The nurse is preparing discharge instructions for a stable patient with a placenta previa. Instructions should include all of the following except:

The nurse's first action should be to massage the woman's fundus. A completely saturated perineal pad within 15 minutes after giving birth indicates excessive bleeding, which is also known as postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Massaging the uterus (fundus) can help it to contract, reduce bleeding, and prevent further blood loss. Once the fundus has been massaged, the nurse should assess the woman's vital signs and continue to monitor her for signs of continued bleeding. If bleeding persists despite massage, the nurse should begin an intravenous (IV) infusion of Ringer's lactate solution and call the woman's primary healthcare provider.

Fetal well-being during labor is assessed by the response of the fetal heart rate (FHR) to uterine contractions (UCs). During labor, the fetal heart rate is monitored to assess the well-being of the fetus. The fetal heart rate should increase in response to fetal movement and contractions, which indicates that the fetus is receiving adequate oxygenation and blood flow. This response is called an "acceleration" in the FHR. However, accelerations alone are not enough to assess fetal well-being during labor. It is the combination of the FHR pattern with the uterine contractions pattern that provides the most information.

In addition to the FHR response to UCs, other factors that may be used to assess fetal well-being during labor include fetal scalp blood sampling, fetal pulse oximetry, and fetal ultrasound. Maternal pain control may help to decrease maternal stress and anxiety during labor, but it is not directly related to fetal well-being. An FHR above 110 beats/min is within the normal range for a fetal baseline heart rate, but it is not enough to assess fetal well-being during labor.