Care - NCLEX-PN

The grasping reflex is the earliest reflex developed by the infant. It is often present at birth: the infant will grasp at objects such as a finger placed into their open palm.

The inferior pincer grasp is the ability to pick up small objects such as by resting the forearm on a surface and pinching using the sides of the thumb and the index finger. It is an important milestone in the development of fine motor skills.

Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or guilt, insomnia, difficulty coping with normal life activities, social avoidance, and anxiety after giving birth are all signs of postpartum depression, a condition that affects as many as four out of five people after giving birth. Postpartum psychosis is a much more serious condition, involving delusions, extreme mood swings, and risk of self harm.

While vitamin deficiencies, lack of sleep, and social stresses can all contribute to depressed mood after giving birth, the primary cause of postpartum depression is an extreme drop in hormones (primarily estrogen and progesterone) that occurs after delivery of the placenta.

The APGAR score is calculated one minute after birth, and then again at five minutes after birth. It is common for infants to be born with depressed respiration, cyanosis, and other physical signs of struggle that are quickly resolved within five minutes after birth. If signs of respiratory or cardiovascular distress do not improve by this time, however, emergency intervention may be required.

Molding, or the elongation of the infants head during labor and delivery, is a normal adaptation allowing the relatively large skull to traverse the narrow space of the birth canal. It generally resolves in 1-5 days.

Black cohosh produces effects similar to those of estrogen.

Behavior therapy is a therapy that achieves results through conditioning. The therapy aims to reinforce desired behaviors and eliminated undesired behaviors.

Bilberry improves microcirculation in the eyes.

Arnica, a herbaceous plant, is the remedy most often used for states of shock after an injury, during which the injured person may refuse medical help due to fear of further injury. Pulsatilla is a plant that may be used for pain in the reproductive organs, restlessness, and other ailments. Nux vomica seeds may be used for gastrointestinal discomfort, anemia and erectile dysfunction. Cimicifuga is a plant that may be used to alleviate neurological disorders.

Calendula flower contains faradiol and the faradiol monoester, powerful anti-inflammatory and antiedematous triterpenoids, which have shown effects comparable to indomethacin. Yellow dock is as a laxative. Red raspberry leaf is a vasodilator, and may exacerbate inflammation. Hawthorne berry can be used to ameliorate symptoms of congestive heart failure.

Berberine has been used alone and in conjunction with fluconazole to successfully treat fluconazole-resistant candida infections. It has also been shown to have an inhibitory effect on Epstein-Barr DNA replication. Red yeast rice may be used to lower cholesterol. G_lycyrrhiza glabra_ can be used to decrease inflammation, and cough, and to promote ulcer-healing. Milk thistle is used as a remedy for hepatic disorders.

Arsenicum album is the most common remedy given for acute gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhea, especially when diarrhea and vomiting happen simultaneously, diarrhea is in small amounts constantly throughout the day, and the affected person is experiencing chilliness and marked tenderness in the abdomen. Graphites are most commonly used to treat skin disorders. Platinum is used to treat a range of psychological and physiological aspects of women's health. Belladonna may be used as a pain reliever, and and anti-inflammatory remedy.

Belladonna is the most frequently given remedy when otitis media is sudden onset, bright red and hot, and the child is restless and may be confused, anxious, or frightened. Pulsatilla is used to treat reproductive pain in both men and women, and for migraines. Natrum muriaticum is more effective as a remedy for chronic, not acute, disorders. Sulphur is most effectively used on the skin and eyes to treat irritation.

Red yeast rice contains monacolins, which block the production of cholesterol. Monacolin K has the same structure as lovastatin and functions similarly to reduce cholesterol. Nettle is best used as a painkiller, and to treat disorders of the excretory system. Kava is a sedative and anesthetic, and may also be used to treat social anxiety. Lavender has a calming effect, and is effective in inducing sleep.

Pulsatilla is most often given for otitis media when the child is clingy, weepy, refuses fluids, and wants to be held or carried. They may be hot or sensitive to heat and desire fresh air. Belladonna may be used as a pain reliever, and and anti-inflammatory remedy. Arsenicum album is commonly used to treat anxiety and gastrointestinal inflammation. Sepia is most often used to treat female reproductive-related ailments.

Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) has shown significant antiviral activity against a wide variety of of enveloped viruses and retroviruses. Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) and a_vena sativa_ (milky oat seeds) are both better known for their sedative effects, and c_rategus spp_ (hawthorne) is used as an antiarrhythmic and mitigates oxidative stress in cardiomyopathies.

Uva-ursi contains the hydroquinone glycosides arbutin and methylarbutin, both of which have shown significant antimicrobial effects in the urinary tract. The other constituents listed have no effect on urinary infections.

Meconium is a sticky, dark-green to black stool that is the first stool passed by neonates after birth. It is composed of the content of the infant's digestive tract before it has begun drinking milk - primarily water, mucus, bile, lanugo, and intestinal epithelial cells. A newborn that has begun to feed on breastmilk or formula should pass a normal stool (yellow to mustard-green and creamy rather than sticky) within 24 hours.