A nurse is reinforcing teaching with a client who is pregnant and whose routine diagnostic testing reveals a negative rubella titer.
Which of the following statements should the nurse tell the client?

The correct answer is choice b. Drying the newborn’s skin thoroughly.

Choice A rationale:

Maintaining ambient room temperature at 24° C (75° F) helps in reducing overall heat loss but does not specifically address evaporative heat loss. Evaporative heat loss occurs when moisture on the skin evaporates, cooling the skin.

Choice B rationale:

Drying the newborn’s skin thoroughly reduces evaporative heat loss by removing moisture that can evaporate and cool the skin. This is a critical action immediately after birth when the newborn is wet with amniotic fluid.

Choice C rationale:

Preventing air drafts helps reduce convective heat loss, not evaporative heat loss. Convective heat loss occurs when air currents carry heat away from the body.

Choice D rationale:

Placing the newborn on a warm surface helps reduce conductive heat loss, which occurs when the newborn’s body comes into contact with a cooler surface. This does not specifically address evaporative heat loss.

By thoroughly drying the newborn’s skin, the nurse effectively minimizes evaporative heat loss, ensuring the newborn maintains a stable body temperature.

Choice A rationale:

Checking the fetal heart rate pattern is the priority nursing action following an amniotomy. This procedure involves rupturing the amniotic membranes, which can result in changes to the baby's heart rate. It's essential to assess the fetal heart rate to ensure the baby is tolerating the procedure well and to identify any signs of fetal distress promptly.

Choice B rationale:

Evaluating the client for signs of infection is an important step after an amniotomy, but it is not the top priority. The immediate concern is the well-being of the fetus, and assessing the fetal heart rate takes precedence.

Choice C rationale:

Taking the client's temperature is relevant to monitor for infection, but it should not be the first action. Monitoring the fetus's status with a fetal heart rate assessment is more critical in this situation.

Choice D rationale:

Observing the color and consistency of amniotic fluid is a valuable assessment but not the top priority. It can provide information about meconium staining or other issues, but assessing the fetal heart rate is more crucial immediately after the procedure.