A client in her third trimester of pregnancy is asking about safe ...

[EY67]

A client in her third trimester of pregnancy is asking about safe travel. Which statement should the nurse give about safe travel during pregnancy?
 
  a. Only travel by car during pregnancy.
  b. Avoid use of the seat belt during the third trimester.
  c. You can travel by plane until your 38th week of gestation.
  d. If you are traveling by car stop to walk every 1 to 2 hours.

Question 2

The client has just learned she is pregnant and overhears the gynecologist saying that she has a positive Chadwick's sign. When the client asks the nurse what this means, how should the nurse respond?
 
  a. Chadwick's sign signifies an increased risk of blood clots in pregnant women because of a congestion of blood.
  b. That sign means the cervix has softened as the result of tissue changes that naturally occur with pregnancy.
  c. This means that a mucous plug has formed in the cervical canal to help protect you from uterine infection.
  d. This sign occurs normally in pregnancy, when estrogen causes increased blood flow in the area of the cervix.

[morganmarie791]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: D
Car travel is safe during normal pregnancies. Suggest that the woman stop to walk every 1 to 2 hours so she can empty her bladder. Walking also helps decrease the risk of thrombosis that is elevated during pregnancy. Seat belts should be worn throughout the pregnancy. Instruct the woman to fasten the seat belt snugly, with the lap belt under her abdomen and across her thighs and the shoulder belt in a diagonal position across her chest and above the bulge of her uterus. Travel by plane is generally safe up to 36 weeks if there are no complications of the pregnancy, so only travelling by car is an inaccurate statement.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: D
Increasing levels of estrogen cause hyperemia (congestion with blood) of the cervix, resulting in the characteristic bluish purple color that extends to include the vagina and labia. This discoloration, referred to as Chadwick's sign, is one of the earliest signs of pregnancy. Although Chadwick's sign occurs with hyperemia (congestion with blood), the sign does not signify an increased risk of blood clots. The softening of the cervix is called Goodell's sign, not Chadwick's sign. Although the formation of a mucous plug protects from infection, it is not called Chadwick's sign.

[EY67]

Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it

[yeungji]

Gracias!