Neonatal elimination Become familiar with the neonate’s voiding patterns (usually six to eight wet diapers daily).

Nausea To help the patient relieve nausea during pregnancy, give her these tips. Before getting out of bed in the morning, eat a high-carbohydrate food, such as saltines, Melba toast,…

Mastitis With today’s shortened hospital stays for childbirth, postpartum teaching is more important than ever. If your patient is breast- feeding, be sure to include these instructions about breast care…

Labor induction Be sure to discuss these topics with a patient who’s about to have labor induced.

Iron supplements Be sure to cover these topics when teaching your pregnant patient about iron supplements. Reinforcement of the practitioner’s explanation of the anemia Prescribed treatments and possible complications Need…

Hormonal contraceptives Be sure to reinforce these points when teaching patients about hormonal contraceptives. Possible adverse effects, such as fluid retention, weight gain, breast tenderness, headache, breakthrough bleeding, chloasma, acne,…

Heartburn and indigestion To decrease the incidence of heartburn and indigestion in the pregnant patient, advise her to:

Guided imagery Teach your patient about using imaging techniques by telling her to follow these steps. Begin with a deep cleansing breath.

Foods to avoid during pregnancy Although several nutritional needs increase during pregnancy, other food restrictions become necessary. Tell the patient to avoid the following food products. Alcohol A pregnant patient…