Maternity Exam 1 (Chapters 1–5) – Practice Questions, Answers & Rationales
| 2026/2027 | A+ Grade (Exam Preparation Material)
A woman who have birth 2 hours ago has a temperature of 37.9 *C. Select all of the immediate nursing
actions
A) Have pt drink 2 glasses of fluid over the next hour
B) Explain to the patient that she needs to rest and assist her into a comfortable position
C) Medicate pt with 500 mg of acetaminophen as per orders
D) Call the patient's physician or midwife to report the elevated temp - (answer)A & B
Reasoning:
A mild temperature elevation within a few hours of birth can be related to dehydration and exhaustion.
Acetaminophen is given if temperature remains elevated after the woman has been hydrated and rested.
The physician or midwife is notified if temperature remains elevated after initial interventions.
3 hours after a vaginal delivery, the client complains of increased perineal pain. What should the nurse
do first?
A) Administer analgesia as ordered
B) Assess the perineum
C) Perform perineal care
D) Apply ice to perineum - (answer)B
A woman gave birth to a 3200 g baby girl with an estimated gestational age of 40 weeks. The baby is 1
hour of age. In preparation of giving the baby an injection of Vitamin K, the nurse will:
A) Explain to the parents the action of the medication and answer their questions
B) Remove neonate from the room so parents will not be distressed by seeing the injection
C) Completely undress the neonate to identify the injection site
D) Replace needle with a 21 gauge ⅝ needle - (answer)A
,Maternity Exam 1 (Chapters 1–5) – Practice Questions, Answers & Rationales
| 2026/2027 | A+ Grade (Exam Preparation Material)
Reasoning: It is important to always explain to parents wHat and why a procedure is being done on the
newborn
When assessing a placenta and umbilical cord at delivery, the nurse must know that the normal cord has:
A) 1 vein and 2 arteries
B) 2 veins and 1 artery
C) 1 vein and 1 artery
D) 2 veins and 2 arteries - (answer)A
(AVA)
When reviewing a potential cause for postpartum hemorrhage with the student nurse, the nurse is sure
to include the finding of a(n) ____________ bladder - (answer)FULL/OVERDISTENDED
Reasoning:
An overdistended bladder, which displaces the uterus above and to the right of the umbilicus, can cause
uterine atony and lead to hemorrhage
Maddy, a G3 P1 woman, gave birth 12 hrs ago to a 9lb 13 oz daughter. She experiences severe cramps
with breastfeeding. The perinatal nurse best describes this condition as:
A) Afterpains
B) Uterine hypertonia
C) Bladder hypertonia
D) Rectus abdominis diastasis - (answer)A
Reasoning
,Maternity Exam 1 (Chapters 1–5) – Practice Questions, Answers & Rationales
| 2026/2027 | A+ Grade (Exam Preparation Material)
Afterpains are intermittent uterine contractions that occur during the process of involution. Afterpains
are more pronounced in patients w/ decreased uterine tone due to overdistension, which is associated
w/ multiparity and macrosomia. Patients often describe the sensation as a discomfort similar to
menstrual cramps
What does GTPAL mean? - (answer)G: Gravida → # of times a woman has conceived including current
pregnancy
T: Term Births → # of times a woman has carried a pregnancy to at least 37 weeks and delivered
P: Preterm Births → # of births a woman has delivered before 37 weeks gestation but after 20 weeks
A: Abortions → # of times a woman has lost a pregnancy, whether it was elective or spontaneous
(miscarriage), before 20 weeks gestation
L: living children → live births
The best way for the nurse to enhance parental confidence is to
A) Have the parents watch a video tape of infant care, then discuss it with them
B) Demonstrate skills on the newborn while providing care
C) Encourage new parents to ask their friends about infant care
D) Provide encouragement and positive feedback - (answer)D
The nurse is teaching the parents of a female baby how to change a baby's diapers. Which of the
following should be included in the teaching?
A) Always wipe the perineum from front to back
B) Remove any vernix caseosa from labia folds
C) Put powder on buttocks every time the baby stools
, Maternity Exam 1 (Chapters 1–5) – Practice Questions, Answers & Rationales
| 2026/2027 | A+ Grade (Exam Preparation Material)
D) Weigh every diaper in order to assess for hydration - (answer)A
Reasoning
To decrease risk of infection from bacteria from the rectum, the perineum of female babies should
always be cleansed from front to back
After birth, the perinatal nurse explains to the new mom that Progesterone is the hormone responsible
for stimulating milk production
A) True
B) False - (answer)FALSE
A 6 hour infant passes an unformed, black, tar like stool. The nurse should conclude this is a:
A) Meconium stool expected at the time of birth
B) Transitional stool expected at this time
C) Meconium stool expected at this time
D) Transitional stool expected later - (answer)C
A woman's postpartum vaginal discharge is dark red and contains shreds of decidua and epithelial cells.
The nurse should describe the discharge in the nurse's notes as:
A) Rubra
B) Serosa
C) Alba
D) Erythra - (answer)A
Which of the following statements indicates that a new mom needs additional teaching?
A) I will need to supervise my cat when she is in the same room as my baby
B) I will place by baby on her back when she is sleeping
| 2026/2027 | A+ Grade (Exam Preparation Material)
A woman who have birth 2 hours ago has a temperature of 37.9 *C. Select all of the immediate nursing
actions
A) Have pt drink 2 glasses of fluid over the next hour
B) Explain to the patient that she needs to rest and assist her into a comfortable position
C) Medicate pt with 500 mg of acetaminophen as per orders
D) Call the patient's physician or midwife to report the elevated temp - (answer)A & B
Reasoning:
A mild temperature elevation within a few hours of birth can be related to dehydration and exhaustion.
Acetaminophen is given if temperature remains elevated after the woman has been hydrated and rested.
The physician or midwife is notified if temperature remains elevated after initial interventions.
3 hours after a vaginal delivery, the client complains of increased perineal pain. What should the nurse
do first?
A) Administer analgesia as ordered
B) Assess the perineum
C) Perform perineal care
D) Apply ice to perineum - (answer)B
A woman gave birth to a 3200 g baby girl with an estimated gestational age of 40 weeks. The baby is 1
hour of age. In preparation of giving the baby an injection of Vitamin K, the nurse will:
A) Explain to the parents the action of the medication and answer their questions
B) Remove neonate from the room so parents will not be distressed by seeing the injection
C) Completely undress the neonate to identify the injection site
D) Replace needle with a 21 gauge ⅝ needle - (answer)A
,Maternity Exam 1 (Chapters 1–5) – Practice Questions, Answers & Rationales
| 2026/2027 | A+ Grade (Exam Preparation Material)
Reasoning: It is important to always explain to parents wHat and why a procedure is being done on the
newborn
When assessing a placenta and umbilical cord at delivery, the nurse must know that the normal cord has:
A) 1 vein and 2 arteries
B) 2 veins and 1 artery
C) 1 vein and 1 artery
D) 2 veins and 2 arteries - (answer)A
(AVA)
When reviewing a potential cause for postpartum hemorrhage with the student nurse, the nurse is sure
to include the finding of a(n) ____________ bladder - (answer)FULL/OVERDISTENDED
Reasoning:
An overdistended bladder, which displaces the uterus above and to the right of the umbilicus, can cause
uterine atony and lead to hemorrhage
Maddy, a G3 P1 woman, gave birth 12 hrs ago to a 9lb 13 oz daughter. She experiences severe cramps
with breastfeeding. The perinatal nurse best describes this condition as:
A) Afterpains
B) Uterine hypertonia
C) Bladder hypertonia
D) Rectus abdominis diastasis - (answer)A
Reasoning
,Maternity Exam 1 (Chapters 1–5) – Practice Questions, Answers & Rationales
| 2026/2027 | A+ Grade (Exam Preparation Material)
Afterpains are intermittent uterine contractions that occur during the process of involution. Afterpains
are more pronounced in patients w/ decreased uterine tone due to overdistension, which is associated
w/ multiparity and macrosomia. Patients often describe the sensation as a discomfort similar to
menstrual cramps
What does GTPAL mean? - (answer)G: Gravida → # of times a woman has conceived including current
pregnancy
T: Term Births → # of times a woman has carried a pregnancy to at least 37 weeks and delivered
P: Preterm Births → # of births a woman has delivered before 37 weeks gestation but after 20 weeks
A: Abortions → # of times a woman has lost a pregnancy, whether it was elective or spontaneous
(miscarriage), before 20 weeks gestation
L: living children → live births
The best way for the nurse to enhance parental confidence is to
A) Have the parents watch a video tape of infant care, then discuss it with them
B) Demonstrate skills on the newborn while providing care
C) Encourage new parents to ask their friends about infant care
D) Provide encouragement and positive feedback - (answer)D
The nurse is teaching the parents of a female baby how to change a baby's diapers. Which of the
following should be included in the teaching?
A) Always wipe the perineum from front to back
B) Remove any vernix caseosa from labia folds
C) Put powder on buttocks every time the baby stools
, Maternity Exam 1 (Chapters 1–5) – Practice Questions, Answers & Rationales
| 2026/2027 | A+ Grade (Exam Preparation Material)
D) Weigh every diaper in order to assess for hydration - (answer)A
Reasoning
To decrease risk of infection from bacteria from the rectum, the perineum of female babies should
always be cleansed from front to back
After birth, the perinatal nurse explains to the new mom that Progesterone is the hormone responsible
for stimulating milk production
A) True
B) False - (answer)FALSE
A 6 hour infant passes an unformed, black, tar like stool. The nurse should conclude this is a:
A) Meconium stool expected at the time of birth
B) Transitional stool expected at this time
C) Meconium stool expected at this time
D) Transitional stool expected later - (answer)C
A woman's postpartum vaginal discharge is dark red and contains shreds of decidua and epithelial cells.
The nurse should describe the discharge in the nurse's notes as:
A) Rubra
B) Serosa
C) Alba
D) Erythra - (answer)A
Which of the following statements indicates that a new mom needs additional teaching?
A) I will need to supervise my cat when she is in the same room as my baby
B) I will place by baby on her back when she is sleeping
