Final answer:
The nurse should notify the healthcare provider for further assessment to address potential complications such as a retained placenta when a postpartum patient has a displaced uterus. Uterine involution aided by breastfeeding is typically how the uterus returns to its pre-pregnancy size after birth and helps prevent complications.
Step-by-step explanation:
A 12-hour postpartum (PP) patient with a uterus palpable to the right and above the umbilicus may indicate a deviation from the typical involution process or the presence of retained placental fragments, which could lead to postpartum hemorrhage. The nurse should choose the action that addresses the most immediate potential complication. Therefore, the best course of action would be D. Notify the healthcare provider for further assessment, to rule out complications such as a retained placenta or excessive bleeding. While encouraging ambulation, administering pain medication, and assisting with breastfeeding can all be supportive measures postpartum, they do not have the immediate priority of assessment for a potentially serious complication.
Uterine involution is the process by which the uterus returns to its pre-pregnancy size through contractions over several hours after birth. Breastfeeding can aid this process by stimulating the release of oxytocin, which encourages uterine contractions and contraction of the myometrium helps to shear the placenta from the uterine wall and to reduce blood loss. If this process does not occur properly, manual or surgical intervention may be required to remove retained placenta fragments.