Health Promotion and Maintenance
63. A client, who delivered a full-term infant 45 minutes ago, is carefully examining her newborn during the initial breastfeeding. She asks a nurse, "My baby's head is shaped like a bullet! Will it stay like that?" Which response by the nurse is most accurate?
. "That is called a caput. It usually lasts for 3 or 4 days."
. "That is called a hemangioma. It will probably last a few months."
. "That is called a cephalohematoma. It usually lasts for a few weeks."
. "That is called molding. It usually lasts for a few days."
Test-Taking Tip
Visualize the different conditions described in the options. Eliminate the options that do not fit with the shape of the head. In this question, a tip is to choose the shortest time period (few days, not weeks or months).
Content Area: Child Health, Newborn; Integrated Process: Nursing Process, Implementation; 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 caput succedaneum is an area of generalized edema of the scalp on the presenting part of the fetal skull, usually the occiput. Answer 2 is incorrect because a hemangioma (also known as "stork bites") are pink areas on the upper eyelids, nose, upper lip, lower occiput, and the nape of the neck that are transient, and usually resolve within a few months. Answer 3 is incorrect because a cephalohematoma is a collection of blood between the skull bone and the periosteum. It does not cross suture lines and may last up to several months. Answer 4 is correct because molding is an overlapping of the fetal skull bones at the occiput of the skull. The infant skull has a bulletshaped appearance that quickly resolves.