A student nurse is verbalizing disappointment in a new mother's seeming lack of interest in her newborn baby. The student complains to the registered nurse that the mother just wants to sleep and have someone else care for the infant

Question

What response by the registered nurse is best?
A.
"Assess closely; we may need to call social work."
B.
"Don't judge other people until you have had a baby."
C.
"The mother may be completely exhausted from the childbirth experience."
D.
"We have to accept that everyone's experience is different."

Answer 1

ANS: C
Each option has an element of an appropriate response to the student. A definitive lack of bonding may call for a social work consult. Nurses should not judge other people's responses. Every mother's experience is different. However, the best response is the one that gives the student definitive information that can clarify the situation. After a long and possibly difficult birth, the mother may be too exhausted and too overwhelmed to assume an active role in parenting at this point. The student should show acceptance, reinforce previously taught information, allow the mother rest, and assist with bonding as opportunities present themselves, praising the mother for her efforts.