Question

A client appears to be resting comfortably 12 hours after giving birth to her first child. In contrast, she labored for more than 24 hours, the primary care provider had to use forceps to deliver the baby, and she had multiple vaginal examinations during labor. Based on this information what postpartum complication is the client at risk for developing?
A. infection
B. pulmonary emboli
C. hemorrhage
D. depression

Answer 1

Answer:

A. infection

Explanation:

After the baby is born, the recovering organism is often more vulnerable to certain infections, which may even begin during labor and take days to manifest. One of the relatively common postpartum infections is mastitis, which affects about one in 20 breastfeeding mothers. Many women may also experience infections in the womb during the postpartum rest period.

Many infections are accompanied by fever, malaise and / or chills. In combination with these symptoms, other signs to note include:

• Lower abdominal pain (the whole area of the belly below the navel) or strong or smelly postpartum bleeding (may be signs of endometritis).
• Sore and hot red area in usually one of the breasts, plus muscle aches or fatigue, and headache (signs of mastitis).
• Reddish, shiny, itchy or burning nipples, and sharp cracks or pains during or after breastfeeding (may be signs of candidiasis in the breast).
• Redness, discharge, swelling, heat, increased tenderness, stinging or pain in cesarean section, episiotomy, or laceration.
• Feeling that the pain at the surgery site gets worse over time rather than better.
• Difficulty or pain while urinating, feeling that you need to pee often and urgently, or cloudy or bloody urine (signs of a urinary tract infection). Symptoms may also include lower back pain.