Question

A client is at the end of her 1st postpartum day. When assessing her uterus, the nurse expects to find the top of the fundus at the midline and at which position?

a) 1 cm below the umbilicus
b) 1 cm above the umbilicus
c) 2 cm below the umbilicus
d) 2 cm above the umbilicus

Answer 1

The nurse would expect to find the top of the fundus at the midline and 1 cm below the umbilicus at the end of the first postpartum day, indicating option c) 2 cm below the umbilicus is the correct position.

Step-by-step explanation:

At the end of the first postpartum day, a nurse assessing the position of the uterus would expect to find the top of the fundus at the midline and 1 cm below the umbilicus. After childbirth, the uterus begins a process known as involution, where it contracts back to its pre-pregnancy size. This process is quite rapid immediately after birth, with the uterus typically descending into the pelvis by about one centimeter, or about the width of a finger's breadth, per day. Therefore, the correct answer to the question would be option c) 2 cm below the umbilicus.