The patient who experienced an emergency cesarean birth with her first child expresses anxiety about her upcoming birth. How can the nurse teaching the patient's prenatal classes help decrease her anxiety?

Question

1. Encourage muscle tightening with each contraction.
2. Explain that patterned breathing increases anxiety, and should be avoided.
3. Instruct the patient to hire a therapeutic massage therapist for labor.
4. Encourage the patient to practice progressive relaxation and use the technique in labor.

Answer 1

4
Rationale 1: Muscle tightening with each contraction will make the contraction more intense and painful and should be discouraged
Rationale 2: Patterned breathing techniques decrease, not increase, anxiety. Practice of patterned breathing prior to the onset of labor facilitates its use during labor.
Rationale 3: Not all patients enjoy massage, and not all patients have the resources to hire this type of professional for their labor.
Rationale 4: Progressive relaxation (and all relaxation techniques), when practiced prior to labor, is a valuable tool to facilitate relaxation and therefore decrease anxiety during labor.