A nurse is assisting with planning care for a newborn who is experiencing neonatal abstinence syndrome. Which of the following findings should the nurse expect?

A. "I will cleanse the stoma site gently with an antiseptic solution.": The stoma and surrounding skin should be cleaned with warm water and mild, non-irritating soap if needed. Antiseptic solutions can irritate the skin and damage the stoma, so this is not recommended.

B. "I will contact my doctor right away if my stoma is red.": Mild redness around the stoma can be normal due to friction or recent appliance changes. Immediate contact is warranted only if there are additional signs of infection, severe irritation, or unusual bleeding. Routine redness alone is not necessarily a cause for urgent concern.

C. "I will cut the wafer opening 1 inch bigger than my stoma.": The appliance opening should closely fit the stoma, typically allowing a 1/8 to 1/4 inch clearance. Cutting the wafer 1 inch larger would leave skin exposed to effluent, increasing the risk of irritation, breakdown, and leakage.

D. "I will empty the colostomy bag when it is one-half full.": Emptying the colostomy bag when it is about one-half to two-thirds full helps prevent leakage and reduces the weight on the appliance, which supports skin integrity and ensures proper functioning. This statement reflects correct understanding of colostomy care.

A. "A nurse will insert an IV prior to starting the test.": A nonstress test (NST) is noninvasive and does not require intravenous access. IV insertion is unnecessary unless other procedures or interventions are planned concurrently, so this statement is inaccurate for routine NST preparation.

B. "You should have nothing to eat or drink for 4 hours prior to the test.": Fasting is not required for an NST. In fact, eating can stimulate fetal activity, which may improve the accuracy of the test by eliciting heart rate accelerations in response to movement.

C. "You should expect the test to take a minimum of 2 hours.": A typical NST usually takes 20–40 minutes to complete, depending on fetal activity. Expecting a minimum of 2 hours may unnecessarily alarm the client and does not reflect standard test duration.

D. "You will be asked to press a button when you feel your baby move.": During an NST, the client uses an event marker to indicate fetal movements. This helps correlate accelerations in the fetal heart rate with fetal activity, providing important information about fetal well-being and autonomic function.