Final answer:
A postpartum woman one week after birth may express a need to discuss the labor and birth, have a reduced attention span, and balance the need for personal care with caring for her newborn. She also experiences lochia, a normal vaginal discharge, which transitions from red to pink to creamy over the course of the postpartum period.
Step-by-step explanation:
When making a visit to the home of a postpartum woman one week after birth, the nurse should recognize that the woman would characteristically express a need to review events and her behavior during the labor and birth process. In this time, the new mother may also exhibit a reduced attention span, affecting her readiness to learn. This can be a period of adjustment where she may vacillate between the desire to have her own nurturing needs met and the need to take charge of her care and that of her newborn. Given that the postpartum period is about six weeks long, she is often still adjusting and might not have fully reestablished her role as a spouse/partner yet.
During the first week postpartum, the mother experiences lochia, a vaginal discharge composed of uterine lining cells, erythrocytes, leukocytes, and other debris. Initially, this discharge is thick and dark (lochia rubra), but it eventually transitions to a thinner, pinkish form (lochia serosa), which continues until about the tenth postpartum day, followed by lochia alba, a scant, creamy, or watery discharge persisting for another 1-2 weeks. Careful monitoring of lochia helps ensure that postpartum recovery is progressing normally.