A mother watches the nurse perform an assessment on her newborn and asks the nurse why she is doing things like "stroking the bottom of his feet." The nurse should respond, "I'm:
a. Checking the blood flow to your baby's feet to make sure it's normal"
b. Testing to see if your baby's neuromuscular system is fully developed"
c. Checking to see if your baby has the reflex responses we anticipate"
d. Testing to see if your baby has normal sensation in his feet"
C
The Babinski reflex is elicited by stroking upward on the side of the sole of the foot. This is one of several reflexes that should be present at birth. Stoking the bottom of the foot is not an assessment of circulation to the feet. The neuromuscular system is not fully developed at birth, but reflexes are present. Because an infant is not able to report sensation, which is a subjective finding, this is not the purpose of the nurse's action.
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