NU143 Unit 5 Patient Education Handout Example

Course	NU143 Maternal Infant Nursing
Unit	Unit 5
Paper type	Patient education handout
Length	About 530 words, 4 pages double-spaced
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Purdue University Global
Program	BSN (prelicensure)
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for NU143 Unit 5

Home Thirty-Six Hours After Birth: A Postpartum Patient Education Handout for a Composite 27-Year-Old With a Repaired Tear, Separating What Is Normal From the Warning Signs That Mean Call Now or Call 911

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

NU143: Maternal Infant Nursing

Unit 5 Patient Education Handout

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

The patient is composite; amounts and times are typical teaching values, and her provider's instructions govern.

What this part is doingThe handout is organized around what the mother must decide at home: whether something is normal, worth a call or an emergency.

Your Body After Birth: What Is Normal

Bleeding like a heavy period for the first few days, turning pink and then brown or yellow-white over two to six weeks.

Small clots no bigger than a plum in the first days.

Cramping, especially while breastfeeding, as your uterus shrinks.

Soreness around your stitches for one to two weeks.

Feeling tearful or moody in the first two weeks. This is common and usually passes.

Caring for Your Stitches

Rinse with warm water from the squeeze bottle every time you use the toilet. Pat dry from front to back.

Change your pad every two to four hours.

Sit in a shallow warm bath for 10 to 15 minutes two or three times a day if it helps.

Take [ibuprofen] or [acetaminophen] as your provider directed. A stool softener can make bowel movements easier.

The stitches dissolve on their own.

Call Your Provider If You Have

Bleeding heavy enough to fill a pad in an hour, two hours in a row, or clots larger than a plum.

A thermometer reading at or above [38] C, the same as [100.4] F.

Bad-smelling discharge, or stitches that are more painful, red or leaking.

A red, hot, painful area on one breast with fever.

Sadness, worry or trouble sleeping that lasts more than two weeks, or that makes it hard to care for yourself or your baby.

A headache that does not go away with medicine, or changes in your vision.

Call 911 Right Away For

Pain in your chest, or struggling to breathe.

Any seizure.

Any thought of harming yourself or your baby.

Very heavy bleeding with dizziness or fainting.

Headache and vision changes are on the list because high blood pressure from pregnancy can appear for the first time after the baby is born.

What this part is doingWarning signs are split by urgency, so the mother knows when to call and when to dial 911.

Your Follow-Up

See your provider within three weeks, and for a full visit by [six] weeks. Bring any questions about birth control, feeding or mood.

Note to the Instructor

I taught this handout to Patient MM, a composite 27-year-old, with her mother present. Bleeding descriptions follow the expected pattern of lochia described in the course text (Perry et al., 2022). It follows national guidance that postpartum care be an ongoing process with contact within the first three weeks rather than a single six-week visit, and that warning signs be taught before discharge (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2018). Headache and vision change are included because preeclampsia can develop after birth (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2020). In teach-back she named hourly pad-soaking and fever as reasons to call, but did not mention mood; we discussed that lasting sadness is common, treatable and worth a call, and her mother said she would watch for it too.

What this part is doingThe teach-back revealed a missing warning sign, mood, which was taught again with her mother present.

References

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2018). Optimizing postpartum care (Committee Opinion No. 736). Obstetrics & Gynecology, 131(5), e140-e150. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000002633

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2020). Gestational hypertension and preeclampsia (Practice Bulletin No. 222). Obstetrics & Gynecology, 135(6), e237-e260. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000003891

Perry, S. E., Hockenberry, M. J., Cashion, K., Alden, K. R., Olshansky, E., & Lowdermilk, D. L. (2022). Maternal child nursing care (7th ed.). Elsevier.

NU143 Unit 5 instructions, in plain terms

Unit 5 usually turns postpartum content into a handout the mother takes home, since most recovery happens there. Prompts commonly want normal changes described, self-care instructions, warning signs and follow-up, written in plain language, with a short rationale for the instructor. Instructors look for normal findings separated clearly from warning signs, warning signs divided by urgency, and inclusion of conditions that are easy to overlook, such as postpartum preeclampsia and mood disorders. Measurable thresholds, like soaking a pad in an hour, help the mother decide without guessing. Teach-back results should be reported honestly, with any gap named and the reteaching described. Write it for a tired reader.

Inside the NU143 Unit 5 example

The handout opens with what is normal: bleeding that changes color over weeks, small clots, cramping during feeds, soreness and early tearfulness. Stitch care follows, with rinsing, pad changes, warm baths and pain relief. Two warning lists separate signs that need a call from those that need 911, with the highlighted line explaining why headache and vision change are included and a margin note on urgency. A follow-up section gives the visit schedule. The instructor note cites the course text on lochia, national guidance on early postpartum contact and preeclampsia after birth, and reports a teach-back where mood was missed and retaught with her mother present.

Where the points sit in the NU143 Unit 5 rubric

Postpartum handouts in NU 143 earn credit for accuracy, clear separation of normal and abnormal, completeness of warning signs and evidence of learning. Accuracy covers bleeding patterns, stitch care and follow-up timing. Separation rewards a layout where the mother can tell at a glance whether something is expected. Completeness of warning signs carries significant weight and includes hemorrhage, infection, preeclampsia after birth, breast infection and mood changes, divided by urgency. Evidence of learning is credited when teach-back is reported with any gaps corrected. Plain language and sources in APA 7 in the instructor note complete the expectations, and including a family member is often noticed. The test is whether she could act on every line alone at home.

Common NU143 Unit 5 mistakes, and how to avoid them

Postpartum handouts often list warning signs in one long column, so heavy bleeding sits beside a mild headache with no sense of urgency. Another frequent gap is leaving out headache and vision changes, since many writers assume preeclampsia ends at birth. Some handouts mention the baby blues but not lasting depression or thoughts of self-harm. Many use vague limits such as heavy bleeding. Describe normal changes first, give self-care in short steps, split warnings into call and 911, use measurable thresholds, include mood and preeclampsia, list follow-up visits and report what the teach-back revealed and how you fixed it. Read it as if at 2 a.m. with a newborn.

Get an NU143 Unit 5 example written to your instructions

Is your Unit 5 handout for a cesarean recovery, a mother going home without her baby, or a reader whose first language is not English? Say which, and include the rubric plus the reading grade your section sets, if it sets one. The sample handout, rationale included, is shaped to those terms. Free for the first custom sample; 24-48h is typical. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.

More NU143 papers and BSN samples

NU143 Unit 5 questions, answered

Where can I find a free NU143 Unit 5 sample paper?

This page holds the full NU143 Unit 5 postpartum handout, with normal changes, stitch care, warning signs by urgency, follow-up plus the instructor's rationale and teach-back findings, with three references. Tell us what your patient needs to know and we can draft the handout.

What bleeding is normal after a vaginal birth?

Bleeding like a heavy period for the first few days, turning pink and then brown or yellow-white over two to six weeks, with small clots no larger than a plum early on.

When should a new mother call about bleeding?

If bleeding fills a pad within an hour for two hours in a row, or she passes clots larger than a plum. Heavy bleeding with dizziness or fainting needs 911.

Why include headache in NU143 Unit 5?

Preeclampsia can develop after birth, even in women with normal blood pressure in pregnancy. A headache that medicine does not relieve, or vision changes, need prompt evaluation.

When should postpartum follow-up happen?

Guidance favors contact within the first three weeks and a full visit by six weeks, rather than a single six-week check, so problems are caught earlier.