The nurse is caring for a woman in labor. The woman becomes irritable, restless, complains of nausea, and has heavier show. The membranes just ruptured spontaneously. The nurse understands that this indicates:

Explanation

•During the transition phase of the first stage of labor, the maximum cervical dilation of 8 to 10 cm occurs, contractions reach their peak of intensity and occurring every 2 to 3 minutes and a duration of 60 to 90 seconds.

•During the transition phase, the woman may experience intense discomfort so strong it is accompanied by nausea and vomiting . Because of the intensity and duration of the contractions, she may experience a feeling of loss of control, anxiety, panic and irritability. Since dilatation continues at a rapid rate, the membranes rupture and heavy show is present.

•All other choices are incorrect because the patient is not experiencing a complication and the physician should not be notified.

•An arrest of cervical dilation occurrs when there is no progress in cervical dilation for more than 2 hours.

•An impending uterine rupture is preceded by a pathologic retraction ring and strong uterine contractions without any cervical dilatation.

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