Question

A nurse is performing a routine assessment on a client who is at 18 weeks gestation. Which of the following findings should the nurse expect?

a. Quickening reported by the client.
b. Fundal height at the level of the umbilicus.
c. Absence of fetal heartbeat with Doppler.
d. Decreased urinary frequency.

Answer 1

At 18 weeks gestation, a nurse should expect quickening, where the client reports feeling fetal movements. Other options, such as fundal height at umbilicus level or absence of a fetal heartbeat with Doppler, are incorrect, and increased rather than decreased urinary frequency is common at this stage.

Step-by-step explanation:

A nurse performing a routine assessment on a client at 18 weeks gestation should expect to find certain developmental milestones. Among the listed options, the correct finding would be a. Quickening reported by the client. Quickening is the sensation of fetal movements and can often be first felt by the mother between 16-20 weeks of pregnancy. Option b. Fundal height at the level of the umbilicus is typically expected later in pregnancy, around 20 weeks. Option c. is incorrect because the absence of a fetal heartbeat with Doppler is not an expected finding; fetal heartbeat can typically be detected much earlier in gestation. Finally, option d. Decreased urinary frequency, is not characteristic of this stage in pregnancy; in fact, increased frequency is more common due to the enlarging uterus exerting pressure on the bladder.