Prenatal Care and Normal Pregnancy Flashcards
(96 cards)
What is Apgar score?
a method to quickly summarize the health of newborn children
When is the test generally done?
at one and five minutes after birth and may be repeated later if the score is and remains low
How is Apgar scored?
- activity (2=active movement)
- pulse (2=>100)
- grimace (2 =pulls away, sneeze)
- appearance (2= pink)
- respiration (2=crying)
What is a good Apgar score?
score >6 is good
When Apgar score means resuscitation?
score of 4 necessitates resuscitation
What are the characteristics of fetal size?
- fetal head most critical; cephalopelvic disproportion - labor dystocia (difficult/obstructed)
- marcosomina (birth weight >90th percentile for gestational age/> 4500 g) associated with shoulder dystocia (fetal shoulder unable to pass below maternal pubic symphysis), birth injuries
What are the characteristics of fetal attitude?
relationship of fetal parts to one another
-full flexion (chin on chest; rounded back with flexed arms, legs); smallest diameter of head (suboccipitobregmatic diameter) presents at pelvic inlet
What are the characteristics of fetal ile?
relationship of fetal cephalocaudal axis (spinal column) to maternal cephalocaudal axis
- longitudinal (ideal): fetal spine lies along lateral
- transverse: fetal spine perpendicular to maternal
- oblique: fetus at slight angle
What is fetal presentation?
fetal/presenting part enters pelvic inlet first
What are the characteristics of cephalic position?
head first
- vertex (most common): optimal for easy delivery; head completely flexed onto chest = occiput (part of fetal skull covered by occipital bone) is presenting
- brow: fetal head partially extended; sinciput (part of fetal skull covered by frontal bone, anterior fontanelle to orbital ridge) presenting part
- face: fetal head hyperextended; fetal face from forehead to chin presenting part
What are the characteristics of breech position?
head up; bottom, feet, knees present first
- frank breech: hips flexed, knees extended, bottom presents
- complete breech: hips, knees flexed, bottom presents
- incomplete breech: one/both hips not completely flexed, feet present
- shoulder: transverse lie,; shoulders present first
What are the characteristics of breech presentation?
a breech birth happens when a baby is born bottom first instead of head first
- around 3-5% of pregnancy women at term (37-40 weeks pregnant) will have a breech baby
- prevalence decreases with increasing gestational age
- 25% of fetuses under 28 weeks are breech
- 7 to 16% are breech at 32 weeks
- 3 to 4% are breech at term
- a breech presentation may be frank, complete, or incomplete
- the diagnosis of breech presentation is based on physical examination, with ultrasound confirmation, if the diagnosis is uncertain
What is the tx of breech presentation?
external cephalic version at or near term, followed by a trial of vaginal delivery if the version is successful and planned cesarean delivery if breech presentation persists
What is multiple gestations?
the overall incidence in the US is 3%
-twins occur in 1 out of every 80 births
What does monozygotic mean?
identical
-multiple (typically two) fetuses produced by splitting of a single zygote
What does dizygotic mean?
fraternal
-multiple (typically two) fetuses produced by two zygotes
What does polyzygotic mean?
multiple fetuses produced by two or more zygotes
What is the dx of multiple gestations?
often diagnosed at first screening ultrasound other clues include
- fundal height is usually greater than dates
- extra fetal heart tones
- elevated maternal alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)
What is the tx of multiple gestations?
prenatal visits should occur more frequently to monitor and prevent maternal complications
- the most common complication is spontaneous abortion an preterm birth
- other problems occur with greater frequency are preeclampsia and anemia
- mange of diet, surveillance of fetal growth and cervical length
- delivery by induction for vaginal route or c-section (common) try to deliver at >34 weeks
What are the characteristics of labor (parturition)?
uterine contractions = cervical changes = delivery of baby, placenta
- begins at term (37-42 weeks of gestation)
- duration of three stages varies with gravity (nulliparas typically longer than multiparae)
What are the characteristics of cervical changes?
- remodeling of cervix by enzymatic collagen dissolution, increase water content = softening, increased distensibility
- cervical softening = explosion of mucus plug = “bloody show” (pink-tinged mucus)
- spontaneous rupture of amniotic membranes (ROM)
What are the characteristics of false labor?
AKA Braxton-Hicks contractions
- true labor: regular, increase in frequency, duration, intensity; produce cervical changes (e.g. dilation/opening, effacement/getting thinner); pain begins in lower back, radiates to abdomen, not relieved by ambulation
- false labor: irregular, intermittent contractions, no cervical changes, pain in abdomen, walking may decrease pain
What is the first stage of labor?
onset of labor to fully dilated (10 cm)
What are the characteristics of early/latent labor?
- 8 to 12 hours
- mild contractions every 5 to 30 minutes
- duration 30 seconds each
- gradually increase in frequency, intensity, duration
- cervical dilation 0-3 cm
- effacement 0-30%
- spontaneous ROM