How do you prevent flat spots on the back of a baby's head?

A. This condition typically results from excessive loss of acid, often due to vomiting or diuretics. It is not the most likely concern in a cold environment with an infant who has been crying and kicking.

B. A cold environment can lead to nonshivering thermogenesis in newborns, where they metabolize brown fat to generate heat. This process can lead to increased lactic acid production, potentially causing metabolic acidosis. The infant's fatigue following crying and kicking may indicate that the body has expended significant energy to stay warm, making metabolic acidosis a priority concern.

C. While hunger could be a reason for crying, it is not the priority concern in this scenario where environmental cold and fatigue are present.

D. Overstimulation might cause crying, but the environmental cold and subsequent risk of metabolic acidosis are more critical concerns in this context.

Choice A rationale:

The liver's job related to bilirubin is not changing conjugated bilirubin to unconjugated. Conjugated bilirubin is the water-soluble form of bilirubin that is excreted in bile and urine. Unconjugated bilirubin, on the other hand, is the fat-soluble form, which is transported to the liver and conjugated to become water-soluble. The conversion goes from unconjugated to conjugated, not the other way around.

Choice B rationale:

The liver's job related to bilirubin is not the synthesis of vitamin K. The liver is responsible for synthesizing clotting factors, including factors II (prothrombin), VII, IX, and X, but not vitamin K itself. Vitamin K is obtained from dietary sources or supplements and is essential for blood clotting.

Choice C rationale:

This choice is the correct answer. The liver's primary function related to bilirubin is changing unconjugated bilirubin to conjugated bilirubin. As mentioned earlier, unconjugated bilirubin is produced from the breakdown of heme in old red blood cells, and it needs to be processed in the liver to become water-soluble and eventually excreted in bile and urine.

Choice D rationale:

The liver's job related to bilirubin does not involve the removal of meconium. Meconium is the first stool passed by a newborn, and its elimination is unrelated to the liver's function in processing bilirubin.