A new mother of a newborn girl calls the clinic in a panic, concerned about the blood-tinged soiled diaper. What is the best response from the nurse?

Place the infant on the mother's abdomen after birth. This will help the infant maintain an adequate body temperature by providing skin-to-skin contact with the mother, which reduces heat loss and promotes bonding. Skin-to-skin contact also stimulates the baby's natural feeding cues and helps initiate breastfeeding.

Choice A is not correct because turning up the temperature in the birth room may not be enough to prevent heat loss from the infant, especially if they are wet or exposed to cold surfaces. It may also make the mother uncomfortable or dehydrated.

Choice B is not correct because bathing the infant immediately after birth may increase heat loss from evaporation and conduction. It may also interfere with the baby's natural protective coating (vernix) and microbiome. Bathing should be delayed until at least 24 hours after birth.

Choice D is not correct because wrapping the infant in a warm, dry blanket may not provide the same benefits as skin-to-skin contact with the mother. It may also prevent the baby from smelling and seeing the mother's breast, which are important cues for breastfeeding initiation.

Precipitous birth

This is because precipitous birth, which is defined as a labor that lasts less than three hours from the onset of contractions to delivery, is a risk factor for postpartum hemorrhage. This is because the uterus may not contract well after a rapid delivery, leading to uterine atony and bleeding. Other risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage include uterine overdistension, oxytocin use, placental abruption, placenta previa, infection, coagulation disorders, and previous history of postpartum hemorrhage.

Choice A is not correct because gestational hypertension is not a risk factor for postpartum hemorrhage. It is a condition that causes high blood pressure during pregnancy and can lead to complications such as preeclampsia, eclampsia, and placental abruption³.

Choice B is not correct because small for gestational age newborn is not a risk factor for postpartum hemorrhage. It is a condition that indicates that the baby's growth was restricted in the womb and weighs less than 90% of other babies of the same gestational age. It can be caused by maternal factors, placental factors, or fetal factors⁴.

Choice C is not correct because a two-vessel umbilical cord is not a risk factor for postpartum hemorrhage. It is a condition that occurs when the umbilical cord has only one artery and one vein instead of the normal two arteries and one vein. It can be associated with congenital anomalies, intrauterine growth restriction, and stillbirth.