Question

A newborn's total body response to noise or movement is often distressing to the parents. What should the nurse tell the parents this response represents?

1. A reflex that is expected in the healthy newborn

2. A reflex that remains for the newborn's first year

3. An autonomic reflex indicating that the newborn is hungry

4. An autonomic reflex indicating the newborn's basic insecurity (Nugent 326)
Nugent, Patricia M. Mosby's Review Questions for the NCLEX-RN® Examination, 7th Edition. Mosby, 2011. VitalBook file.

Answer 1

Newborns have reflexes that help them survive, such as the Moro reflex, which is a response to the sensation of falling.

Step-by-step explanation:

The newborn's total body response to noise or movement represents a reflex that is expected in the healthy newborn. Newborns have various instinctive behaviors, or reflexes, that help them survive.

For example, the Moro reflex is the newborn's response to the sensation of falling, where the baby spreads its arms, pulls them back in, and may cry. These reflexes are present in babies whose brains are developing normally and usually disappear around 4-5 months old.