HESI OB EXAM GUIDE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
1. At 10 weeks gestation, a high-risk multiparous client with a family history of Down
syndrome is admitted for observation following a chorionic villavilla sampling (CVS)
procedure. What assessment finding requires immediate intervention?
A. Uterine cramping.
B. Intermittent nausea.
C. Systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg.
D. Abdominal tenderness. - Answer-A. Uterine cramping.
2. A client states, "During the three months I've been pregnant, it seems like I have had
to go to the bathroom every five minutes." Which explanation should the nurse provide
to this client?
A. The client may have a bladder or kidney infection.
B. Bladder capacity increases during pregnancy.
C. During pregnancy a woman is especially sensitive to body functions.
D. The growing uterus is putting pressure on the bladder. - Answer-D. The growing
uterus is putting pressure on the bladder.
3. The nurse assesses a male newborn and determines that he has the following vital
signs: axillary temperature 95.1 F, heart rate 136 beats/minute and a respiratory rate of
48 breaths/minute. Based on these findings, which action should the nurse take first?
A. Notify the pediatrician of the infant's vital signs.
B. Encourage the infant to take the breast or sugar water.
C. Assess the infant's blood glucose level.
D. Check the infant's arterial blood gases. - Answer-C. Assess the infant's blood
glucose level.
4. An infant in respiratory distress is placed on pulse oximetry. The oxygen saturation
indicates 85%. What is the priority nursing intervention?
A. Evaluate the blood pH.
B. Begin humidified oxygen via hood.
C. Place the infant under a radiant warmer.
D. Stimulate infant crying. - Answer-B. Begin humidified oxygen via hood.
5. When assessing a newborn infant's heart rate, which technique is most important for
the nurse to use?
A. Count the heart rate for at least one full minute.
,B. Quiet the infant before counting the heart rate.
C. Palpate the umbilical cord.
D. Listen at the apex of the heart. - Answer-A. Count the heart rate for at least one full
minute.
6. 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?
A. Inform the mother that the injection was prescribed by the healthcare provider.
B. Explore the mother's concern about the infant receiving an injection of vitamin K.
C. Remind the mother that all babies receive the shot and it is relatively painless.
D. Explain that vitamin K is required by state law and compliance is mandatory. -
Answer-B. Explore the mother's concern about the infant receiving an injection of
vitamin K.
7. The nurse is teaching a new mother about diet and breastfeeding. Which instruction
is most important to include in the teaching plan?
A. Double prenatal milk intake to improve vitamin D transfer to the infant.
B. Increase caloric intake by approximately 500 calories/day.
C. Avoid spicy foods to prevent infant colic.
D. Avoid alcohol because it is excreted in breast milk. - Answer-D. Avoid alcohol
because it is excreted in breast milk.
8. Which nursing intervention best enhances maternal-infant bonding during the fourth
stage of labor?
A. Brighten the lighting so the mother can view the infant.
B. Provide positive reinforcement for maternal care of infant.
C. Complete a newborn assessment as quickly as possible.
D. Encourage early initiation of breast or formula feeding. - Answer-D. Encourage early
initiation of breast or formula feeding.
9. A client at 8-weeks gestation ask the nurse about the risk for congenital heart defect
(CHD) in her baby. Which response best explains when a CHD may occur?
A. They usually occur in the first trimester pregnancy.
B. The heart develops in the third to fifth weeks after conception.
C. It depends on what the causative factors are for a CHD.
D. We don't really know what or when CHDs occur. - Answer-B. The heart develops in
the third to fifth weeks after conception.
10 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?
, A. The interaction between the mother's voice and the fetus's response ensures
bonding.
B. The healthcare provider should address her concerns about her baby's hearing
function.
C. The fetus in utero is capable of hearing and does respond to the mother's voice.
D. Many women imagine what their baby is like by interpreting fetal movements. -
Answer-C. The fetus in utero is capable of hearing and does respond to the mother's
voice.
11. A client at 25-weeks gestation tells the nurse that she dropped a cooking utensil last
week and her baby jumped in response to the noise. What information should the nurse
provide?
A. Report the fetus's behavior to the healthcare provider.
B. The fetus can respond to sound by 24-weeks gestation.
C. This is a demonstration of the fetus's acoustical reflex.
D. It is a coincidence the fetus responded at the same time. - Answer-B. The fetus can
respond to sound by 24-weeks gestation.
12. A woman, whose pregnancy is confirm, asks the nurse what the function of the
placenta is in early pregnancy. What information supports the explanation that the nurse
should provide?
A. Produces nutrients for fetal nutrition.
B. Forms a protective, impenetrable barrier.
C. Secretes both estrogen and progesterone.
D. Excretes prolactin and insulin. - Answer-C. Secretes both estrogen and
progesterone.
13. Which cardiovascular findings should the nurse assess further in a client who is at
20-weeks gestation?
A. Decrease in blood pressure.
B. Increase in red blood cell production.
C. Decrease in pulse rate.
D. Increase in heart sounds (S1, S2). - Answer-C. Decrease in pulse rate.
14. A 31-year-old woman uses an over-the-counter (OTC) pregnancy test that is
positive one week after a missed period. At the clinic, the client tells the nurse she takes
phenytoin (Dilantin) for epilepsy, has a history of irregular periods, is under stress at
work, and has not been sleeping well. The clients physical examination and ultrasound
do not indicate that she is pregnant. How should the nurse explain the most likely cause
for obtaining false-positive pregnancy test results?
A. Being under too much stress at work.
ANSWERS
1. At 10 weeks gestation, a high-risk multiparous client with a family history of Down
syndrome is admitted for observation following a chorionic villavilla sampling (CVS)
procedure. What assessment finding requires immediate intervention?
A. Uterine cramping.
B. Intermittent nausea.
C. Systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg.
D. Abdominal tenderness. - Answer-A. Uterine cramping.
2. A client states, "During the three months I've been pregnant, it seems like I have had
to go to the bathroom every five minutes." Which explanation should the nurse provide
to this client?
A. The client may have a bladder or kidney infection.
B. Bladder capacity increases during pregnancy.
C. During pregnancy a woman is especially sensitive to body functions.
D. The growing uterus is putting pressure on the bladder. - Answer-D. The growing
uterus is putting pressure on the bladder.
3. The nurse assesses a male newborn and determines that he has the following vital
signs: axillary temperature 95.1 F, heart rate 136 beats/minute and a respiratory rate of
48 breaths/minute. Based on these findings, which action should the nurse take first?
A. Notify the pediatrician of the infant's vital signs.
B. Encourage the infant to take the breast or sugar water.
C. Assess the infant's blood glucose level.
D. Check the infant's arterial blood gases. - Answer-C. Assess the infant's blood
glucose level.
4. An infant in respiratory distress is placed on pulse oximetry. The oxygen saturation
indicates 85%. What is the priority nursing intervention?
A. Evaluate the blood pH.
B. Begin humidified oxygen via hood.
C. Place the infant under a radiant warmer.
D. Stimulate infant crying. - Answer-B. Begin humidified oxygen via hood.
5. When assessing a newborn infant's heart rate, which technique is most important for
the nurse to use?
A. Count the heart rate for at least one full minute.
,B. Quiet the infant before counting the heart rate.
C. Palpate the umbilical cord.
D. Listen at the apex of the heart. - Answer-A. Count the heart rate for at least one full
minute.
6. 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?
A. Inform the mother that the injection was prescribed by the healthcare provider.
B. Explore the mother's concern about the infant receiving an injection of vitamin K.
C. Remind the mother that all babies receive the shot and it is relatively painless.
D. Explain that vitamin K is required by state law and compliance is mandatory. -
Answer-B. Explore the mother's concern about the infant receiving an injection of
vitamin K.
7. The nurse is teaching a new mother about diet and breastfeeding. Which instruction
is most important to include in the teaching plan?
A. Double prenatal milk intake to improve vitamin D transfer to the infant.
B. Increase caloric intake by approximately 500 calories/day.
C. Avoid spicy foods to prevent infant colic.
D. Avoid alcohol because it is excreted in breast milk. - Answer-D. Avoid alcohol
because it is excreted in breast milk.
8. Which nursing intervention best enhances maternal-infant bonding during the fourth
stage of labor?
A. Brighten the lighting so the mother can view the infant.
B. Provide positive reinforcement for maternal care of infant.
C. Complete a newborn assessment as quickly as possible.
D. Encourage early initiation of breast or formula feeding. - Answer-D. Encourage early
initiation of breast or formula feeding.
9. A client at 8-weeks gestation ask the nurse about the risk for congenital heart defect
(CHD) in her baby. Which response best explains when a CHD may occur?
A. They usually occur in the first trimester pregnancy.
B. The heart develops in the third to fifth weeks after conception.
C. It depends on what the causative factors are for a CHD.
D. We don't really know what or when CHDs occur. - Answer-B. The heart develops in
the third to fifth weeks after conception.
10 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?
, A. The interaction between the mother's voice and the fetus's response ensures
bonding.
B. The healthcare provider should address her concerns about her baby's hearing
function.
C. The fetus in utero is capable of hearing and does respond to the mother's voice.
D. Many women imagine what their baby is like by interpreting fetal movements. -
Answer-C. The fetus in utero is capable of hearing and does respond to the mother's
voice.
11. A client at 25-weeks gestation tells the nurse that she dropped a cooking utensil last
week and her baby jumped in response to the noise. What information should the nurse
provide?
A. Report the fetus's behavior to the healthcare provider.
B. The fetus can respond to sound by 24-weeks gestation.
C. This is a demonstration of the fetus's acoustical reflex.
D. It is a coincidence the fetus responded at the same time. - Answer-B. The fetus can
respond to sound by 24-weeks gestation.
12. A woman, whose pregnancy is confirm, asks the nurse what the function of the
placenta is in early pregnancy. What information supports the explanation that the nurse
should provide?
A. Produces nutrients for fetal nutrition.
B. Forms a protective, impenetrable barrier.
C. Secretes both estrogen and progesterone.
D. Excretes prolactin and insulin. - Answer-C. Secretes both estrogen and
progesterone.
13. Which cardiovascular findings should the nurse assess further in a client who is at
20-weeks gestation?
A. Decrease in blood pressure.
B. Increase in red blood cell production.
C. Decrease in pulse rate.
D. Increase in heart sounds (S1, S2). - Answer-C. Decrease in pulse rate.
14. A 31-year-old woman uses an over-the-counter (OTC) pregnancy test that is
positive one week after a missed period. At the clinic, the client tells the nurse she takes
phenytoin (Dilantin) for epilepsy, has a history of irregular periods, is under stress at
work, and has not been sleeping well. The clients physical examination and ultrasound
do not indicate that she is pregnant. How should the nurse explain the most likely cause
for obtaining false-positive pregnancy test results?
A. Being under too much stress at work.
