Nursing Obstetric Assessment

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When a woman comes to the hospital, a nurse will collect all basic information before performing the check up. Getting name, age, chief complaint, and in this case how far along is she in her pregnancy, and of course how many babies there are. The nurse will also be sure to gather information such at the name of the physician she is under, any previous medical diagnoses, number of pregnancies, how many births, expected day of delivery, allergies, time of the last oral intake, and pain level. The woman will go to the admission process and into the delivery room. She will stay admitted until after the delivery, and then moved to a more calming and secluded section with her baby. The mother will have her vital signs as well as a full assessment …show more content…

A few things the would measure is the heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflexes and skin color. This test for what was previously mentioned is called and Apgar Test. The categories are scored between 0-2 which will make the maximum score a 10. This is to be checked the first minute after birth and then on the 5th minute. Checking the birth weight as well as the measurement of the head, abdomen and length from crown to heel is to be included. Next would be the physical examination to check for tone, head shape and how the fontanels and sutures look, if any trauma was experienced during the delivery, the clavicles and neck to check for the range of motion, asymmetry, and any masses or crepitus. Also check the eyes for symmetry, the shape, dilation, any erythema and the light reflexes. When getting to the rest of the head be sure to check the ear size, shape, and if it has a recoil. For the nasal area; check the shape and patency of the nostrils as well as the palate of the mouth and gums, lip and tongue mobility. Afterwards move down to the body while looking at the shape of the chest and any positioning and shape of the nipples. Be sure to check the genitalia color, any discharge or abnormalities. After that moving toward the back of the baby with the spine. It should be symmetric and palpable, noting any unusual lesions, tags, or masses for the doctor to further exam. Be sure to also check for the suck, grasp, and moro

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