A nurse administers two serial intramuscular injections of betamethasone to a woman at 32 weeks' gestation who has been admitted in preterm labor. the nurse knows that this medication is given to accomplish what purpose?

A nurse administers two serial intramuscular injections of betamethasone to a woman at 32 weeks' gestation who has been admitted in preterm labor. the nurse knows that this medication is given to stimulate fetal surfactant production. The presence of this surfactant factor in the pulmonary alveoli is essential for adaptation to extrauterine life. The surfactant is a substance that significantly reduces the surface tension within the pulmonary alveolus, preventing collapse during expiration.