Maternal and Child Health Nursing: Antenatal, Newborn and Immunisation
What this domain tests
Maternal and Child Health Nursing covers antenatal care, labour, postnatal care, newborn care, breastfeeding, growth and immunisation. Expect dates, danger signs and schedule questions.
Core rules
- Gravida is the number of pregnancies, including the current one. Para is the number of births after 20 weeks, whether alive or stillborn.
- Naegele's rule: expected date of delivery = first day of last menstrual period + 9 months + 7 days, adjusting the year.
- Danger signs in pregnancy: bleeding, severe headache with blurred vision, convulsions, reduced fetal movement, leaking fluid and high fever. Refer urgently.
- Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months; start within one hour of birth; give colostrum. No honey under 1 year because of botulism risk.
- Apgar scores breathing, heart rate, muscle tone, reflex response and colour at 1 and 5 minutes.
- India's routine immunisation includes BCG, hepatitis B and OPV at birth; pentavalent at 6, 10 and 14 weeks; measles-rubella at 9–12 months; and boosters later.
Worked example
A woman's last menstrual period began on 1 January 2025. Calculate the EDD. Reasoning: add 9 months → 1 October 2025; add 7 days → 8 October 2025. The expected delivery date is 8 October 2025. If her blood pressure is 150/100 mmHg with headache and blurred vision, this suggests severe pre-eclampsia; do not wait for the EDD-arrange urgent referral.
Traps
- Counting the current pregnancy in para.
- Using the last day of menstruation instead of the first day for Naegele's rule.
- Discarding colostrum as bad milk.
- Giving honey to an infant under one year.