A nurse is assisting in the care of a client who is 3 hours postpartum and reports complete saturation of their perineal pad in the past 30 minutes. Which of the following actions is the highest priority?

(A) "You should recognize that your baby sucking on his hands is a hunger cue."
Recognizing hunger cues is crucial for successful breastfeeding. Early hunger cues like sucking on hands, rooting, and lip-smacking indicate that the baby is ready to feed. Responding to these cues can help establish a good breastfeeding routine and ensure the baby gets adequate nutrition before becoming too distressed to feed effectively.

(B) "You should feed your baby for 10 minutes on each breast."
Feeding duration can vary significantly among babies. Some may need longer than 10 minutes on each breast, while others might feed more efficiently in a shorter time. Instead of a strict time limit, it's important to encourage the mother to allow the baby to feed until they show signs of being full, such as pulling away from the breast or falling asleep.

(C) "You should feed your baby six times a day."
Newborns typically need to feed more frequently than six times a day. Most newborns breastfeed 8-12 times in 24 hours. Limiting feeds to six times a day may not provide sufficient nutrition and can affect the baby’s growth and milk supply.

(D) "You should wake your baby at least every 6 hours at night for feedings."
Newborns, especially in the first few weeks, often need to be fed more frequently than every 6 hours, including at night. Typically, it’s recommended to wake a baby to feed if they sleep for more than 4 hours at a time in the early weeks to ensure adequate intake and to help establish the mother’s milk supply.

(a) Touch the corner of the newborn's mouth:
Touching the corner of the newborn's mouth elicits the rooting reflex, not the Babinski reflex. The rooting reflex causes the newborn to turn their head toward the touch and open their mouth, which helps with feeding.

(b) Place the newborn supine and apply pressure to the soles of the feet:
Applying pressure to the soles of the feet is not a method used to elicit the Babinski reflex. This action might influence other reflexes but not the Babinski.

(c) Stroke upward on the lateral aspect of the sole of the newborn's foot:
This is correct. The Babinski reflex is elicited by stroking upward on the lateral aspect of the sole of the newborn's foot. A positive response is the fanning and extension of the toes, which is normal in newborns.

(d) Pull the newborn up by the wrist from a supine position:
Pulling the newborn up by the wrists from a supine position is used to assess the traction response or pull-to-sit maneuver, which tests the newborn's head control and muscle tone, not the Babinski reflex.