answer 22

tubular structure located behind the bladder and in front of the rectum; it extends from the cervix to the vaginal opening in the perineum. it functions as the outflow tract for menstrual fluid and for vaginal and cervical secretions, the birth canal, and the organ for coitus

Question 23

viability

Answer 23

capability of the fetus to survive outside the uterus; about 22 to 24 weeks of gestation or fetal weight more than 500 g.