Question

1. A woman who is 38 weeks pregnant tells the nurse that the baby has dropped and she is having urinary frequency again. The nurse recognizes this as:

a. lightening.
b. Braxton-Hicks contractions.
c. initiation of labor.
d. engagement.

Answer 1

The baby dropping and increased urinary frequency at 38 weeks of pregnancy indicate lightening, where the baby's head moves into the pelvis before labor.

Step-by-step explanation:

The condition where a woman at 38 weeks pregnant notices the baby has dropped and is experiencing increased urinary frequency is known as lightening. Lightening is a pre-labor stage where the baby's head descends into the pelvis, preparing for birth, and often results in urinary frequency due to pressure on the bladder. This should not be confused with Braxton-Hicks contractions, which are irregular pre-labor contractions that do not lead to actual labor. Nor is it the initiation of labor, which involves regular, powerful uterine contractions leading to dilatation of the cervix, or engagement, which is when the fetal head enters the pelvic inlet to begin its descent but may not necessarily be associated with lightening or increased urinary frequency.