Which of the following actions should a nurse plan to take for a postpartum client who expresses a desire to follow traditional beliefs regarding the balance of yin and yang for postpartum care?

Choice A reason: Discussing pregnancy loss with others who have experienced it provides emotional support, reducing feelings of isolation. Grief triggers stress hormones like cortisol, which can affect mental health. Peer support normalizes emotional responses, aiding psychological recovery by fostering shared understanding and coping strategies, validated by psychosocial research in miscarriage care.

Choice B reason: Advising against seeing fetal remains is inappropriate, as it may dismiss the client’s emotional needs. Grief processing varies, and viewing remains can aid closure for some. This statement imposes a personal bias, ignoring individual psychological responses to loss, which are influenced by complex neuroendocrine and emotional pathways.

Choice C reason: While acknowledging grief is valid, stating it is okay “even though” it is early minimizes the loss’s impact. Early pregnancy loss can trigger significant grief due to hormonal shifts and attachment. This statement risks invalidating the client’s emotional experience, which is shaped by psychological and neuroendocrine responses to miscarriage.

Choice D reason: Determining the cause of a missed abortion at 10 weeks is often not feasible, as fetal tissue may not yield specific findings. Chromosomal abnormalities, a common cause, require genetic testing, not routine post-procedure analysis. This statement risks false reassurance, as miscarriage etiology is frequently multifactorial and not always identifiable.

Choice A reason: Bladder distention indicates an adverse effect of epidural analgesia, as nerve blockade impairs bladder sensation, leading to retention. This is not a sign of effective pain relief but a complication requiring monitoring or catheterization to prevent urinary tract infections or bladder overdistension, per epidural side effect management.

Choice B reason: Reporting slight pressure with contractions indicates effective epidural analgesia, as it reduces pain while preserving some sensation, allowing awareness of labor progress. This reflects targeted nerve blockade, alleviating visceral pain via opioid and anesthetic action, aligning with the goal of balanced labor analgesia without complete sensory loss.

Choice C reason: Inability to move legs or feet suggests excessive epidural blockade, a complication rather than effective analgesia. Optimal epidurals provide pain relief with minimal motor impairment, allowing mobility. Complete paralysis risks prolonged recovery or injury, not reflecting the therapeutic goal of labor pain management, per anesthesia protocols.

Choice D reason: A 20 mm Hg systolic blood pressure decrease indicates hypotension, an adverse effect of epidural analgesia due to sympathetic blockade. This risks reduced placental perfusion, not effective pain relief. It requires intervention like fluids, contrary to the goal of stable analgesia with minimal maternal or fetal impact.