Question

A client who delivered by cesarean birth 3 days ago is bottle-feeding her neonate. While the nurse collects data, the client complains that her breasts are painful, hard, and warm to the touch. How should the nurse intervene?

a) Instruct the client to continue bottle-feeding to relieve breast engorgement.
b) Encourage the client to express small amounts of milk to alleviate breast fullness.
c) Advise the client to apply a cold compress to her breasts to reduce swelling.
d) Recommend warm compresses and gentle massage to facilitate milk flow.

Answer 1

The nurse should advise the client to apply a cold compress to her breasts to reduce swelling and alleviate the symptoms of postpartum breast engorgement during bottle-feeding.

Step-by-step explanation:

A client who delivered by cesarean birth 3 days ago is experiencing painful, hard, and warm breasts due to engorgement, which is common when milk production occurs but milk is not being removed from the breast. Since she is bottle-feeding, the recommended intervention to alleviate these symptoms would be (c) to advise the client to apply a cold compress to her breasts to reduce swelling. Cold compresses help to constrict blood vessels, which can reduce swelling and discomfort. Expressing small amounts of milk could signal the body to continue producing milk, leading to prolonged discomfort, while warm compresses and massage might encourage milk flow, which is not desirable in this case since the client is not breastfeeding.