Answer :
The priority nursing intervention for a 6-month-old weighing 147 pounds would be to verify the measurement and assess for possible health issues. It is highly abnormal for an infant to weigh this much, as expected weight at this age should be approximately 16 pounds. Hence, this situation demands immediate medical attention.
The question is concerned with a 6-month-old girl who weighs 147 pounds at a check-up, with a birth weight of 8 pounds. The recorded weight at the check-up is extremely high for an infant of this age. Given the average weight parameters for infants, a priority nursing intervention would be immediate assessment for potential errors in measurement, recording, or a possible underlying health condition that could cause such excessive weight gain. If the reported weight is accurate, the baby would be at an abnormal weight, vastly exceeding the growth expectations. Normally, an infant would double their birth weight by 4 months and triple it by one year. Therefore, for a baby whose birth weight was 8 pounds, one would expect a weight of close to 16 pounds at 6 months of age, making the reported 147 pounds highly unusual.
Normal physical growth and development are critical in early infancy, and maintaining an appropriate nutrition level is essential. Babies grow at varying rates, but their growth is monitored against standard weight and length values to identify deviations from the norm. A faster-than-normal increase in weight could signal issues that might lead to obesity or other health concerns later in life, posing a significant risk to the child's well-being. In this case, an abnormal increase in weight must be addressed immediately to prevent potential long-term health issues.
