A nurse is evaluating the effectiveness of phototherapy for a post-term infant who has hyperbilirubinemia due to ABO incompatibility with the mother’s blood type O negative and infant’s blood type B positive.

Which of the following findings indicates that phototherapy is effective?

Encouraging frequent breastfeeding.

This is because breastfeeding provides glucose to the newborn baby, which can help prevent or treat hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).Hypoglycemia can cause problems such as shakiness, blue tint to the skin, and breathing and feeding problems.

Choice A is wrong because administering IV insulin would lower the blood sugar level even more, which could be dangerous for the baby.

Choice C is wrong because monitoring blood pressure is not directly related to hypoglycemia.

Blood pressure may be affected by other factors such as stress, infection, or dehydration.

Choice D is wrong because administering a hypertonic saline solution would increase the sodium level in the blood, which could cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

A hypertonic saline solution is not a source of glucose for the baby.

Normal ranges for blood glucose levels in newborns are between 47 to 85 mg/dL.Hypoglycemia is defined as blood glucose below 47 mg/dL.

This is because postmature babies lose the protective vernix that covers their skin in utero, and their skin becomes dry and cracked.Postmature babies also have less subcutaneous fat, which makes them look thin and wrinkled.

Choice A is wrong because postmature babies have less body fat than term babies, not more.They use up their fat stores to survive in the womb beyond 42 weeks of gestation.

Choice B is wrong because postmature babies have well-developed breast buds and areola, not flat ones.Breast development is a sign of fetal maturity that occurs around 36 weeks of gestation.

Choice C is wrong because postmature babies have less flexibility in their joints and muscles, not more.They have less amniotic fluid to cushion their movements, and their bones become more ossified as they grow older.

Normal ranges for gestational age are 37 to 42 weeks.Babies born before 37 weeks are considered preterm, and babies born after 42 weeks are considered postmature.