Question

A nurse is reviewing the record of a client in the labor room and notes that the nurse midwife has documented that the fetus is at -1 station. The nurse determines that the fetal presenting part is:

1.1 cm above the ischial spine
2.1 fingerbreadth below the symphysis pubis
3.1 inch below the coccyx
4.1 inch below the iliac crest

Answer 1

A fetus at -1 station means that it is 1 cm above the ischial spine, indicating the fetal presenting part has not yet engaged in the maternal pelvis.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a fetus is at -1 station, the nurse can determine that the fetal presenting part is 1 cm above the ischial spine. This represents a negative station, which indicates that the presenting part of the fetus is not yet engaged in the maternal pelvis. During childbirth, as the presenting part of the fetus descends through the birth canal, it passes through different stations. A 0 station indicates that the presenting part is at the level of the ischial spines, while positive numbers indicate how far below the ischial spines the fetal presenting part has descended. As such, option 1, "1 cm above the ischial spine," correctly describes the position of the fetus at a -1 station.