Maternity Nursing: Intrapartum Q 3
A nurse explains the purpose of effleurage to a client in early labor. The nurse tells the client that effleurage is:
A. A form of biofeedback to enhance bearing down efforts during delivery.
B. Light stroking of the abdomen to facilitate relaxation during labor and provide tactile stimulation to the fetus.
C. The application of pressure to the sacrum to relieve a backache.
D. Performed to stimulate uterine activity by contracting a specific muscle group while other parts of the body rest.
Correct Answer: B. Light stroking of the abdomen to facilitate relaxation during labor and provide tactile stimulation to the fetus.
Effleurage is a specific type of cutaneous stimulation involving light stroking of the abdomen and is used before a transition to promote relaxation and relieve mild to moderate pain. Effleurage provides tactile stimulation to the fetus.
Option A: Women using biofeedback during childbirth reported significantly lower pain: from admission to labor and delivery, at delivery, and 24-hr postpartum. Also, women in the biofeedback group labored an average of 2 hr less and used 30% fewer medications. The results of a study suggest that EMG biofeedback may be effective in reducing levels of acute pain experienced by childbearing women.
Option C: Low back pain in pregnancy is generally ascribed to the many changes in load and body mechanics that occur during the carrying of a child. It is normal to gain between 20 and 40 pounds during pregnancy. This clearly shifts the body’s center of gravity anteriorly and increases the moment arm of forces applied to the lumbar spine.
Option D: The primary hormones involved include estrogen, progesterone, and oxytocin. Oxytocin is one of the most widely studied hormones involved in uterine contractions. It decreases Ca2+ efflux, by inhibiting the Ca2+/ATPase of the myometrial cell membrane which pumps calcium from the inside to the extracellular space, and increases Ca2+ influx, as well as causes the release of Ca2+ from the SR via IICR.