A 5-year-old child presents to the emergency department with a stiff jaw, muscle spasms, and difficulty swallowing. The mother reports the child stepped on rusty nail 10 days ago. Which of the following is the priority nursing intervention?

A. Grunting is an expiratory sound produced when a newborn partially closes the glottis during exhalation. This helps maintain positive airway pressure, keeps alveoli open, and improves oxygenation. Persistent grunting indicates the newborn is working hard to breathe and is a classic early sign of respiratory distress.

B. Increased appetite is not a symptom of respiratory distress. In fact, newborns experiencing distress often have difficulty feeding or show poor coordination of sucking and swallowing because breathing requires increased effort. Feeding difficulties, rather than increased appetite, may accompany respiratory compromise.

C. Stridor is a high-pitched sound heard during inspiration, typically caused by upper airway obstruction. It may result from conditions such as laryngomalacia, vocal cord paralysis, or airway edema. Stridor is a red flag for respiratory compromise and requires prompt assessment and monitoring.

D. Retractions occur when a newborn uses accessory muscles to breathe, pulling the skin inward around the sternum, ribs, or clavicles. This indicates increased work of breathing and reduced lung compliance. Retractions are a reliable physical sign of significant respiratory distress.

E. Nasal flaring occurs when the nostrils widen during inspiration to increase airflow. It is one of the earliest visible signs of respiratory distress and signals that the newborn is compensating for hypoxia or increased airway resistance.

A. Macrosomia, defined as a birth weight greater than 4,000–4,500 grams, is the most common fetal complication associated with gestational diabetes. Hyperglycemia in the mother leads to increased glucose transfer across the placenta, stimulating fetal pancreatic insulin production. Fetal hyperinsulinemia acts as a growth-promoting hormone, resulting in excessive fat and muscle deposition and ultimately large-for-gestational-age infants. Macrosomia increases the risk of birth injuries such as shoulder dystocia, clavicle fractures, and the need for cesarean delivery.

B. Preterm birth is not the primary risk associated with GDM. While poorly controlled diabetes can contribute to preterm labor, it is less common than macrosomia. The main concern in GDM is excessive fetal growth, not premature delivery.

C. Low birth weight is not typically associated with gestational diabetes. In fact, infants of mothers with poorly controlled GDM are often larger than average, not smaller, due to fetal hyperinsulinemia and increased nutrient availability.

D. Congenital anomalies, particularly neural tube defects or central nervous system defects, are primarily associated with pregestational diabetes rather than GDM. Gestational diabetes develops later in pregnancy (usually after 24 weeks) when organogenesis has largely occurred, so the risk for major congenital anomalies is minimal.