Maternity Nursing: Postpartum Q 23
The nurse is assessing a client who is 6 hours PP after delivering a full-term healthy infant. The client complains to the nurse of feelings of faintness and dizziness. Which of the following nursing actions would be most appropriate?
A. Obtain hemoglobin and hematocrit levels.
B. Instruct the mother to request help when getting out of bed.
C. Elevate the mother’s legs.
D. Inform the nursery room nurse to avoid bringing the newborn infant to the mother until the feelings of lightheadedness and dizziness have subsided.
Correct Answer: B. Instruct the mother to request help when getting out of bed.
Orthostatic hypotension may be evident during the first 8 hours after birth. Feelings of faintness or dizziness are signs that should caution the nurse to be aware of the client’s safety. The nurse should advise the mother to get help the first few times the mother gets out of bed.
Option A: Obtaining an H/H requires a physician’s order. This is a blood test that checks the percent of the blood (called whole blood) that’s made up of red blood cells. Bleeding can cause a low hematocrit.
Option C: With PPH, the client can lose much more blood, which is what makes it a dangerous condition. PPH can cause a severe drop in blood pressure. If not treated quickly, this can lead to shock and death. Shock is when the body organs don’t get enough blood flow.
Option D: Postpartum hemorrhage (also called PPH) is when a woman has heavy bleeding after giving birth. It’s a serious but rare condition. It usually happens within 1 day of giving birth, but it can happen up to 12 weeks after having a baby. About 1 to 5 in 100 women who have a baby (1 to 5 percent) have PPH.