Health Promotion and Maintenance
50. A client, who is 37 years old, gravida 4, para 3 at 14 weeks' gestation, asks a nurse, "Do you think I'm having a boy? All my other children are girls. If I don't have a boy this time, my husband will really be disappointed in me." Which explanation by the nurse would be most accurate?
. "The heartbeat of the baby is fast; that means it's a boy."
. "Girls probably run in your family; there's nothing you can do about it."
. "The father's sperm determines if the baby is male or female."
. "Don't worry; you are carrying this baby low; that means it's a boy."
Test-Taking Tip
Eliminate the options that are myths about pregnancy. Choose the option that is scientifically based.
Content Area: Maternity, Antepartum; Integrated Process: Teaching and Learning; Cognitive Level: Application; Client Need/Subneed: Health Promotion and Maintenance/Ante/Intra/Postpartum and Newborn Care
Health Promotion and Maintenance
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Answer 1 is incorrect because the heart rate of the fetus is unrelated to the gender of the fetus. The range for the fetal heart rate is 110 to 160 bpm regardless of gender. Answer 2 is incorrect because the mother has two X chromosomes; the father has both X and Y chromosomes, and his sperm determines the sex of the fetus. Answer 3 is correct because meiosis results in the X and Y chromosomes of the male splitting so that each sperm carries either an X or a Y chromosome, thus determining the gender of the fetus. Answer 4 is incorrect because how the mother carries the fetus is unrelated to the gender. How a fetus is carried is related to maternal uterine and abdominal muscle tone. The gender of the fetus does not determine how high or low it is carried.