A nurse on the labor and delivery unit is planning care for a client who has human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Which of the following is an appropriate action for the nurse to take following the birth of the newborn?

When reviewing infection control procedures in a newborn nursery, the nurse manager should instruct the newly hired nurses to place newborn bassinets at least 3 feet apart. This practice helps prevent the spread of infections between infants by minimizing close contact and reducing the risk of droplet transmission.

Option a) Maintaining airborne precautions in the nursery is not necessary unless there is a specific airborne infectious disease outbreak or a newborn with a known airborne infection. Standard precautions, including hand hygiene and proper use of personal protective equipment, are generally sufficient to prevent the spread of infections in a newborn nursery.

Option b) Placing the newborn's foot on a sterile field during a heelstick is not necessary for routine procedures. However, a clean and disinfected surface should be used to perform the heelstick to minimize the risk of introducing pathogens. Sterile fields are typically reserved for sterile procedures in an operating room or other controlled environments.

Option d) Allowing parents to enter the nursery if they are wearing a mask is not a standard infection control practice. In general, only authorized personnel should enter the nursery, and parents or visitors should follow any specific visiting policies in place. If there are concerns about respiratory infections or outbreaks, additional visitor restrictions or requirements may be implemented.

Uterine rupture is a rare but life-threatening complication of labor and delivery that occurs when the uterus tears open along the scar line of a previous cesarean delivery or other uterine surgery¹². Uterine rupture can cause severe bleeding in the mother and deprive the baby of oxygen¹². Some of the signs and symptoms of uterine rupture are:
- Sudden, severe lower abdominal pain
- Drop in blood pressure
- Cool skin and pallor
- Prolonged fetal bradycardia (slow heart rate)
- Loss of fetal station (the baby moves back up the birth canal)
- Abnormal or absent uterine contractions¹²³

Uterine rupture is a medical emergency that requires immediate surgery to deliver the baby and repair the uterus or remove it (hysterectomy)¹².
The other options are incorrect because they have different signs and symptoms:
b) Amniotic fluid embolism is a rare but serious condition that occurs when amniotic fluid or fetal cells enter the mother's bloodstream and trigger an allergic reaction. It can cause sudden respiratory distress, cardiac arrest, seizures, or coma in the mother and fetal distress or death in the baby¹². It usually occurs during labor, delivery, or shortly after birth¹².
c) Placenta previa is a condition where the placenta covers part or all of the opening of the cervix. It can cause painless vaginal bleeding during pregnancy or labor¹². It does not affect the blood pressure or fetal heart rate unless there is severe bleeding or placental abruption (separation of the placenta from the uterine wall)¹².
d) Umbilical cord prolapse is a condition where the umbilical cord slips through the cervix and into the vagina before or during labor. It can cause fetal distress, as the cord can become compressed or twisted, cutting off the blood supply and oxygen to the baby¹². It usually causes a sudden drop in fetal heart rate, but does not affect the maternal blood pressure or cause abdominal pain¹².