The nurse manager on the high-risk OB unit has been told by an OB office nurse to prepare for a woman with a spinal cord injury (SCI) to deliver there. The woman wants to try a vaginal birth. What response by the nurse manager is best?

Question

A.
Assess the level of the woman's spinal cord injury.
B.
Assure the office nurse that vaginal birth is possible.
C.
Explain that women with SCI do well with a water birth.
D.
Tell the office nurse that vaginal birth is impossible.

Answer 1

ANS: A
Women with SCI above the level of T6 may be able to deliver vaginally because the uterus may retain enough intrinsic motility to create effective contractions. The nurse manager should ask about the level of the SCI. The nurse should not assure the office nurse that vaginal delivery is possible without this information. A woman with an SCI probably would not do well in a water birth due to impaired mobility. The nurse should also not tell the office nurse that vaginal birth is impossible without further information.