HESI OBSTETRICS/MATERNITY Question and Answer
[2026] | UPDATED ACTUAL Exam | Ultimate Study
Guide
• The nurse is caring for a client in active labor and observes V shape decelerations
in the fetal heart rate occurring with the peak of each contraction. What action
should the nurse implement?
Notify the healthcare provider of fetal status.
Give oxygen at 10 L per nasal cannula.
Place the client in a side-lying position.
Increase the flow rate of intravenous fluids. -✓✓ Place the client in a side-lying
position.
• While assessing a newborn the nurse observes diffuse edema of the soft tissues of
the scalp that cross the suture lines. How should the nurse document this finding?
Molding.
Hemangioma.
Cephalohematoma.
Caput succedaneum. -✓✓ Caput succedaneum.
• The mother of a neonate asks the nurse why it is so important to keep the infant
warm. What information should the nurse provide?
The kidneys and renal function are not fully developed.
Warmth promotes sleep so the infant will grow quickly.
A large body surface area favors heat loss to the environment.
The thick layer of subcutaneous fat is inadequate for insulation. -✓✓ A large body
surface area favors heat loss to the environment.
,• A gravid client develops maternal hypotension following regional anesthesia.
What intervention(s) should the nurse implement? (Select all that apply.)
Select all that apply
Administer oxygen.
Increase IV fluids.
Perform a vaginal examination.
Assist client to a sitting position.
Place the client in a lateral position.
Monitor fetal status. -✓✓ Administer oxygen.
Increase IV fluids.
Place the client in a lateral position.
Monitor fetal status.
• A client at 8-months gestation tells the nurse that she knows her baby listens to
her, but her husband thinks she is imagining things. What information should the
nurse provide?
Many women imagine what their baby is like by interpreting fetal movements.
The fetus in utero is capable of hearing and does respond to the mother's voice.
The healthcare provider should address her concerns about her baby's hearing
function.
The interaction between the mother's voice and the fetus's response ensures
bonding. -✓✓ The fetus in utero is capable of hearing and does respond to the
mother's voice.
• When assessing a newborn infant's heart rate, which technique is most important
for the nurse to use?
Quiet the infant before counting the heart rate.
,Listen at the apex of the heart.
Count the heart rate for at least one full minute.
Palpate the umbilical cord. -✓✓ Count the heart rate for at least one full minute.
• A client is experiencing "back" labor and complains of intense pain in the lower
lumbar-sacral area. What action should the nurse implement?
Perform effleurage on the abdomen.
Encourage pant-blow breathing techniques.
Apply counter pressure against the sacrum.
Assist the client in guided imagery. -✓✓ Apply counter pressure against the
sacrum.
• A client at 28-weeks gestation experiences blunt abdominal trauma. Which
parameter should the nurse assess first for signs of internal hemorrhage?
Vaginal bleeding.
Complaints of abdominal pain.
Changes in fetal heart rate patterns.
Alteration in maternal blood pressure. -✓✓ Changes in fetal heart rate patterns.
• Which procedure evaluates the effect of fetal movement on fetal heart activity?
Sonography.
Contraction test.
Biophysical profile.
Non-stress test (NST). -✓✓ Non-stress test (NST).
, • A female client who wants to delivery at home asks the nurse to explain the role
of a nurse-midwife in providing obstetric care. What information should the nurse
provide?
Birth in the home setting is the preference for a using a midwife for delivery.
The pregnancy should progress normally and be considered low risk.
Natural child birth without analgesia is used to manage pain during labor.
An obstetrician should also follow the client during pregnancy. -✓✓ The
pregnancy should progress normally and be considered low risk.
• Which gastrointestinal findings should the nurse be concerned about in a client at
28-weeks gestation?
Pica.
Pyrosis.
Ptyalism.
Decreased peristalsis. -✓✓ Pica.
• The nurse prepares to administer an injection of vitamin K to a newborn infant.
The mother tells the nurse, "Wait! I don't want my baby to have a shot." Which
response would be best for the nurse to make?
Inform the mother that the injection was prescribed by the healthcare provider.
Explore the mother's concerns about the infant receiving an injection of vitamin K.
Explain that vitamin K is required by state law and compliance is mandatory.
Remind the mother that all babies receive this shot and it is relatively painless. -
✓✓ Explore the mother's concerns about the infant receiving an injection of
vitamin K
• The nurse is assisting with the insertion of a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) for
a client at 32-weeks gestation who has severe preeclampsia with pulmonary
[2026] | UPDATED ACTUAL Exam | Ultimate Study
Guide
• The nurse is caring for a client in active labor and observes V shape decelerations
in the fetal heart rate occurring with the peak of each contraction. What action
should the nurse implement?
Notify the healthcare provider of fetal status.
Give oxygen at 10 L per nasal cannula.
Place the client in a side-lying position.
Increase the flow rate of intravenous fluids. -✓✓ Place the client in a side-lying
position.
• While assessing a newborn the nurse observes diffuse edema of the soft tissues of
the scalp that cross the suture lines. How should the nurse document this finding?
Molding.
Hemangioma.
Cephalohematoma.
Caput succedaneum. -✓✓ Caput succedaneum.
• The mother of a neonate asks the nurse why it is so important to keep the infant
warm. What information should the nurse provide?
The kidneys and renal function are not fully developed.
Warmth promotes sleep so the infant will grow quickly.
A large body surface area favors heat loss to the environment.
The thick layer of subcutaneous fat is inadequate for insulation. -✓✓ A large body
surface area favors heat loss to the environment.
,• A gravid client develops maternal hypotension following regional anesthesia.
What intervention(s) should the nurse implement? (Select all that apply.)
Select all that apply
Administer oxygen.
Increase IV fluids.
Perform a vaginal examination.
Assist client to a sitting position.
Place the client in a lateral position.
Monitor fetal status. -✓✓ Administer oxygen.
Increase IV fluids.
Place the client in a lateral position.
Monitor fetal status.
• A client at 8-months gestation tells the nurse that she knows her baby listens to
her, but her husband thinks she is imagining things. What information should the
nurse provide?
Many women imagine what their baby is like by interpreting fetal movements.
The fetus in utero is capable of hearing and does respond to the mother's voice.
The healthcare provider should address her concerns about her baby's hearing
function.
The interaction between the mother's voice and the fetus's response ensures
bonding. -✓✓ The fetus in utero is capable of hearing and does respond to the
mother's voice.
• When assessing a newborn infant's heart rate, which technique is most important
for the nurse to use?
Quiet the infant before counting the heart rate.
,Listen at the apex of the heart.
Count the heart rate for at least one full minute.
Palpate the umbilical cord. -✓✓ Count the heart rate for at least one full minute.
• A client is experiencing "back" labor and complains of intense pain in the lower
lumbar-sacral area. What action should the nurse implement?
Perform effleurage on the abdomen.
Encourage pant-blow breathing techniques.
Apply counter pressure against the sacrum.
Assist the client in guided imagery. -✓✓ Apply counter pressure against the
sacrum.
• A client at 28-weeks gestation experiences blunt abdominal trauma. Which
parameter should the nurse assess first for signs of internal hemorrhage?
Vaginal bleeding.
Complaints of abdominal pain.
Changes in fetal heart rate patterns.
Alteration in maternal blood pressure. -✓✓ Changes in fetal heart rate patterns.
• Which procedure evaluates the effect of fetal movement on fetal heart activity?
Sonography.
Contraction test.
Biophysical profile.
Non-stress test (NST). -✓✓ Non-stress test (NST).
, • A female client who wants to delivery at home asks the nurse to explain the role
of a nurse-midwife in providing obstetric care. What information should the nurse
provide?
Birth in the home setting is the preference for a using a midwife for delivery.
The pregnancy should progress normally and be considered low risk.
Natural child birth without analgesia is used to manage pain during labor.
An obstetrician should also follow the client during pregnancy. -✓✓ The
pregnancy should progress normally and be considered low risk.
• Which gastrointestinal findings should the nurse be concerned about in a client at
28-weeks gestation?
Pica.
Pyrosis.
Ptyalism.
Decreased peristalsis. -✓✓ Pica.
• The nurse prepares to administer an injection of vitamin K to a newborn infant.
The mother tells the nurse, "Wait! I don't want my baby to have a shot." Which
response would be best for the nurse to make?
Inform the mother that the injection was prescribed by the healthcare provider.
Explore the mother's concerns about the infant receiving an injection of vitamin K.
Explain that vitamin K is required by state law and compliance is mandatory.
Remind the mother that all babies receive this shot and it is relatively painless. -
✓✓ Explore the mother's concerns about the infant receiving an injection of
vitamin K
• The nurse is assisting with the insertion of a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) for
a client at 32-weeks gestation who has severe preeclampsia with pulmonary
