Walkthrough: Physiological Adaptation Q7 – NCLEX-RN®

00:00 The parent of a 6-month-old infant who is breastfeeding asked the nurse about the proper diet for the baby. What instruction by the nurse will help the infant meet dietary iron requirements? Let's do it. Let's break this down. So, the parent of a 6-month-old infant. Okay, so who am I talking to? The parent. We know they have a 6-month-old infant who is breastfeeding. So these are the particulars of the client in the question. So this parent asks the nurse, that's me. What do they ask about? The proper diet for the baby. Okay, so we've kind of got the topic. What's a proper diet for a 6-month-old breastfeeding baby? Last sentence that's hyperfocus us.

00:48 What instruction by the nurse will help the infant meet dietary requirements? Dietary requirements? Dietary limit? What type of requirements? Dietary iron requirements. Now why did I do all that goofy stuff right there? Because I want you to focus this is what students miss. They're specifically asking us about iron and what the baby can take in a diet that will help with an iron requirement.

01:23 Okay, cool. Now before we look at the answer choices, you have to think "Is there something special about iron requirements and a 6-month-old breastfeeding baby?" Before you look at the answer choices, try to see if you can pull that out of your memory. If you can't, no worries. Then our next strategy is look at those answer choices and here they come. Alright, we've just got 4. So we know what you want you to do. We want you to write down just the numbers, not the answer choices, number 1, number 2, number 3, and number 4 on a piece of scratch paper. Then I want you to work through each of these answer choices and eliminate them and say why until you come up with the best answer choice. Remember what's particular about this client, 6-month-old infant who is breastfeeding? What is the focus of the question? What are dietary requirements for iron? What is the way to help the infant meet the dietary iron requirements. Alright, pause the video, take all the time you need to do your best on this question and I'll see you back here, we'll walk through all of the rationales. Hey, welcome back. Now, if you're like me you feel like I do not have a lot of expertise in breastfeeding, this is perfect information to put in your notebook. The one that you're keeping with you as you're practicing questions and writing down all the fun facts that you want to remember. So let me give you some about breastfeeding. At 6 months old, this infant can kind of start to have soft foods. So, different than just having breast milk, they can now start ingesting foods. Now, in the 6 months that they have been outside in the world, they have kind of run through their iron stores that they achieved while they were in the mother's uterus. So, 6 months is a really important time. If any of that information is new to you, make sure you just jot it down in your notebook. So, we know that a 6-month-old can start eating soft foods, we know that they now used up the iron stores that they made while they were inside their mother's uterus. So, we need to make sure that they have more iron coming in. Now, can a body make iron by itself? No. We cannot. So, as humans, whether we are tiny or taller, you have to make sure that you're taking in iron in your diet. So, now let's look at the answer choices. Remember, you already committed to your answer choice so I'm just giving you some background information. Number 1, continue to exclusively breastfeed. It's the best thing for your baby. Now breastfeeding is fantastic for baby's health. But it's the word before breastfeed. What is that? Exclusively. That means no other foods besides breastfeeding. Well we know we can cross that out because that baby needs iron, the question is about iron and at 6 months they have tapped their stores. So, number 1 if you just continue with breastfeeding exclusively, breast milk is not rich in iron. Okay, so that's not going to help the baby, there's going to be low in iron. Number 2, at this point, you can supplement breastfeeding with iron-rich baby foods. Yeah, we know that. Right? At 6 months, they can have those soft foods and we can find iron-rich foods because the baby needs to take that in his food because our bodies can't make iron. So, let's leave number 2 in. Number 3, at this age, which is 6 months, you can switch your baby to cow's milk which is richer in iron. That's false. Cow's milk is poor in iron. So, this is not going to address helping the infant meet their dietary iron requirements.

05:32 Number 4, eat more iron-rich foods so your baby will get more iron through your breast milk. Again, that isn't true. Doesn't matter what the mom's eating. That iron will go to her body but breast milk is not rich in iron. So, the mom eating more iron-rich foods is not going to help the baby's iron level. So we thought it could be number 2, let's go back and make sure. At this point, you can supplement the breastfeeding with iron-rich baby foods. Yes, that is the most correct answer.

06:09 That is the answer that will help the 6-month-old infant who is breastfeeding meet their dietary iron requirements. See how I went through that one more time in my brain just to make sure? Good deal. Now pause, make any other additional notes you need to make in your notebook before you go on to the next question with us.