Which client is most at risk for a low-birth-weight infant? a. ...

[Beheh]

Which client is most at risk for a low-birth-weight infant?
 
  a. 22-year-old, 60 inches tall, normal prepregnant weight
  b. 18-year-old, 64 inches tall, body mass index is <18.5
  c. 30-year-old, 78 inches tall, prepregnant weight is 15 lb above the norm
  d. 35-year-old, 75 inches tall, total weight gain in previous pregnancies was 33 lb

Question 2

When explaining the recommended weight gain to your client, the nurse's teaching should include which statement?
 
  a. All pregnant women need to gain a minimum of 25 to 35 pounds.
  b. The fetus, amniotic fluid, and placenta require 15 pounds of weight gain.
  c. Weigh gain in pregnancy is based on the client's prepregnant body mass index.
  d. More weight should be gained in the first and second trimesters and less in the third.

[Tonyam972]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B
The client who has a low prepregnancy weight is associated with preterm labor and low- birth-weight infants. Women who are underweight should gain more during pregnancy to meet the needs of pregnancy as well as their own need to gain weight; clients who have a normal prepregnancy weight, who start pregnancy overweight, or who have a history of excessive weight gain in pregnancy are not at risk for low-birth-weight infants.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: C
Recommendations for weight gain in pregnancy are based on the woman's prepregnancy weight for her height (body mass index). Depending on the prepregnant weight, recommendation for weight gain may be more or less than 25 to 35 pounds. The combination of the fetus, amniotic fluid, and placenta averages about 11 pounds in the client who has a normal BMI. Less weight should be gained in the first trimester, when the fetus needs fewer nutrients for growth, and more in the third trimester, when fetal growth is accelerated.