During the first eight hours following birth, orthostatic hypotension may be visible. Feelings of dizziness or faintness are indicators that the client's safety should be taken into consideration by the nurse. The first few times the mother gets out of bed, the nurse should suggest that she seek assistance.
While the mother is awake, her temperature can be taken every four hours. In the first 24 hours following delivery, temperatures as high as 100.4 F (38 C) are frequently attributed to the dehydrating effects of labor. The best course of action is to encourage oral fluid intake in order to enhance hydration, which should return the temperature to normal.
The first 6 to 12 hours postpartum are considered to be the first or acute stage. There is a chance for urgent emergencies such postpartum hemorrhage, uterine inversion, amniotic fluid embolism, and eclampsia during this period of fast transformation.
Depending on the individual, the recommended daily intake of lochia may range from 4 to 8 peripads. Six peripads are used on average each day. Excessive blood loss during or after the third stage of labor is referred to as postpartum hemorrhage. 500 mL of blood are lost on average after vaginal delivery and 1000 mL with cesarean section.
The nurse should ask the mother to empty her bladder before beginning the fundal assessment in order to perform it accurately. The six to eight weeks following delivery, or from the moment of birth, are included in the postpartum recovery period. As the mother's body returns to pre-pregnancy conditions, this is a time of healing and renewal.
Normal results of blood pooling in the vagina include a few tiny clots in the first one to two days following delivery. Larger than 1 cm clots are regarded as abnormal. To stop additional bleeding, the cause of these clots, such as uterine atony or residual placental pieces, must be identified and addressed.
For the first one to three days after birth, the discharge known as lochia is red and gradually lessens in volume. It is abnormal to encounter lochia that smells bad or is purulent because these symptoms typically imply infection. Large chunks of tissue, blood clots, an unpleasant odor, or the absence of lochia could all be symptoms of infection.