A nurse is teaching a client who is at 27 weeks of gestation and has pre-term labor about the signs and symptoms of true labor versus false labor.

Which of the following information should the nurse include in the teaching?

Corticosteroids are given to pregnant women who are at risk of preterm labor to help mature the lungs of the fetus and reduce the risk of respiratory distress syndrome and other complications.Corticosteroids also have a protective effect on the brain and reduce the risk of bleeding and cerebral palsy.

Choice A is wrong because administering intravenous fluids is not a specific intervention to address possible outcomes and complications of preterm labor.Intravenous fluids may be given to correct dehydration or electrolyte imbalance, but they do not prevent or treat preterm labor.

Choice B is wrong because administering tocolytics is an intervention to delay preterm labor, not to address possible outcomes and complications.

Tocolytics are drugs that inhibit uterine contractions and prolong pregnancy for a short period of time, usually 24 to 48 hours, to allow for the administration of corticosteroids or the transfer of the mother to a facility with neonatal intensive care.

Tocolytics are a category of drugs used to delay the labor process.These may be used in situations when a pregnant person begins showing signs of preterm labor —which is any time before 37 weeks of completed pregnancy.Tocolytics may help delay labor by two to seven days.

Some possible explanations for the other choices are:

• Choice A. Administering intravenous fluids.

This is not a correct answer because intravenous fluids are not effective in suppressing uterine contractions.They may be used to correct dehydration or electrolyte imbalance, which can sometimes trigger preterm labor, but they are not a primary intervention for preterm labor.

• Choice C. Administering corticosteroids.

This is not a correct answer because corticosteroids are not tocolytics.They do not stop or slow down uterine contractions, but they help accelerate fetal lung maturity and reduce the risk of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome and other complications of prematurity.

Corticosteroids are often given along with tocolytics, but they have a different function and mechanism of action.

• Choice D. Administering antibiotics.

This is not a correct answer because antibiotics are not tocolytics.They may be used to treat infections that can cause or complicate preterm labor, such as chorioamnionitis or group B streptococcus, but they do not directly affect uterine contractions.

Antibiotics may be given along with tocolytics, but they have a different function.