OB Postpartum NCLEX Test Questions with Verified Answers
A postpartum nurse is preparing to care for a woman
who has just delivered a healthy newborn infant. In the
immediate postpartum period the nurse plans to take the
woman's vital signs: B) Every 15 minutes during the first hour and then every
A) Every 30 minutes during the first hour and then every 30 minutes for the next two hours.
hour for the next two hours.
B) Every 15 minutes during the first hour and then every Rationale: Every 15 minutes during the first hour and then
30 minutes for the next two hours. every 30 minutes for the next two hours.
C) Every hour for the first 2 hours and then every 4 hours
D) Every 5 minutes for the first 30 minutes and then every
hour for the next 4 hours.
D) Increase hydration by encouraging oral fluids
A postpartum nurse is taking the vital signs of a woman
who delivered a healthy newborn infant 4 hours ago. The
Rationale: The mother's temperature may be taken every
nurse notes that the mother's temperature is 100.2*F.
4 hours while she is awake. Temperatures up to 100.4 (38
Which of the following actions would be most appropri-
C) in the first 24 hours after birth are often related to the
ate?
dehydrating ettects of labor. The most appropriate action
A) Retake the temperature in 15 minutes
is to increase hydration by encouraging oral fluids, which
B) Notify the physician
should bring the temperature to a normal reading. Al-
C) Document the findings
though the nurse would document the findings, the most
D) Increase hydration by encouraging oral fluids
appropriate action would be to increase the hydration.
The nurse is assessing a client who is 6 hours PP after
B) Instruct the mother to request help when getting out of
delivering a full-term healthy infant. The client complains
bed
to the nurse of feelings of faintness and dizziness. Which
of the following nursing actions would be most appropri-
Rationale: Orthostatic hypotension may be evident during
ate?
the first 8 hours after birth. Feelings of faintness or dizzi-
A) Obtain hemoglobin and hematocrit levels
ness are signs that should caution the nurse to be aware
B) Instruct the mother to request help when getting out
of the client's safety. The nurse should advise the mother
of bed
to get help the first few times the mother gets out of bed.
C) Elevate the mother's legs
Obtaining an H/H requires a physicians order.
D) Inform the nursery room nurse to avoid bringing the
,OB Postpartum NCLEX Test Questions with Verified Answers
newborn infant to the mother until the feelings of light-
headedness and dizziness have subsided
A nurse is preparing to perform a fundal assessment on a C) Ask the mother to urinate and empty her bladder
postpartum client. The initial nursing action in performing
this assessment is which of the following? Rationale: Before starting the fundal assessment, the
A) Ask the client to turn on her side nurse should ask the mother to empty her bladder so that
B) Ask the client to lie flat on her back with the knees and an accurate assessment can be done. When the nurse is
legs flat and straight performing fundal assessment, the nurse asks the woman
C) Ask the mother to urinate and empty her bladder to lie flat on her back with the knees flexed. Massaging the
D) Massage the fundus gently before determining the fundus is not appropriate unless the fundus is boggy and
level of the fundus. soft, and then it should be massaged gently until firm.
The nurse is assessing the lochia on a 1 day PP patient. The B) Indicates the presence of infection
nurse notes that the lochia is red and has a foul-smelling
odor. The nurse determines that this assessment finding Rationale: Lochia, the discharge present after birth, is red
is: for the first 1 to 3 days and gradually decreases in amount.
A) Normal Normal lochia has a fleshy odor. Foul smelling or purulent
B) Indicates the presence of infection lochia usually indicates infection, and these findings are
C) Indicates the need for increasing oral fluids not normal. Encouraging the woman to drink fluids or in-
D) Indicates the need for increasing ambulation crease ambulation is not an accurate nursing intervention
B) Notify the physician
When performing a PP assessment on a client, the nurse
notes the presence of clots in the lochia. The nurse exam-
Rationale: Normally, one may find a few small clots in the
ines the clots and notes that they are larger than 1 cm.
first 1 to 2 days after birth from pooling of blood in the
Which of the following nursing actions is most appropri-
vagina. Clots larger than 1 cm are considered abnormal.
ate?
The cause of these clots, such as uterine atony or retained
A) Document the findings
placental fragments, needs to be determined and treated
B) Notify the physician
to prevent further blood loss. Although the findings would
C) Reassess the client in 2 hours
be documented, the most appropriate action is to notify
D) Encourage increased intake of fluids
the physician.
, OB Postpartum NCLEX Test Questions with Verified Answers
A nurse in a PP unit is instructing a mother regarding
lochia and the amount of expected lochia drainage. The
D) Eight peripads per day
nurse instructs the mother that the normal amount of
lochia may vary but should never exceed the need for:
Rationale: The normal amount of lochia may vary with the
A) One peripad per day
individual but should never exceed 4 to 8 peripads per
B) Two peripads per day
day. The average number of peripads is 6 per day.
C) Three peripads per day
D) Eight peripads per day
A PP nurse is providing instructions to a woman after de- B) 3 days PP
livery of a healthy newborn infant. The nurse instructs the
mother that she should expect normal bowel elimination Rationale: After birth, the nurse should auscultate the
to return: woman's abdomen in all four quadrants to determine the
A) One the day of the delivery return of bowel sounds. Normal bowel elimination usually
B) 3 days PP returns 2 to 3 days PP. Surgery, anesthesia, and the use
C) 7 days PP of narcotics and pain control agents also contribute to the
D) within 2 weeks PP longer period of altered bowel function
A) Cervical involution occurs
C) Fundus begins to descend into the pelvis after 24
hours
Select all of the physiological maternal changes that occur
during the PP period. (Select all that apply) Rationale: After 1 week the muscle begins to regenerate
A) Cervical involution occurs and the cervix feels firm and the external os is the width
B) Vaginal distention decreases slowly of a pencil. Although the vaginal mucosa heals and vaginal
C) Fundus begins to descend into the pelvis after 24 distention decreases, it takes the entire PP period for com-
hours plete involution to occur and muscle tone is never restored
D) Cardiac output decreases with resultant tachycardia in to the pregravid state. The fundus begins to descent into
the first 24 hours the pelvic cavity after 24 hours, a process known as invo-
E) Digestive processes slow immediately lution. Despite blood loss that occurs during delivery of
the baby, a transient increase in cardiac output occurs. The
increase in cardiac output, which persists about 48 hours
after childbirth, is probably caused by an increase in stroke
A postpartum nurse is preparing to care for a woman
who has just delivered a healthy newborn infant. In the
immediate postpartum period the nurse plans to take the
woman's vital signs: B) Every 15 minutes during the first hour and then every
A) Every 30 minutes during the first hour and then every 30 minutes for the next two hours.
hour for the next two hours.
B) Every 15 minutes during the first hour and then every Rationale: Every 15 minutes during the first hour and then
30 minutes for the next two hours. every 30 minutes for the next two hours.
C) Every hour for the first 2 hours and then every 4 hours
D) Every 5 minutes for the first 30 minutes and then every
hour for the next 4 hours.
D) Increase hydration by encouraging oral fluids
A postpartum nurse is taking the vital signs of a woman
who delivered a healthy newborn infant 4 hours ago. The
Rationale: The mother's temperature may be taken every
nurse notes that the mother's temperature is 100.2*F.
4 hours while she is awake. Temperatures up to 100.4 (38
Which of the following actions would be most appropri-
C) in the first 24 hours after birth are often related to the
ate?
dehydrating ettects of labor. The most appropriate action
A) Retake the temperature in 15 minutes
is to increase hydration by encouraging oral fluids, which
B) Notify the physician
should bring the temperature to a normal reading. Al-
C) Document the findings
though the nurse would document the findings, the most
D) Increase hydration by encouraging oral fluids
appropriate action would be to increase the hydration.
The nurse is assessing a client who is 6 hours PP after
B) Instruct the mother to request help when getting out of
delivering a full-term healthy infant. The client complains
bed
to the nurse of feelings of faintness and dizziness. Which
of the following nursing actions would be most appropri-
Rationale: Orthostatic hypotension may be evident during
ate?
the first 8 hours after birth. Feelings of faintness or dizzi-
A) Obtain hemoglobin and hematocrit levels
ness are signs that should caution the nurse to be aware
B) Instruct the mother to request help when getting out
of the client's safety. The nurse should advise the mother
of bed
to get help the first few times the mother gets out of bed.
C) Elevate the mother's legs
Obtaining an H/H requires a physicians order.
D) Inform the nursery room nurse to avoid bringing the
,OB Postpartum NCLEX Test Questions with Verified Answers
newborn infant to the mother until the feelings of light-
headedness and dizziness have subsided
A nurse is preparing to perform a fundal assessment on a C) Ask the mother to urinate and empty her bladder
postpartum client. The initial nursing action in performing
this assessment is which of the following? Rationale: Before starting the fundal assessment, the
A) Ask the client to turn on her side nurse should ask the mother to empty her bladder so that
B) Ask the client to lie flat on her back with the knees and an accurate assessment can be done. When the nurse is
legs flat and straight performing fundal assessment, the nurse asks the woman
C) Ask the mother to urinate and empty her bladder to lie flat on her back with the knees flexed. Massaging the
D) Massage the fundus gently before determining the fundus is not appropriate unless the fundus is boggy and
level of the fundus. soft, and then it should be massaged gently until firm.
The nurse is assessing the lochia on a 1 day PP patient. The B) Indicates the presence of infection
nurse notes that the lochia is red and has a foul-smelling
odor. The nurse determines that this assessment finding Rationale: Lochia, the discharge present after birth, is red
is: for the first 1 to 3 days and gradually decreases in amount.
A) Normal Normal lochia has a fleshy odor. Foul smelling or purulent
B) Indicates the presence of infection lochia usually indicates infection, and these findings are
C) Indicates the need for increasing oral fluids not normal. Encouraging the woman to drink fluids or in-
D) Indicates the need for increasing ambulation crease ambulation is not an accurate nursing intervention
B) Notify the physician
When performing a PP assessment on a client, the nurse
notes the presence of clots in the lochia. The nurse exam-
Rationale: Normally, one may find a few small clots in the
ines the clots and notes that they are larger than 1 cm.
first 1 to 2 days after birth from pooling of blood in the
Which of the following nursing actions is most appropri-
vagina. Clots larger than 1 cm are considered abnormal.
ate?
The cause of these clots, such as uterine atony or retained
A) Document the findings
placental fragments, needs to be determined and treated
B) Notify the physician
to prevent further blood loss. Although the findings would
C) Reassess the client in 2 hours
be documented, the most appropriate action is to notify
D) Encourage increased intake of fluids
the physician.
, OB Postpartum NCLEX Test Questions with Verified Answers
A nurse in a PP unit is instructing a mother regarding
lochia and the amount of expected lochia drainage. The
D) Eight peripads per day
nurse instructs the mother that the normal amount of
lochia may vary but should never exceed the need for:
Rationale: The normal amount of lochia may vary with the
A) One peripad per day
individual but should never exceed 4 to 8 peripads per
B) Two peripads per day
day. The average number of peripads is 6 per day.
C) Three peripads per day
D) Eight peripads per day
A PP nurse is providing instructions to a woman after de- B) 3 days PP
livery of a healthy newborn infant. The nurse instructs the
mother that she should expect normal bowel elimination Rationale: After birth, the nurse should auscultate the
to return: woman's abdomen in all four quadrants to determine the
A) One the day of the delivery return of bowel sounds. Normal bowel elimination usually
B) 3 days PP returns 2 to 3 days PP. Surgery, anesthesia, and the use
C) 7 days PP of narcotics and pain control agents also contribute to the
D) within 2 weeks PP longer period of altered bowel function
A) Cervical involution occurs
C) Fundus begins to descend into the pelvis after 24
hours
Select all of the physiological maternal changes that occur
during the PP period. (Select all that apply) Rationale: After 1 week the muscle begins to regenerate
A) Cervical involution occurs and the cervix feels firm and the external os is the width
B) Vaginal distention decreases slowly of a pencil. Although the vaginal mucosa heals and vaginal
C) Fundus begins to descend into the pelvis after 24 distention decreases, it takes the entire PP period for com-
hours plete involution to occur and muscle tone is never restored
D) Cardiac output decreases with resultant tachycardia in to the pregravid state. The fundus begins to descent into
the first 24 hours the pelvic cavity after 24 hours, a process known as invo-
E) Digestive processes slow immediately lution. Despite blood loss that occurs during delivery of
the baby, a transient increase in cardiac output occurs. The
increase in cardiac output, which persists about 48 hours
after childbirth, is probably caused by an increase in stroke
