Maternity Nursing Q 42
During a prenatal class, the nurse explains the rationale for breathing techniques during preparation for labor based on the understanding that breathing techniques are most important in achieving which of the following?
A. Eliminate pain and give expectant parents something to do.
B. Reduce the risk of fetal distress by increasing uteroplacental perfusion.
C. Facilitate relaxation, possibly reducing the perception of pain.
D. Eliminate pain so that less analgesia and anesthesia are needed.
Correct Answer: C. Facilitate relaxation, possibly reducing the perception of pain.
Breathing techniques can raise the pain threshold and reduce the perception of pain. They also promote relaxation.
Option A: Breathing techniques do not eliminate pain, but they can reduce it. Focused breathing might work by interrupting the transmission of pain signals to the brain by giving the woman something positive to focus on. It may also work by stimulating the release of endorphins, which are natural pain-relieving hormones, and by helping her reframe her thinking about labor so that she can view it as positive, productive, and manageable.
Option B: Positioning, not breathing, increases uteroplacental perfusion. Side-lying position aids in better blood circulation.
Option D: Breathing techniques do not eliminate pain. Many different childbirth classes include components of breathing in their class curriculum. The techniques may vary but many classes today teach that breathing should be slow, deep, controlled, and conscious or voluntary, not automatic.