Practice Question
Part of the health assessment of a newborn includes observation of the neonate's breathing pattern. A full-term newborn's breathing pattern is predominantly:
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Abdominal with synchronous chest movements.
Rationale:
🔵 A full-term newborn primarily exhibits abdominal (diaphragmatic) breathing, where the abdomen rises and falls more noticeably than the chest.
🔵 This pattern occurs because the diaphragm is the major muscle of respiration in neonates, and their chest wall muscles are still underdeveloped.
🔵 The breathing should be synchronous, meaning the abdomen and chest move together smoothly, without signs of distress.
🔵 Irregular respiratory rhythm with periodic breathing (brief pauses under 15 seconds) is also common and normal in healthy newborns.
🔵 Nasal flaring, retractions, or deep irregular breathing may suggest respiratory distress and are not normal baseline findings.
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This question is from Maternity exam 2 ( Samuel Merit University) which contains 49 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: General Exams
- Domain: 🤱🏼Maternity & Newborn Care
- Answer Choices: 4