Maternity Nursing: Intrapartum Q 48
When making a visit to the home of a postpartum woman one week after birth, the nurse should recognize that the woman would characteristically:
A. Express a strong need to review events and her behavior during the process of labor and birth.
B. Exhibit a reduced attention span, limiting readiness to learn.
C. Vacillate between the desire to have her own nurturing needs met and the need to take charge of her own care and that of her newborn.
D. Have reestablished her role as a spouse/partner.
Correct Answer: C. Vacillate between the desire to have her own nurturing needs met and the need to take charge of her own care and that of her newborn.
One week after birth the woman should exhibit behaviors characteristic of the taking-hold stage as described in option C. This stage lasts for as long as 4 to 5 weeks after birth.
Option A: The taking-in phase provides time for the woman to regain her physical strength and organize her rambling thoughts about her new role.
Option B: This is also a characteristic of the taking-in stage, which lasts for the first few days after birth. This dependence is mainly due to her physical discomfort from hemorrhoids or the after pains, from the uncertainty of how she could care for the newborn, and also from the extreme tiredness she feels that follows childbirth.
Option D: This reflects the letting-go stage, which indicates that psychosocial recovery is complete. During the letting go phase, the woman finally accepts her new role and gives up her old roles like being a childless woman or just a mother of one child.