10 before delivery interventions

 Develop a birth plan.

Each pregnancy is different and each mother has their own goals for delivery.
While a birthing plan requires flexibility, helping the mother determine her
expectations will ease anxiety and support preparedness.
 Provide positive reinforcement.
Adhering to follow-up appointments and prenatal care can be time-consuming.
Provide positive feedback for meeting health goals or preventing complications.

 Explain the office visit routine and the rationale for ongoing screening and close
monitoring. Emphasize the importance of keeping regular appointments

: Reinforces the relationship between health assessment and positive outcome

for mother and baby.

 Review nutrition requirements and optimal prenatal weight gain to support

maternal-fetal need

: Inadequate prenatal weight gain and/or below normal prepregnancy weight

increase risk of intrauterine growth restriction in the fetus and delivery of a low
birth weight infant

 Encourage moderate exercise such as walking, or non-weight bearing activities

in accordance with the client’s physical condition and cultural beliefs

: tends to shorten labor, increases the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal delivery,

and decreases the need for oxytocin augmentation

 Emphasize the importance of maternal well-being

: Fetal well-being is directly related to maternal well-being, especially during the

first trimester, when developing organ systems are most vulnerable to injury from
environmental or hereditary factors

 Review physical changes to be expected during each trimester

: prepares the client/couple for managing common discomforts associated with

pregnancy

 Explain psychological reactions including ambivalence, introspection, stress

reactions, and emotional lability as characteristic of pregnancy
: Helps the client/couple understand mood swings and may provide opportunities for
the partner to offer support and affection at these times

 Review reportable danger signals of pregnancy, such as bleeding, cramping,

acute abdominal pain, backache, edema, visual disturbance, headaches, and
pelvic pressure

: Helps the client distinguish normal from abnormal findings, thus assisting her in
seeking timely, appropriate healthcare

 Encourage attendance at prenatal and childbirth classes. Provide information

about father/sibling or grandparent participation in classes and delivery if the
client desires

: Knowledge gained helps reduce fear of unknown and increases confidence that
couple can manage the preparation for the birth of their child. Helps family
members to realize they are an integral part of the pregnancy and delivery

 Pillitteri, A., & Silbert-Flagg, J. (2015). Nursing Care Related to Psychological

and Physiologic Changes of Pregnancy. In Maternal & child health nursing: Care
of the childbearing & Childrearing family (8th ed., pp. 469-472). LWW.
 Herdman, H,T., Kamitsu, S., & Lopes, C.T., (Eds.), NANDA International, Inc.:
Nursing Diagnosis: Definition and classification 2021-2023, Twelfth Edition.