Discussion postMaternal health

How would you address her concern of not feeling the baby move?

Work out the gestational age before anything else. Once you have it, her concern about not feeling movement turns out to have a reassuring and entirely factual answer.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 25, 2026

Written by

Maren Caldwell

MSN, RN, CNE

Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation

Reviewed by

Dr. Tessa Redmond

DNP, RN, CNE

Evidence-based practice and clinical education

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Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
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Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

Do the dating first, and the worry answers itself

The dates are the whole case. A last menstrual period of June 15 with presentation on August 20 gives roughly nine and a half weeks by Naegele's rule, with an estimated date of delivery around March 22. At that gestation no one feels fetal movement, since quickening typically occurs between about sixteen and twenty weeks and later in a first pregnancy, so her concern is entirely explained by her being far earlier than she believes herself to be. Giving that reassurance well means walking her through the timeline rather than telling her not to worry, because a patient who knows when movement is expected also knows when its absence would matter. Her worry is therefore explained entirely by the calendar, and the calculation should appear in your post rather than only its conclusion. Showing the calculation matters because it is the evidence for everything you tell her next.

The three questions are where clinical judgement shows, and they should be chosen to do work rather than to fill a list. Cycle regularity and the certainty of her last period date come first, because dating by last menstrual period assumes a regular cycle and a remembered date, and if either is uncertain the dating is uncertain and an ultrasound settles it. Contraception at conception matters for the same reason and for counselling. Then the questions that change management at this gestation: any bleeding or pain, which raises ectopic pregnancy in a first presentation; current medications, supplements and folic acid, since organogenesis is under way; and alcohol, tobacco and other substance use. Her history being unremarkable does not remove those, and asking them at the first visit is standard rather than suspicious. Close with what happens next: booking bloods, dating scan, and the symptoms that should bring her back before the next appointment.

Likely learning objectives

Calculate gestational age and estimated delivery date from a last menstrual period.
Explain quickening timing, including its later onset in first pregnancies.
Choose history questions that would change management.
Give reassurance by explaining a timeline rather than dismissing a worry.

Assignment instructions

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Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

NU609-7C Unit 13 DQ 1 Discussion Prompt A 24-year-old patient who has never been pregnant before presents after having a positive home pregnancy test. She has no significant medical history. She denies symptoms and is worried because she has not felt the baby move thus far. Her last period was June 15 and today is August 20. What are three questions you would ask this patient? What would be her gestational age and expected due date? How would you address her concern of not feeling the baby move? Your response should include evidence of review of the course material, websites, and literature through proper citations using APA format.

Course-wide instructions that accompany this question

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS Discussion Questions (DQ) Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words. Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source. One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words. I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses. Weekly Participation Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately. In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies. Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work). Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week. APA Format and Writing Quality Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required). Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation. NU609-7C Unit 13 DQ 1 I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition. Use of Direct Quotes I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly. As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content. It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source. LopesWrite Policy For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me. Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes. Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own? Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score. Late Policy The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies. Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances. If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect. I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension. As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading. Communication Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class. Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

What the discussion prompt requires

01Three questions you would ask this patient.
02Her gestational age and expected due date.
03How you would address her concern about not feeling the baby move.
04Evidence of review of course material, websites and literature, cited in APA format.