A newborn was admitted to the nursery with a complete bilateral cleft lip and palate. The physician ...

ANS: B
For parents, cleft lip and cleft palate deformities are particularly disturbing. The nurse must place emphasis not only on the infant's physical needs but also on the parents' emotional needs. The mother needs to be able to express her feelings before the acceptance of her child can occur. Although discussing plastic surgery will be addressed, it is not part of the initial therapeutic approach. As the mother expresses her feelings, the nurse's actions should convey to the parents that the infant is a precious human being. The child's normalcy is emphasized, and the mother is assisted to recognize the child's uniqueness. A focus on abnormal maternal-infant attachment would be inappropriate at this time.