NU143CL · Unit 3

NU143CL Unit 3 postpartum assessment note example

Maternal Infant Nursing Clinical Purdue University Global Free custom sample in 24 to 48h

Early in the rotation, NU143CL's Unit 3 commonly calls for one postpartum assessment written up on the floor's form, and this example documents a composite mother [18] hours after her first vaginal birth. Its interest lies in one finding: a fundus above the umbilicus and pushed to the right, traced to a full bladder, corrected, and rechecked within the same note.

What this page holds

A fundus high and to the right, a full bladder, a void and a recheck: NU143CL's Unit 3 postpartum assessment note, every value bracketed and the co-signature line left blank. Searches like "nu 143cl unit 3 assignment example", "nu143cl unit 3 sample" and "nu143cl unit 3 example" land here.

What a finished NU143CL Unit 3 postpartum assessment note looks like

The note follows a head-to-toe postpartum order on one page, each line pairing the finding with what is expected at [18] hours. Breasts are soft with colostrum expressed and nipples intact. The fundus is firm but [2] fingerbreadths above the umbilicus and deviated right, where the expected position is at or just below the umbilicus and midline. The bladder is palpable, and her last void was [hours] earlier. After she voids [volume] mL, the fundus is rechecked: firm, midline, at the umbilicus. Lochia is rubra, [moderate], with no clots larger than [size]. The perineum, with a second-degree repair, is scored on the REEDA scale with [mild] edema. Legs show no redness, warmth or swelling. Mood, bonding and pain at [3] of 10 close the note, above a blank co-signature line.

How a NU143CL Unit 3 example is structured

Many floors use a mnemonic order, and the sample follows one common version: breasts, uterus, bladder, bowel, lochia, perineum, legs, emotions. Each line has three parts, the finding, the expected finding for this point in recovery, and a word on whether it falls inside or outside. Where a finding falls outside, a short linked entry records the action and the recheck, so the correction and its result sit together rather than pages apart. Every quantity is bracketed: fingerbreadths, void volume, pad saturation, pain score. The sample marks them because only the actual chart holds them. Abbreviations follow the floor's approved list. Calf pain is assessed by looking and asking rather than by forced dorsiflexion, reflecting current teaching. The writer's line is completed as a placeholder and the co-signature line is left empty.

Expected beside observed

Each line carries what is expected at [18] hours beside what was found. The fundus line is the only one outside range, and the layout makes that visible before anyone reads a word of explanation.

Why the bladder moved the uterus

A distended bladder pushes the uterus up and to one side, usually the right, and keeps it from contracting well. The note names this cause before any fundal massage is considered.

Correction and recheck together

The void, its bracketed volume and the recheck finding sit in one linked entry under the fundus line, so the note shows the problem resolved rather than leaving it open.

REEDA for the repair

Redness, edema, ecchymosis, discharge and approximation are each scored for the second-degree repair, zeros included, so the next assessment has a baseline to compare against.

The blank that stays blank

The writer's signature line is a placeholder and the co-signature line is empty. The model shows where they go; completing them belongs to the student and the instructor on the actual shift.

Where marks go in NU143CL Unit 3

Nothing costs more than a fundus recorded as firm with no height or position, since the displacement is the finding the whole note turns on. Notes that find the high, deviated fundus and move straight to massage, without checking the bladder, draw a safety comment. Correction without a recheck leaves the problem open on paper. Lochia described as normal, with no color, amount or clots, gives the next nurse nothing to compare. Perineal findings written as a general impression rather than scored lose the assessment points REEDA exists to earn. Homans' sign listed as a finding reads as outdated to many graders. Real chart values, or details that identify the mother, draw privacy comments. Signature lines completed by someone other than the signer are an integrity issue.

Get a NU143CL Unit 3 example written to your instructions

Some Unit 3 prompts add a cesarean incision or a second assessment later in the shift. Attach the postpartum form your floor uses and the rubric, with nothing in the case that names the mother; the note mirrors that form, values bracketed and signature lines left for the people who sign them. First custom sample free, 24-48h.

NU143CL Unit 3 questions, answered

Why is the fundus expected at the umbilicus on day one?

Right after the placenta delivers, the uterus sits roughly midway between the umbilicus and the pubic bone, then rises to about the level of the umbilicus within the first twelve hours. From there it descends roughly one fingerbreadth a day. A fundus well above that level, or off to one side, prompts a check for a full bladder or retained clots.

What does REEDA stand for?

Redness, edema, ecchymosis, discharge and approximation, each scored for a perineal repair or an incision. Many floors use it because it turns a general impression into findings another nurse can compare at the next assessment. A note scoring each element, even when most are zero, shows the repair was actually examined rather than glanced at.

Can the sample complete the signature and co-signature lines?

No. The writer's line appears as a placeholder, and the co-signature line stays empty, because those lines attest that a specific person did and reviewed the assessment. Only you and your instructor can sign for your shift. The model shows the layout; the entries and signatures on a graded note belong to the people who were there.