Introduction
Postpartum is the period after delivery of baby. It is essential for nurses to have a nursing care plan, to ensure that all aspects of mother's and her newborn's health are taken into account. The main goal of a nursing care plan during postpartum is to provide care and support to mother and newborn baby.
Assessment
In order to prepare an accurate care plan for postpartum period, nurses need to assess Maternal Health, Mental Health, Infant Health, Family & Social Issues.
- Maternal Health: Nurse need to assess whether the mother is feeling well, if there are any musculoskeletal pains, fatigue, and need for nutritional advice
- Mental Health: During postpartum period, mother's mental health should also be taken into consideration. Mother's emotions should be monitored and she needs to be supported emotionally.
- Infant Health: Nurses should pay attention to infant's nutrition, infant stimulation and warming, hydration, respiration, vision and hearing.
- Family & Social Issues : Nurses should assess if there are any issues in family relationships or social conflicts.
Nursing Diagnosis
After accurately assessing the above mentioned aspects of health, nurses can diagnose existing problems and plan interventions accordingly. Here are a few common nursing diagnoses during postpartum period:
- Risk for infection
- Risk for anxiety
- Ineffective parenting
- Ineffective coping
Outcomes
These are the expected outcomes of implementing the care plan:
- Mother and newborn will remain free from infections
- Mother's anxiety and stress levels will be reduced
- Parents will engage in effective parenting
- The couple will cope with the postpartum period effectively
Interventions
Interventions used in nursing care plan depend on the patient's condition. Commonly the interventions used include:
- Regular monitoring of vital signs of mother and infant
- Promoting hygiene and proper nutrition
- Providing emotional and psychological support
- Giving information about breastfeeding and child care
- Administering medications, if required
- Referring to specialists, whenever necessary
Rationales
Rationales are the reasons behind implementing specific interventions. Here are the explanations of why they are important:
- Regular monitoring of vital signs of mother and infant : Monitoring the vital signs of mother and infant can prevent the early onset of any illnesses or infection.
- Promoting hygiene and proper nutrition : Hygiene and proper nutrition boost immunity and decrease the risk of infections.
- Providing emotional and psychological support : An integrated psychological support system helps the mother cope with postpartum period better. It also reduces the risk of developing any mental illness in the future.
- Giving information about breastfeeding and child care : Giving information helps the mother gain necessary knowledge to look after her newborn effectively.
- Administering medications, if required : Administering medications when necessary helps reduce pain and discomfort during postpartum.
- Referring to specialists, whenever necessary : Referring mother to specialists, such as dietitian, physiotherapist, lactation consultant etc., helps identify and treat any existing problems better.
Evaluation
Evaluation is done by assessing whether the expected outcomes are achieved or not. Nurses can evaluate the success of care plan and make changes, if needed.
Conclusion
Nursing care plan during postpartum plays an important role in looking after the health of mother and infant. It helps nurses develop interventions tailored to the mother's individual needs and situation. These tailored interventions will help the mother and infant stay healthy and healing faster.
FAQs
- What is Postpartum?
Postpartum is the period after delivery of baby.
- What is the goal of Nursing Care Plan during postpartum?
The goal of a nursing care plan during postpartum is to provide care and support to mother and newborn baby.
- What are the Nursing Diagnoses during postpartum?
The commonly diagnosed nursing problems during postpartum period are, Risk for infection, Risk for anxiety, Ineffective parenting and Ineffective coping.
- What are the interventions used in Nursing Care Plan during postpartum?
The interventions used in nursing care plan during postpartum consist of regular monitoring of vital signs of mother and infant, promoting hygiene and proper nutrition, providing emotional and psychological support, giving information about breastfeeding and child care, administering medications, if required, and referring to specialists, whenever necessary.
- What is the purpose of Evaluation step in nursing care plan?
The purpose of Evaluation step in nursing care plan is to assess whether the expected outcomes are achieved or not, and make changes if needed.
Leave a Reply