A patient in the clinic explains to a nurse that she just found out that she is pregnant. The dilemma is that she smokes about a half pack of cigarettes per day. What is the most appropriate information the nurse should offer the patient?
a. "Immediate abstinence would be best for you and the baby."
b. "All nicotine crosses the placental barrier and can harm the fetus."
c. "Reduce your smoking by one cigarette a day until you are smoke free."
d. "Nicotine gum is a safe alternative."
B
The first and most appropriate information the nurse can provide is that exposure to nicotine can harm the developing fetus and the mother.
Immediate abstinence would be best, but certainly not without difficulty. This would be impor-tant to discuss with the patient once she is informed of the potential harm.
Reducing the number of cigarettes still exposes the fetus to nicotine, therefore this option would be inappropriate and encourages continued use.
Nicotine gum is contraindicated during pregnancy.
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