Maternity Nursing: Intrapartum Q 41
Upon completion of a vaginal examination on a laboring woman, the nurse records 50%, 6 cm, -1. Which of the following is a correct interpretation of the data?
A. Fetal presenting part is 1 cm above the ischial spines.
B. Effacement is 4 cm from completion.
C. Dilation is 50% completed.
D. Fetus has achieved passage through the ischial spines.
Correct Answer: A. Fetal presenting part is 1 cm above the ischial spines.
Station of – 1 indicates that the fetal presenting part is above the ischial spines and has not yet passed through the pelvic inlet. A station of zero would indicate that the presenting part has passed through the inlet and is at the level of the ischial spines or is engaged.
Option B: Progress of effacement is referred to by percentages with 100% indicating full effacement. Some women may reach 100% effacement within a few hours. For others, cervical effacement may occur slowly over several weeks.
Option C: Dilation by centimeters (cm) with 10 cm indicating full dilation. One woman may go from having a closed cervix to giving birth in a matter of hours, while another is 1–2 cm dilated for days or weeks. Some women do not experience any dilation until they go into active labor. This means that the cervix is completely closed initially, but it widens to 10 cm as labor progresses.
Option D: Passage through the ischial spines with internal rotation would be indicated by a plus station, such as + 1.