NCC NNP-BC key terms

The distance in centimeters from the pubic symphysis to the top of the uterus, measured after 20 weeks; it roughly tracks gestational age and screens for growth restriction or excess.

A prenatal assessment combining fetal heart rate reactivity with ultrasound scoring of breathing, movement, tone, and amniotic fluid volume; a low score suggests fetal compromise requiring further evaluation.

A fetal surveillance test that records heart rate accelerations in response to fetal movement; accelerations indicate an intact autonomic nervous system and adequate placental oxygen transfer.

A gradual fall in fetal heart rate that begins after the peak of a uterine contraction and returns after it ends; it signals uteroplacental insufficiency and requires repositioning and evaluation.

An abrupt drop in fetal heart rate with a variable shape and timing relative to contractions, usually caused by umbilical cord compression; nursing response includes maternal position change and amnioinfusion consideration.

Inadequate oxygen and nutrient transfer across the placenta, often from maternal hypotension, hypertension, or excessive uterine activity; it produces late decelerations and fetal hypoxemia.

More than five uterine contractions in ten minutes averaged over a thirty-minute window; excessive contraction frequency reduces placental perfusion and may cause fetal heart rate decelerations.

Umbilical cord descent past the presenting fetal part after membrane rupture, compressing the cord and cutting off fetal oxygenation; it is an obstetric emergency requiring relief of pressure and immediate delivery.

Failure of the fetal shoulders to deliver after the head with routine traction, requiring maneuvers such as McRoberts positioning and suprapubic pressure to prevent brachial plexus injury and hypoxia.

A rapid newborn assessment at one and five minutes scoring heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and color from zero to two each; it guides resuscitation but does not diagnose asphyxia.

Impaired gas exchange around birth producing hypoxemia, hypercapnia, and metabolic acidosis; severe cases cause hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and multiorgan injury.

Controlled cooling of a newborn with moderate to severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy to about 33.5 degrees Celsius for 72 hours, reducing brain injury when started within six hours of birth.

Respiratory distress in a newborn who inhaled meconium-stained amniotic fluid, causing airway obstruction, chemical pneumonitis, and surfactant inactivation; management is supportive with oxygen and ventilation.

Insufficient pulmonary surfactant, most common in preterm infants, raising alveolar surface tension and causing alveolar collapse; it produces respiratory distress syndrome with grunting, retractions, and hypoxemia.

Noninvasive respiratory support that maintains positive pressure in the airways during spontaneous breathing, keeping alveoli open and reducing work of breathing in preterm infants with respiratory distress.

Chronic lung disease of prematurity marked by prolonged oxygen dependence and abnormal lung development after mechanical ventilation or oxygen exposure; it increases risk of later respiratory infections.

Failure of pulmonary vascular resistance to fall after birth, causing right-to-left shunting through fetal channels and severe hypoxemia; it is treated with oxygen, inhaled nitric oxide, and supportive care.

Continued patency of the fetal vessel connecting the pulmonary artery and aorta after birth, causing left-to-right shunting, a murmur, and pulmonary overcirculation, especially in preterm infants.

A congenital heart defect in which survival depends on blood flow through the ductus arteriosus; closure causes rapid deterioration, so prostaglandin E1 infusion is used to keep it open.

An intravenous medication that maintains ductus arteriosus patency in newborns with ductal-dependent congenital heart disease, bridging the infant to surgery or catheter intervention.

Narrowing of the aortic arch that raises upper-extremity blood pressure and reduces lower-body perfusion; newborns may present with weak femoral pulses and shock when the ductus closes.

Neurologic dysfunction after perinatal hypoxia and ischemia, staged by severity and marked by altered tone, feeding difficulty, and seizures; moderate to severe cases may qualify for therapeutic hypothermia.

Abnormal electrical brain activity in a newborn, often subtle with lip smacking, eye deviation, or cycling movements rather than generalized convulsions; causes include hypoxic injury, hypoglycemia, and infection.

Bleeding into the germinal matrix and ventricles, mostly in very preterm infants; severity is graded by ultrasound and ranges from asymptomatic to hydrocephalus and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment.

White matter injury near the ventricles from ischemia or infection in preterm infants, later appearing as cysts on ultrasound and associated with cerebral palsy and motor impairment.

Inflammatory bowel necrosis mainly affecting preterm infants, presenting with feeding intolerance, abdominal distention, bloody stools, and pneumatosis intestinalis; treatment includes stopping feeds and antibiotics.

Small-volume enteral feeds given to preterm infants to stimulate gut maturation and motility while parenteral nutrition meets nutritional needs; volumes are advanced slowly to limit intolerance.

Intravenous delivery of amino acids, dextrose, lipids, electrolytes, and micronutrients when enteral feeding is insufficient or contraindicated, requiring monitoring for infection, cholestasis, and metabolic imbalance.

Unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia appearing after the first 24 hours as the immature liver conjugates bilirubin slowly and red cell breakdown is high; it usually peaks by days three to five and resolves.

Permanent brain injury from bilirubin deposition in the basal ganglia and brainstem, causing hypotonia, hearing loss, and choreoathetoid cerebral palsy; prevention relies on monitoring and treating severe hyperbilirubinemia.

Exposure of an infant's skin to blue-green light that converts bilirubin into water-soluble forms excreted without conjugation; irradiance and exposed surface area determine effectiveness.

Blood glucose below the accepted threshold for age and risk group, common in infants of diabetic mothers, preterm infants, and those with growth restriction; it can cause jitteriness, lethargy, apnea, and seizures.

A newborn exposed to maternal hyperglycemia, leading to fetal hyperinsulinism, macrosomia, hypoglycemia after birth, and increased risk of birth trauma and respiratory distress.

Deficient thyroid hormone production present at birth, often from thyroid dysgenesis; because signs are subtle, newborn screening allows early levothyroxine treatment that prevents intellectual disability.

An inherited deficiency of phenylalanine hydroxylase causing phenylalanine accumulation and brain injury unless dietary restriction begins early; it is a core target of newborn screening.

State-mandated testing of dried blood spots, plus hearing and pulse oximetry screening, to detect treatable metabolic, endocrine, hematologic, and cardiac conditions before symptoms appear.

A bacterium carried in the maternal genital tract that can cause neonatal sepsis, pneumonia, and meningitis; intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis is given to colonized or high-risk mothers.

Bacterial infection presenting within the first week of life, usually acquired from the maternal birth canal or amniotic fluid; signs are nonspecific and include temperature instability, apnea, and poor feeding.

A systemic infection in the first month of life with nonspecific signs such as lethargy, temperature instability, respiratory distress, and poor perfusion; treatment requires prompt antibiotics and supportive care.

An approach that treats the family as a care partner, supporting parent-infant closeness, shared decision-making, and culturally responsive communication throughout the neonatal stay.

Skin-to-skin contact between a parent and infant that supports thermoregulation, breastfeeding, bonding, and physiologic stability, and is encouraged even for preterm infants when stable.

Clustering and modifying care, positioning, and environmental stimuli to protect a preterm infant's sleep and neurologic development while minimizing stress during handling and procedures.