Maternity Exam Study Guide:
GRADED A+. Practice
Questions and Verified
Answers. Latest 2026 Update
What three questions does a nurse need to ask as a baby is born to determine
if resuscitation is needed? - Ans✔✔-1. Was the infant a term gestation?
2. Is the newborn crying or breathing?
3. Is there good muscle tone?
What should be done if the criteria for resuscitation are not met? - Ans✔✔-
Infant should be placed under warmer with head in sniffing position to open
the airway.
What assessment data is required for an APGAR score? - Ans✔✔-1. Respiratory
effort
2. Heart rate
3. Muscle tone
4. Reflex activity
5. Color
,How often is APGAR scoring performed? - Ans✔✔-1 minute and 5 minutes
after birth
What do the different APGAR ranges indicate? - Ans✔✔-0-3: severe distress
4-6: moderate difficulty w/ transition to extra-uterine life
7-10: stable infant
What should be done if the 5-minute APGAR score is less than 7? - Ans✔✔-
Additional scores should be assigned every 5 minutes up to 20 minutes
What are the initial events that happen to respiratory system in the newborn's
transition to extrauterine life? - Ans✔✔-- Fluid clearance from lungs
- Lungs expand with air
- Circulatory changes-- shunt closures transfer gas exchange to lungs
- Surfactant establishes functional residual capacity by keeping alveoli open
When does the transition towards extra-uterine respiration begin? - Ans✔✔-
During labor: contractions cause thoracic compression
- Mild hypoxia stimulates respiratory center causing diaphragmatic contraction
- Crying increases intrathoracic pressure, stimulating respirations
What sensory stimulation helps to stimulate and maintain respirations? -
Ans✔✔-- Drying, sounds, lights, temperature change, skin-to-skin
What factors negatively affect respiratory transition in newborns? - Ans✔✔-
Decreased surfactant (immature lungs)
, Severe or persistent hypoxemia and acidosis (leads to increased PVR)
What are the signs of neonatal respiratory distress? - Ans✔✔-- Central cyanosis
- Tachypnea or apnea
- Grunting
- Nasal flaring
- Retractions
- Hypotonia
What does the cessation of blood flow through umbilical cord cause? - Ans✔✔-
Immediate rise in SVR and systemic pressures
Improved gas exchange closes fetal shunts
What is ductus venosus and when does it close? - Ans✔✔-From umbilical vein
to inferior vena cava-- diverts blood away from liver
Closes within 2 weeks, becoming a ligament
What is foramen ovale and when does it close? - Ans✔✔-Between L and R atria
- Closes when LA pressure > RA pressure (when SVR increases)
- Closes w/in 1-2 hrs of birth
What is ductus arteriosus and when does it close? - Ans✔✔-Connects
pulmonary artery and aorta
- Closes w/in 15 hrs, permanent closure in 3 months
GRADED A+. Practice
Questions and Verified
Answers. Latest 2026 Update
What three questions does a nurse need to ask as a baby is born to determine
if resuscitation is needed? - Ans✔✔-1. Was the infant a term gestation?
2. Is the newborn crying or breathing?
3. Is there good muscle tone?
What should be done if the criteria for resuscitation are not met? - Ans✔✔-
Infant should be placed under warmer with head in sniffing position to open
the airway.
What assessment data is required for an APGAR score? - Ans✔✔-1. Respiratory
effort
2. Heart rate
3. Muscle tone
4. Reflex activity
5. Color
,How often is APGAR scoring performed? - Ans✔✔-1 minute and 5 minutes
after birth
What do the different APGAR ranges indicate? - Ans✔✔-0-3: severe distress
4-6: moderate difficulty w/ transition to extra-uterine life
7-10: stable infant
What should be done if the 5-minute APGAR score is less than 7? - Ans✔✔-
Additional scores should be assigned every 5 minutes up to 20 minutes
What are the initial events that happen to respiratory system in the newborn's
transition to extrauterine life? - Ans✔✔-- Fluid clearance from lungs
- Lungs expand with air
- Circulatory changes-- shunt closures transfer gas exchange to lungs
- Surfactant establishes functional residual capacity by keeping alveoli open
When does the transition towards extra-uterine respiration begin? - Ans✔✔-
During labor: contractions cause thoracic compression
- Mild hypoxia stimulates respiratory center causing diaphragmatic contraction
- Crying increases intrathoracic pressure, stimulating respirations
What sensory stimulation helps to stimulate and maintain respirations? -
Ans✔✔-- Drying, sounds, lights, temperature change, skin-to-skin
What factors negatively affect respiratory transition in newborns? - Ans✔✔-
Decreased surfactant (immature lungs)
, Severe or persistent hypoxemia and acidosis (leads to increased PVR)
What are the signs of neonatal respiratory distress? - Ans✔✔-- Central cyanosis
- Tachypnea or apnea
- Grunting
- Nasal flaring
- Retractions
- Hypotonia
What does the cessation of blood flow through umbilical cord cause? - Ans✔✔-
Immediate rise in SVR and systemic pressures
Improved gas exchange closes fetal shunts
What is ductus venosus and when does it close? - Ans✔✔-From umbilical vein
to inferior vena cava-- diverts blood away from liver
Closes within 2 weeks, becoming a ligament
What is foramen ovale and when does it close? - Ans✔✔-Between L and R atria
- Closes when LA pressure > RA pressure (when SVR increases)
- Closes w/in 1-2 hrs of birth
What is ductus arteriosus and when does it close? - Ans✔✔-Connects
pulmonary artery and aorta
- Closes w/in 15 hrs, permanent closure in 3 months
