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

she is in the transition phase of labor

Explanation

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

• During the transition phase, the woman may experience intense discomfort, possibly 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.

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

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

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

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