A nurse is caring for a client who is 12 hours postpartum. Which of the following findings should alert the nurse to the possibility of a postpartum complication?

A. Administering thyroid hormone replacement is not indicated for phenylketonuria (PKU). PKU is a metabolic disorder involving the inability to metabolize phenylalanine, an amino acid, and it does not involve thyroid dysfunction.
B. Blood glucose monitoring is not directly related to the management of PKU. In PKU, the focus is on monitoring and restricting phenylalanine intake, not blood glucose levels.
C. Obtaining a blood sample for blood type may be necessary for general newborn screening but is not specific to the management of PKU.
D. Initiating a controlled low-protein diet is the cornerstone of management for PKU. This diet restricts phenylalanine intake, which is essential for preventing neurological damage and
developmental delays in affected infants.

A. Pain following a cesarean birth is important to address, but it may not indicate an urgent need for assessment compared to other potential complications.
B. A client with preeclampsia requires close monitoring of blood pressure to prevent

complications such as eclampsia, which can lead to seizures and other serious consequences. An elevated blood pressure reading warrants immediate attention.
C. A client scheduled for discharge following a laparoscopic tubal ligation is stable and can likely wait for assessment until after higher-priority clients have been seen.
D. While it's important to monitor for bleeding after a vaginal birth, the absence of bleeding reported by a client 24 hours postpartum may not indicate an immediate need for assessment compared to the potential urgency of managing preeclampsia.