Maternity nurses have to answer questions on the many and ...

[mckennatimberlake]

Maternity nurses have to answer questions on the many and sometimes unusual ways people have tried to make the birthing experience more comfortable. For instance, nurses should be aware that:
 
  1. music supplied by the support person has to be discouraged because it could dis-turb others or upset the hospital routine.
  2. women in labor can benefit from sitting in a bathtub but must limit immersion to no more than 15 minutes at a time.
  3. effleurage is okay, but counterpressure is almost always counterproductive.
  4. electrodes attached to either side of the spine providing high-intensity electrical impulses facilitate the release of endorphins.

Question 2

Concerning breathing techniques during labor, maternity nurses should be aware that:
 
  1. breathing techniques in the first stage of labor are designed to increase the size of the abdominal cavity to lesson friction.
  2. by the time labor has begun, it is too late for instruction in breathing and relaxa-tion.
  3. controlled breathing techniques are most difficult near the end of the second stage of labor.
  4. the patterned-paced breathing technique can help prevent hyperventilation.

[akemokai]

Answer to Question 1

4
1. Incorrect. Music may be very helpful in reducing tension and can certainly be accommo-dated by the hospital.
2. Incorrect. Women can stay is a bath as long as they want, though repeated baths with breaks might be more effective than a long soak.
3. Incorrect. Counterpressure can help the woman cope with lower back pain.
4. Correct. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can help.

Answer to Question 2

1
1. Correct. First-stage techniques promote relaxation of abdominal muscles, thereby in-creasing the size of the abdominal cavity.
2. Incorrect. Early in labor, instruction in simple breathing and relaxation techniques is possible and effective.
3. Incorrect. Controlled breathing techniques are most difficult in the transition phase at the end of the first stage of labor when the cervix is dilated 8 to 10 cm.
4. Incorrect. Patterned-paced breathing can sometimes lead to hyperventilation.