After teaching a postpartum woman about breastfeeding, the nurse determines that the teaching was successful when the woman states which of the following?
"It's normal for my baby to feed every 4-6 hours during the day and have longer stretches of sleep during the night due to their natural circadian rhythm.”.
"Keeping the baby swaddled during the feeding will help prevent him from getting cold.”.
"I'll breastfeed my baby whenever they show signs of hunger, even if it's more frequently than every few hours.”.
"I'll switch to formula feeding if my baby seems fussy or unsatisfied after breastfeeding.”. —
The Correct Answer is C
Choice A rationale
Newborns, especially breastfed ones, need to feed frequently, usually 8 to 12 times in 24 hours or every 2 to 3 hours, not every 4-6 hours. Frequent feeding is essential because breast milk is easily digested, and the newborn's stomach capacity is small. Delaying feedings can lead to insufficient caloric intake, potentially causing hypoglycemia, inadequate weight gain, and lower milk supply development. —.
Choice B rationale
Keeping a baby swaddled during breastfeeding can hinder feeding by restricting arm and hand movement. This restriction prevents the infant from using their hands for self-attachment or tactile stimulation, which are cues that promote effective latch and suckling. The baby should be unwrapped to allow this sensory input and maximize the opportunity for an optimal feeding experience. —.
Choice C rationale
Demand feeding or cue-based feeding, which involves feeding the infant whenever they exhibit signs of hunger (e.g., rooting, sucking, hand-to-mouth movements), is the recommended practice for successful breastfeeding. This approach ensures the baby receives adequate nutrition and stimulates the mother's breasts to produce a milk supply that matches the baby's individual needs, following the principle of supply and demand. —.
Choice D rationale
Fussiness or perceived dissatisfaction should not automatically lead to formula supplementation or switching, as this can interfere with the establishment of the mother's milk supply and the baby's ability to regulate intake. Instead, the mother should ensure a proper latch and continue to offer the breast frequently, seeking professional lactation support before introducing formula. —. ##
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
10 A postpartum mother presents to the healthcare clinic for her 6 week postnatal check-up. During the assessment, she expresses feelings of overwhelming sadness, hopelessness, and guilt. She also mentions a loss of interest in activities she once enjoyed and difficulty bonding with her newborn. The correct answer is Choice C.
Choice A rationale
Providing general education about "baby blues" is inappropriate and minimizes the mother's severe symptoms of intense hopelessness, overwhelming guilt, and anhedonia (loss of interest). Postpartum blues are transient, mild mood disturbances peaking around day 3-5 and resolving by two weeks, whereas this mother’s symptoms at six weeks strongly suggest Postpartum Depression (PPD), which requires professional intervention, not just reassurance.
Choice B rationale
Transfer to inpatient psychiatric care is not the immediate first action unless the mother expresses overt thoughts or plans for suicide or infanticide, which is not explicitly stated. The most appropriate initial step is a comprehensive, focused mental health assessment to determine the severity of her risk and the correct level of care, which may ultimately lead to referral for outpatient or inpatient treatment.
Choice C rationale
The mother's cluster of symptoms—sadness, hopelessness, anhedonia, and difficulty bonding at six weeks postpartum—meets the diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode, highly indicative of PPD. The most appropriate nursing action is to formally assess her mental state, including screening for suicidal or self-harm ideation, and then provide an immediate and specific referral to a mental health specialist (psychiatrist or therapist) for treatment.
Choice D rationale
Reassuring the mother that her significant symptoms of depression will resolve on their own is medically and ethically incorrect. PPD is a serious, non-self-limiting condition that requires timely and sustained professional treatment, such as psychotherapy and/or antidepressant medication, and will not typically resolve spontaneously. Untreated PPD can negatively impact mother-infant bonding and long-term child development. .
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Choice A rationale
Checking the newborn's temperature provides a baseline and monitors the effectiveness of warming interventions, but it is not the first action to assist in thermoregulation, which involves immediate heat loss prevention. A normal newborn axillary temperature range is approximately 36.5°C to 37.5°C (97.7°F to 99.5°F). Monitoring is secondary to immediate interventions to prevent rapid heat loss via evaporation.
Choice B rationale
Putting a hat on the newborn's head is an effective measure to reduce heat loss through convection and radiation from the large surface area of the head. However, evaporation is the most rapid heat loss mechanism immediately following birth due to the wet skin. Therefore, drying the newborn takes immediate priority over applying a hat for initial stabilization.
Choice C rationale
Wrapping the newborn in a warm blanket prevents heat loss primarily through convection and radiation. While vital for sustained thermoregulation, this step is most effective after the initial heat loss via evaporation has been minimized by thoroughly drying the neonate's skin surface immediately upon delivery.
Choice D rationale
Drying the newborn thoroughly is the essential first action for thermoregulation because it prevents heat loss through evaporation. Evaporation of amniotic fluid from the newborn's moist skin surface causes very rapid heat loss, especially considering the newborn's large surface area to body mass ratio and limited subcutaneous fat for insulation. —.
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