NUR 302 - CH 16 EXAM QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY LATEST UPDATE 2026
What are the five major factors that affect the labor and birth process? - Answers Passenger (fetus
and placenta), Passageway (birth canal), Powers (contractions), Position of the mother, Psychologic
response.
What is the passenger in the labor process? - Answers The fetus and placenta.
What are factors related to the passenger that affect labor? - Answers Size of the fetal head, bones of
the fetal skull, fontanels, and molding.
What are fetal fontanels? - Answers Soft spots on the fetal skull that allow skull bones to move during
birth and allow brain growth.
What is the anterior fontanel? - Answers The diamond-shaped soft spot on the top/front of the fetal
head that is about 3 cm by 2 cm and closes around 18 months.
What is the posterior fontanel? - Answers The soft spot toward the occiput that is about 1-2 cm and
closes in about 6-8 weeks.
What is the biparietal diameter? - Answers The largest fetal head measurement (about 9.25 cm) and
the measurement most considered during birth.
What do fontanels and suture lines help determine during a cervical exam? - Answers The position
the baby is lying in.
What does a sunken fontanel indicate? - Answers Possible dehydration or hypovolemia.
What does a bulging fontanel indicate? - Answers Possible increased intracranial pressure.
What is fetal presentation? - Answers The part of the fetus that enters the pelvic inlet first and leads
through the birth canal.
What are the three types of fetal presentation? - Answers Cephalic (occiput/vertex), breech (sacrum),
and shoulder (scapula).
What is a cephalic presentation? - Answers The occiput or head is the presenting part.
What is a breech presentation? - Answers The sacrum or buttocks present first.
What is a shoulder presentation? - Answers The scapula presents first.
What is fetal lie? - Answers The relationship of the long axis of the fetus to the long axis of the
mother.
What are the types of fetal lie? - Answers Longitudinal (vertical), transverse (horizontal), and oblique.
What is fetal attitude? - Answers The relationship of fetal body parts to one another.
What is general flexion? - Answers Normal fetal position where the chin is tucked to the chest and
legs and arms are flexed.
What is fetal position? - Answers The relationship of a reference point on the presenting part to the
four quadrants of the mother's pelvis.
What is the most common fetal position during birth? - Answers Occiput anterior (OA).
What is occiput anterior (OA)? - Answers When the baby is positioned facing the mother's back and is
the most common birth position.
What is occiput posterior (OP)? - Answers When the baby is "sunny-side up," facing the mother's
abdomen.
What is fetal station? - Answers The measurement of the degree of descent of the presenting part
through the birth canal.
What does engagement mean in fetal station? - Answers The presenting part reaches 0 station at the
ischial spines.
What does a negative station mean? - Answers The presenting part is above the ischial spines.
What does a positive station mean? - Answers The presenting part is below the ischial spines.
What are the four types of bony pelvis? - Answers Gynecoid, android, anthropoid, and platypelloid.
What is the gynecoid pelvis? - Answers The most common and optimal pelvic shape for vaginal birth.
What is the passageway in labor? - Answers The birth canal including the bony pelvis and soft tissues.
What soft tissues are involved in the birth canal? - Answers Lower uterine segment, cervix, pelvic
floor muscles, vagina, and introitus.
What is the introitus? - Answers The opening to the vagina.
What are the powers of labor? - Answers The forces that move the fetus through the birth canal.
What are the primary powers of labor? - Answers Uterine contractions that cause effacement and
dilation.
What are the secondary powers of labor? - Answers Maternal pushing or bearing-down efforts
(Valsalva maneuver).
What are the five major factors that affect the labor and birth process? - Answers Passenger (fetus
and placenta), Passageway (birth canal), Powers (contractions), Position of the mother, Psychologic
response.
What is the passenger in the labor process? - Answers The fetus and placenta.
What are factors related to the passenger that affect labor? - Answers Size of the fetal head, bones of
the fetal skull, fontanels, and molding.
What are fetal fontanels? - Answers Soft spots on the fetal skull that allow skull bones to move during
birth and allow brain growth.
What is the anterior fontanel? - Answers The diamond-shaped soft spot on the top/front of the fetal
head that is about 3 cm by 2 cm and closes around 18 months.
What is the posterior fontanel? - Answers The soft spot toward the occiput that is about 1-2 cm and
closes in about 6-8 weeks.
What is the biparietal diameter? - Answers The largest fetal head measurement (about 9.25 cm) and
the measurement most considered during birth.
What do fontanels and suture lines help determine during a cervical exam? - Answers The position
the baby is lying in.
What does a sunken fontanel indicate? - Answers Possible dehydration or hypovolemia.
What does a bulging fontanel indicate? - Answers Possible increased intracranial pressure.
What is fetal presentation? - Answers The part of the fetus that enters the pelvic inlet first and leads
through the birth canal.
What are the three types of fetal presentation? - Answers Cephalic (occiput/vertex), breech (sacrum),
and shoulder (scapula).
What is a cephalic presentation? - Answers The occiput or head is the presenting part.
What is a breech presentation? - Answers The sacrum or buttocks present first.
What is a shoulder presentation? - Answers The scapula presents first.
What is fetal lie? - Answers The relationship of the long axis of the fetus to the long axis of the
mother.
What are the types of fetal lie? - Answers Longitudinal (vertical), transverse (horizontal), and oblique.
What is fetal attitude? - Answers The relationship of fetal body parts to one another.
What is general flexion? - Answers Normal fetal position where the chin is tucked to the chest and
legs and arms are flexed.
What is fetal position? - Answers The relationship of a reference point on the presenting part to the
four quadrants of the mother's pelvis.
What is the most common fetal position during birth? - Answers Occiput anterior (OA).
What is occiput anterior (OA)? - Answers When the baby is positioned facing the mother's back and is
the most common birth position.
What is occiput posterior (OP)? - Answers When the baby is "sunny-side up," facing the mother's
abdomen.
What is fetal station? - Answers The measurement of the degree of descent of the presenting part
through the birth canal.
What does engagement mean in fetal station? - Answers The presenting part reaches 0 station at the
ischial spines.
What does a negative station mean? - Answers The presenting part is above the ischial spines.
What does a positive station mean? - Answers The presenting part is below the ischial spines.
What are the four types of bony pelvis? - Answers Gynecoid, android, anthropoid, and platypelloid.
What is the gynecoid pelvis? - Answers The most common and optimal pelvic shape for vaginal birth.
What is the passageway in labor? - Answers The birth canal including the bony pelvis and soft tissues.
What soft tissues are involved in the birth canal? - Answers Lower uterine segment, cervix, pelvic
floor muscles, vagina, and introitus.
What is the introitus? - Answers The opening to the vagina.
What are the powers of labor? - Answers The forces that move the fetus through the birth canal.
What are the primary powers of labor? - Answers Uterine contractions that cause effacement and
dilation.
What are the secondary powers of labor? - Answers Maternal pushing or bearing-down efforts
(Valsalva maneuver).
