Which statement about abdominal palpation in the newborn is true?

• A. Flexing the knees and legs toward the hips facilitates relaxation of the abdominal muscles
• B. Begin palpation with the deeper organs and progress to superficial structures
• C. Palpation is the first step in the abdominal examination
• D. Palpation should start with the superficial tissues

Answer: (A)

Relaxing the abdominal wall is essential for an accurate neonatal palpation, and bending the hips and knees toward the chest accomplishes that. When the legs are flexed, the abdominal muscles relax, guarding decreases, and you can feel structures like the liver edge or any distension or masses more clearly. This position makes the exam gentler for a newborn and facilitates a more reliable assessment.

In practice, you want the infant calm and comfortable, use gentle, systematic palpation, and typically perform palpation after inspecting and auscultating, progressing from superficial to deeper structures as tolerated. The other statements describe less optimal approaches—starting with deeper organs is harder and not advised, and claiming palpation is the first step goes against standard sequence—so they don’t fit the method that optimizes relaxation and accuracy.