HESI OB MATERNITY CORRECT EXAMS ANSWERS
AND QUESTIONS SET A+
=
✔✔A client at 32-weeks gestation is hospitalized with severe pregnancy-induced
hypertension (PIH), and magnesium sulfate is prescribed to control the symptoms.
Which assessment finding would indicate that therapeutic drug level has been
achieved?
A. 4+ reflexes
B. Urinary output of 50 ml per hour
C. A decrease in respiratory rate from 24 to 16
D. A decreased body temperature - ✔✔C. A decrease in respiratory rate from 24 to 16
Magnesium sulfate, a CNS depressant, helps prevent seizures. A decreased respiratory
rate indicates that the drug is effective. (Respiratory rate below 12 indicates toxic
effects.)
Urinary output must be monitored when administering magnesium sulfate and should be
at least 30 ml per hour.
(The therapeutic level of magnesium sulfate for a PIH client is 4.8 to 9.6 mg/dl.)
✔✔A client at 28-weeks gestation calls the antepartal clinic and states that she is
experiencing a small amount of vaginal bleeding which she describes as bright red. She
further states that she is not experiencing any uterine contractions or abdominal pain.
What instruction should the nurse provide?
A. Come to the clinic today for an ultrasound
B. Go immediately to the emergency room
C. Lie on your left side for about one hour and see if the bleeding stops
D. Bring a urine specimen to the lab tomorrow to determine if you have a urinary tract
infection - ✔✔A. Come to the clinic today for an ultrasound
Third trimester painless bleeding is characteristic of a placenta previa. Bright red
bleeding may be intermittent, occur in gushes, or be continuous. Rarely is the first
,incidence life-threatening, nor cause for hypovolemic shock. Diagnosis is confirmed by
transabdominal ultrasound.
✔✔An off-duty nurse finds a woman in a supermarket parking lot delivering an infant
while her husband is screaming for someone to help his wife. Which intervention has
the highest priority?
A. Use a thread to tie off the umbilical cord
B. Provide as much privacy as possible for the woman
C. Reassure the husband and try to keep him calm
D. Put the newborn to breast - ✔✔D. Put the newborn to breast
Putting the newborn to breast will help contract the uterus and prevent a postpartum
hemorrhage--this intervention has the highest priority.
✔✔A pregnany client with mitral stenosis Class III is prescribed complete bedrest. The
client asks the nurse, "Why must I stay in bed all the time?" Which response is best for
the nurse to provide this client?
A. "Complete bedrest decreases oxygen needs and demands on the heart muscle
tissue."
B. "We want your baby to be healthy, and this is the only way we can make sure that
will happen."
C. "I know you're upset. Would you like to talk about some things you could do while in
bed?"
D. "Labor is difficult and you need to use this time to rest before you have to assume all
child-caring duties." - ✔✔A. "Complete bedrest decreases oxygen needs and demands
on the heart muscle tissue."
✔✔The nurse is teaching care of the newborn to a group of prospective parents and
describes the need for administering antibiotic ointment into the eyes of the newborn.
Which infectious organism will this treatment prevent from harming the infant?
A. Herpes
B. Staphylococcus
C. Gonorrhea
D. Syphilis - ✔✔C. Gonorrhea
Erythromycin ointment is instilled into the lower conjunctiva of each eye within 2 hours
after birth to prevent ophthalmica neonatorum, an infection caused by gonorrhea, and
inclusion conjunctivitis, an infection caused by chlamydia.The infant may be exposed to
these bacteria when passing through the birth canal.
✔✔The nurse is teaching a woman how to use her basal body temperature (BBT)
pattern as a tool to assist her in conceiving a child. Which temperature pattern indicates
the occurrence of ovulation, and therefore, the best time for intercourse to ensure
conception?
A. Between the time the temperature falls and rises
, B. Between 36 and 48 hours after the temperature rises
C. When the temperature falls and remains low for 36 hours
D. Within 72 hours before the temperature falls - ✔✔A. Between the time the
temperature falls and rises
In most women, the BBT drops slightly 24 to 36 hours before ovulation and rises 24 to
72 hours after ovulation, when the corpus luteum of the ruptured ovary produces
progesterone. Therefore, intercourse between the time of the temperature fall and rise
is the best time for conception. The human ovum can be fertilized 16 to 24 hours after
ovulation.
✔✔A woman who had a miscarriage 6 months ago becomes pregnant. Which
instruction is most important for the nurse to provide this client?
A. Elevate lower legs while resting
B. Increase caloric intake by 200 to 300 calories per day
C. increase water intake to 8 full glasses per day
D. Take prescribed multivitamin and mineral supplements - ✔✔D. Take prescribed
multivitamin and mineral supplements
A client who has had a spontaneous abortion or still birth in the last 1½ years should
take multivitamin and mineral supplements and maintain a balanced diet because the
previous pregnancy may have left her nutritionally depleted.
✔✔The nurse is caring for a woman with a previously diagnosed heart disease who is in
the second stage of labor. Which assessment findings are of greatest concern?
A. Edema, basilar rales, and an irregular pulse
B. Increased urinary output and tachycardia
C. Shortness of breath, bradycardia, and hypertension
D. Regular heart rate and hypertension - ✔✔A. Edema, basilar rales, and an irregular
pulse
Edema, basilar rales, and an irregular pulse indicate cardiac decompensation and
require immediate intervention.
✔✔A client receiving epidural anesthesia begins to experience nausea and becomes
pale and clammy. What intervention should the nurse implement first?
A. raise the foot of the bed
B. Assess for vaginal bleeding
C. Evaluate the fetal heart rate
D. Take the client's blood pressure - ✔✔A. raise the foot of the bed
These symptoms are suggestive of hypotension which is a side effect of epidural
anesthesia. Raising the foot of the bed will increase venous return and provide blood to
the vital areas. Increasing the IV fluid rate using a balanced non-dextrose solution and
AND QUESTIONS SET A+
=
✔✔A client at 32-weeks gestation is hospitalized with severe pregnancy-induced
hypertension (PIH), and magnesium sulfate is prescribed to control the symptoms.
Which assessment finding would indicate that therapeutic drug level has been
achieved?
A. 4+ reflexes
B. Urinary output of 50 ml per hour
C. A decrease in respiratory rate from 24 to 16
D. A decreased body temperature - ✔✔C. A decrease in respiratory rate from 24 to 16
Magnesium sulfate, a CNS depressant, helps prevent seizures. A decreased respiratory
rate indicates that the drug is effective. (Respiratory rate below 12 indicates toxic
effects.)
Urinary output must be monitored when administering magnesium sulfate and should be
at least 30 ml per hour.
(The therapeutic level of magnesium sulfate for a PIH client is 4.8 to 9.6 mg/dl.)
✔✔A client at 28-weeks gestation calls the antepartal clinic and states that she is
experiencing a small amount of vaginal bleeding which she describes as bright red. She
further states that she is not experiencing any uterine contractions or abdominal pain.
What instruction should the nurse provide?
A. Come to the clinic today for an ultrasound
B. Go immediately to the emergency room
C. Lie on your left side for about one hour and see if the bleeding stops
D. Bring a urine specimen to the lab tomorrow to determine if you have a urinary tract
infection - ✔✔A. Come to the clinic today for an ultrasound
Third trimester painless bleeding is characteristic of a placenta previa. Bright red
bleeding may be intermittent, occur in gushes, or be continuous. Rarely is the first
,incidence life-threatening, nor cause for hypovolemic shock. Diagnosis is confirmed by
transabdominal ultrasound.
✔✔An off-duty nurse finds a woman in a supermarket parking lot delivering an infant
while her husband is screaming for someone to help his wife. Which intervention has
the highest priority?
A. Use a thread to tie off the umbilical cord
B. Provide as much privacy as possible for the woman
C. Reassure the husband and try to keep him calm
D. Put the newborn to breast - ✔✔D. Put the newborn to breast
Putting the newborn to breast will help contract the uterus and prevent a postpartum
hemorrhage--this intervention has the highest priority.
✔✔A pregnany client with mitral stenosis Class III is prescribed complete bedrest. The
client asks the nurse, "Why must I stay in bed all the time?" Which response is best for
the nurse to provide this client?
A. "Complete bedrest decreases oxygen needs and demands on the heart muscle
tissue."
B. "We want your baby to be healthy, and this is the only way we can make sure that
will happen."
C. "I know you're upset. Would you like to talk about some things you could do while in
bed?"
D. "Labor is difficult and you need to use this time to rest before you have to assume all
child-caring duties." - ✔✔A. "Complete bedrest decreases oxygen needs and demands
on the heart muscle tissue."
✔✔The nurse is teaching care of the newborn to a group of prospective parents and
describes the need for administering antibiotic ointment into the eyes of the newborn.
Which infectious organism will this treatment prevent from harming the infant?
A. Herpes
B. Staphylococcus
C. Gonorrhea
D. Syphilis - ✔✔C. Gonorrhea
Erythromycin ointment is instilled into the lower conjunctiva of each eye within 2 hours
after birth to prevent ophthalmica neonatorum, an infection caused by gonorrhea, and
inclusion conjunctivitis, an infection caused by chlamydia.The infant may be exposed to
these bacteria when passing through the birth canal.
✔✔The nurse is teaching a woman how to use her basal body temperature (BBT)
pattern as a tool to assist her in conceiving a child. Which temperature pattern indicates
the occurrence of ovulation, and therefore, the best time for intercourse to ensure
conception?
A. Between the time the temperature falls and rises
, B. Between 36 and 48 hours after the temperature rises
C. When the temperature falls and remains low for 36 hours
D. Within 72 hours before the temperature falls - ✔✔A. Between the time the
temperature falls and rises
In most women, the BBT drops slightly 24 to 36 hours before ovulation and rises 24 to
72 hours after ovulation, when the corpus luteum of the ruptured ovary produces
progesterone. Therefore, intercourse between the time of the temperature fall and rise
is the best time for conception. The human ovum can be fertilized 16 to 24 hours after
ovulation.
✔✔A woman who had a miscarriage 6 months ago becomes pregnant. Which
instruction is most important for the nurse to provide this client?
A. Elevate lower legs while resting
B. Increase caloric intake by 200 to 300 calories per day
C. increase water intake to 8 full glasses per day
D. Take prescribed multivitamin and mineral supplements - ✔✔D. Take prescribed
multivitamin and mineral supplements
A client who has had a spontaneous abortion or still birth in the last 1½ years should
take multivitamin and mineral supplements and maintain a balanced diet because the
previous pregnancy may have left her nutritionally depleted.
✔✔The nurse is caring for a woman with a previously diagnosed heart disease who is in
the second stage of labor. Which assessment findings are of greatest concern?
A. Edema, basilar rales, and an irregular pulse
B. Increased urinary output and tachycardia
C. Shortness of breath, bradycardia, and hypertension
D. Regular heart rate and hypertension - ✔✔A. Edema, basilar rales, and an irregular
pulse
Edema, basilar rales, and an irregular pulse indicate cardiac decompensation and
require immediate intervention.
✔✔A client receiving epidural anesthesia begins to experience nausea and becomes
pale and clammy. What intervention should the nurse implement first?
A. raise the foot of the bed
B. Assess for vaginal bleeding
C. Evaluate the fetal heart rate
D. Take the client's blood pressure - ✔✔A. raise the foot of the bed
These symptoms are suggestive of hypotension which is a side effect of epidural
anesthesia. Raising the foot of the bed will increase venous return and provide blood to
the vital areas. Increasing the IV fluid rate using a balanced non-dextrose solution and
