The nurse explains to a patient in preterm labor that what may be ordered by the physician to accelerate fetal lung maturity?

A. Prematurity is associated with short stature but does not affect weight gain: Prematurity can affect both weight and length initially. Suggesting that only stature is affected is inaccurate, as growth involves multiple parameters and catch-up occurs over time.

B. It takes about two years for the preterm infant to catch up to a full-term infant: Preterm infants often require 18–24 months to reach growth parameters similar to those of full-term peers. Corrected age is used to assess developmental and growth milestones, and most preterm infants achieve catch-up growth within this timeframe.

C. Your daughter will be the same size as other children by the time she is 1 year old: While some preterm infants grow rapidly, many require more than one year to reach the size of full-term peers. Providing a one-year timeline may create unrealistic expectations.

D. Preterm infants usually remain smaller than term infants throughout childhood: Most preterm infants experience catch-up growth by age two, so they do not typically remain smaller throughout childhood.

A. Delivery of the post-term infant is more difficult: While post-term infants may present challenges during delivery, this does not explain why the newborn requires close monitoring after birth. The focus is on postnatal adaptation rather than delivery difficulty.

B. Infants born post-maturely are generally large: Some post-term infants are macrosomic, but not all, and size alone does not determine the need for intensive observation. Monitoring is based on physiologic risks rather than solely on weight.

C. The placenta does not function adequately as it ages: Placental aging can lead to decreased oxygen and nutrient transfer, placing the post-term infant at risk for hypoglycemia, meconium aspiration, and other complications. Close monitoring after birth ensures timely detection and intervention for these potential problems.

D. There is less amniotic fluid: Oligohydramnios can occur with post-term pregnancies, but the primary concern for close neonatal observation is related to placental insufficiency rather than amniotic fluid volume alone.