The nurse is continuing to care for the child.

Exhibits

Drag words from the choices below to fill in each blank in the following sentence.

The nurse should anticipate a prescription for

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and

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.

Rationale:

A. Expresses pain freely and loudly: Many Chinese American clients may view overt pain expression as a loss of control or dignity. Cultural norms often encourage stoicism, and clients may underreport pain unless directly asked in a sensitive and respectful manner.

B. Prefers foods that maintain a balance of hot and cold within the body: Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes balance, particularly of hot and cold elements, especially during the postpartum period. Clients may prefer warm foods and drinks to restore balance and promote healing after childbirth.

C. Prefers to make direct eye contact with health care personnel: In Chinese cultural contexts, direct eye contact can be considered disrespectful or confrontational, especially toward authority figures. Avoiding eye contact may be a sign of respect rather than disinterest.

D. Tends to be very expressive with gestures and body language: Chinese American clients may communicate in a more reserved and controlled manner, often minimizing the use of expressive gestures. Nonverbal communication may be subtle, requiring attentive observation.

Rationale for Correct Choices

• Endometritis: This uterine infection is common after cesarean delivery, especially with prolonged rupture of membranes. The client’s uterine tenderness, elevated fundus, boggy consistency, and foul-smelling lochia are hallmark signs of endometritis, making it the most likely diagnosis.
• Uterus and lochia: The presence of a tender uterus that is elevated above the umbilicus and only firms with massage, combined with dark, malodorous lochia, strongly suggests infection of the uterine lining. These findings point specifically to endometritis rather than general postpartum changes.

Rationale for Incorrect Choices

• Mastitis: Although the client reports heavy, warm breasts with nipple discomfort, there is no breast erythema, localized swelling, or high-grade fever typical of mastitis. These symptoms are likely due to engorgement related to lactation rather than infection.
• Pneumonia: The client’s respiratory assessment shows clear lungs with only slight basal changes common postoperatively. There are no signs of cough, sputum production, hypoxia, or respiratory distress, which makes pneumonia an unlikely cause of her symptoms.
• Fever: A temperature of 38.2°C is above normal, but mild postpartum fever can have various causes, including engorgement, dehydration, or early infection. Fever alone is not specific enough to confirm a diagnosis without targeted findings.
• WBC count: Although an elevated WBC of 33,000/mm³ raises concern, postpartum leukocytosis can be physiologic or related to many infections. It is not diagnostic of endometritis without more specific correlating signs like uterine tenderness and abnormal lochia.