Nurse Arnold knows that the following changes in respiratory functioning during pregnancy is considered normal:

Increased tidal volumeIncreased expiratory volumeDecreased inspiratory capacityDecreased oxygen consumption

Explanation.

A pregnant client breathes deeper, which increases the tidal volume of gas moved in and out of the respiratory tract with each breath. The expiratory volume and residual volume decrease as the pregnancy progresses. The inspiratory capacity increases during pregnancy. The increased oxygen consumption in the pregnant client is 15% to 20% greater than in the nonpregnant state.