A mother with an infant with PPHN requests to hold the infant. The infant’s oxygen saturation is greater than 94%, blood pressure is stable, and the infant is not on minimal stimulation. The nurse’s best intervention is to:

• A. Deny the request to hold the infant
• B. Have the mother hold the infant and explain signs and symptoms that demonstrate instability of the infant
• C. Place the infant in isolation to reduce stimulation
• D. Increase environmental stimulation to assess resilience

Answer: (B)

Allowing the mother to hold a stable infant with PPHN supports bonding and family-centered care, while the nurse remains vigilant for any signs of instability. Since the infant’s oxygen saturation is above 94% and blood pressure is stable, there’s no current indication to deny contact or to isolate the infant. The nurse should accompany the holding time with coaching: explain signs that would indicate the infant is becoming unstable, such as a drop in oxygen saturation, increasing work of breathing (grunting, nasal flaring, retractions), color changes, lethargy, or signs of poor perfusion. By doing this, the family is involved in care and empowered to recognize when to alert staff.

The other approaches would either unnecessarily separate the parent from the infant or raise the risk of instability. Increasing environmental stimulation or placing the infant in isolation isn’t appropriate when the infant is stable, and denying the hold removes essential parental bonding.