Practice Quiz

CPM Certified Professional Midwife

Category - Labor, Birth, and Immediate Postpartum

Start a Study Session Sign up for Question of the Day
A midwife is managing the care of a postpartum client who was anemic during labor. The client gave birth to a 7 - pound baby girl 24 hours ago through vaginal birth. On assessment, the midwife suspects that the client has puerperal infection. Which of the following findings supports this diagnosis?
  1. Soaked 8 perineal pads within the last 24 hours
  2. Heart rate of 80 beats per minute
  3. Red lochia with a foul odor
  4. A body temperature of 100.4 ºF
Explanation
Answer: C - Vaginal bleeding with red and foul - smelling lochia indicates that the client is most likely experiencing puerperal infection. Hemorrhage is defined as losing more than 500 mL of blood within 24 hours. It is estimated that each perineal pad can hold as much as 50 mL of blood. A slight increase in body temperature is expected within the first 24 hours after birth because of dehydration.
Was this helpful? Upvote!
Login to contribute your own answer or details
Start a Study Session Sign up for Question of the Day

Top questions

Related questions

Most popular on PracticeQuiz