NU143CL Unit 4 Newborn Assessment Note Example

Course	NU143CL Maternal Infant Nursing Clinical
Unit	Unit 4
Paper type	Newborn assessment note
Length	About 590 words, 5 pages double-spaced
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Purdue University Global
Program	BSN (prelicensure)
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for NU143CL Unit 4

Down 7.2 Percent at Thirty Hours: A Newborn Assessment Note Reading a Composite Breastfed Girl's Weight, Feeds, Diapers and Skin Color as One Set, With the Family's Log Doing Much of the Work

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

NU143CL: Maternal Infant Nursing Clinical

Unit 4 Newborn Assessment Note

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

The newborn is composite; values are bracketed where illustrative, and thresholds follow common nursery protocols.

What this part is doingThe note interprets the numbers as a set, because no single value tells the nurse whether feeding is working.

Context

Baby girl of [Ms. O.], composite, born vaginally at 39 weeks and 4 days, birth weight [3,410] g. Exclusively breastfed. Mother's first baby. Blood types: mother O positive, baby A positive. The parents have kept a feeding and diaper log at the bedside since birth.

The Numbers at 30 Hours

Weight [3,165] g, down [245] g, or [7.2] percent. Feeds in 24 hours: [8], lasting [10] to [20] minutes; the mother reports hearing swallowing. Wet diapers since birth: [3]; stools: [2], dark green-black. Skin: faint yellow on the face and upper chest, not below the nipple line. Transcutaneous bilirubin: [6.8] mg/dL at 30 hours. Vital signs: temperature [36.9] C, heart rate [136], respirations [42]. Behavior: alert before feeds, rooting, settles after feeds.

Reading the Set

Weight loss: most breastfed newborns lose weight in the first days, and published curves for exclusively breastfed babies show that a loss of about 7 percent at 30 hours falls within the typical range, though near its upper part; losses above about 10 percent call for closer evaluation (Flaherman et al., 2015). Feeds: eight feeds with swallowing heard is a good sign, since audible swallowing shows milk transfer rather than comfort sucking. Her alert rooting before feeds and settling afterward add to that picture. Diapers: by day two, at least two wet diapers and two stools are usually expected, and her output matches that. Stools are still meconium, which should begin to change color by day three or four. Jaundice: facial yellow at 30 hours with a transcutaneous reading of [6.8] mg/dL falls in the low to intermediate range for her age on the unit's hour-specific chart, and she has no blood group incompatibility that would raise her risk.

Taken alone, 7.2 percent sounds worrying; read beside eight good feeds and the right number of diapers, it describes a baby whose feeding is working.

What this part is doingThe weight is placed against breastfed-specific curves, which prevents an unnecessary supplement for a baby feeding well.

Plan

Continue breastfeeding on demand, at least eight times in 24 hours; observe one full feed today to confirm latch and swallowing; continue the family log; reweigh at [48] hours; repeat transcutaneous bilirubin before discharge; teach the parents what increasing diaper counts to expect each day and when stools should change to yellow (Perry et al., 2022).

What this part is doingThe plan lists the thresholds that would change it, so the next nurse knows what would prompt supplementation.

When the Plan Would Change

A weight loss above about 10 percent, fewer wet diapers than days of age, no stool change by day four, a sleepy baby who will not wake to feed, or yellow skin spreading below the chest would prompt supplementation discussion and provider review.

Documentation Sentence

"[30] h: Wt 3,165 g (down 7.2%), 8 feeds/24 h with audible swallowing, 3 voids, 2 meconium stools since birth. TcB 6.8 at 30 h, low-intermediate zone. VS WNL. Plan: continue BF on demand, observe feed, reweigh at 48 h, TcB before discharge. Parents' log reviewed with them."

The Family's Part

The parents' log was the most useful document in the assessment. Each entry was timed, and the mother had written whether she heard swallowing, which the nurse had shown her how to recognize the day before. Accurate records kept by families give nurses data between their own checks (Potter et al., 2023).

References

Flaherman, V. J., Schaefer, E. W., Kuzniewicz, M. W., Li, S. X., Walsh, E. M., & Paul, I. M. (2015). Early weight loss nomograms for exclusively breastfed newborns. Pediatrics, 135(1), e16-e23. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-1532

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

Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G., Stockert, P. A., & Hall, A. M. (2023). Fundamentals of nursing (11th ed.). Elsevier.

NU143CL Unit 4 instructions, in plain terms

Unit 4 often asks students to interpret a newborn's second-day numbers as a set, many of them collected by the family. Prompts commonly want weight change, feeding, output, jaundice and vital signs recorded, each interpreted against expected values for age, then read together to judge whether feeding is working, followed by a plan. Instructors look for students who avoid overreacting to a single number, such as a 7 percent weight loss, when the rest of the picture is reassuring, and who know the thresholds that would change the plan. Using breastfed-specific references, valuing the family's log and documenting concisely show mature newborn assessment. Values are bracketed where illustrative.

How this NU143CL Unit 4 example is built

The note opens with the baby's birth details, feeding method, blood types and the family's log. The numbers at thirty hours are listed: weight, feeds, diapers, skin color, bilirubin, vital signs and behavior. Each is read against expected values, the weight against breastfed nomograms, the diapers against day-two norms and the bilirubin against an hour-specific chart, with the highlighted line on reading the set together and a margin note. The plan follows, then the thresholds that would prompt supplementation or review, a documentation sentence and a closing section on the family's log as data between checks. The documentation line uses the same values in charting shorthand. Each threshold is written as a number.

NU143CL Unit 4 rubric: what earns full points

Newborn assessment notes in NU 143CL are scored on accurate interpretation of each value, integration of the set, plan and thresholds. Interpretation credit requires age-appropriate norms, including breastfed-specific weight curves cited in APA 7. Integration carries significant weight: graders look for the conclusion drawn from feeds, output, weight and color together. Plan points go to specific next steps with timing, such as reweighing at forty-eight hours. Threshold points reward naming the findings that would change the plan. Recognizing the family's contribution to the data, and documenting concisely, show the note was written for real use on the unit. A note that prevents an unneeded supplement is a sign of careful reading.

NU143CL Unit 4 help from the desk

Newborn notes often flag a 7 percent weight loss as a problem and suggest formula without looking at feeds and diapers, which can undermine breastfeeding unnecessarily. Another frequent gap is reporting a bilirubin value without the baby's age in hours, which makes it impossible to interpret. Some notes list diapers without comparing them with what is expected for the day of life. Many omit the thresholds that would change the plan. Read every number against its norm, use breastfed curves for weight, give bilirubin with hours, judge the set together, plan the next checks and write down what would make you call. Ask the parents what they have noticed, too.

Get an NU143CL Unit 4 example written to your instructions

Some Unit 4 notes follow a baby under phototherapy, a newborn after a vacuum birth, or a formula-fed infant with a different output pattern. Describe the case without identifiers and include your floor's newborn form and rubric. The model note uses that form, brackets every value, and leaves the co-signature to your instructor. First custom sample free; 24-48h. 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 NU143CL papers and BSN samples

NU143CL Unit 4 questions, answered

Where can I find a free NU143CL Unit 4 sample paper?

You can read the complete NU143CL Unit 4 newborn assessment note here, reading weight, feeds, diapers and jaundice as a set, with plan, thresholds and documentation, citing three sources. Share your newborn's day-two numbers and we can interpret them.

Is 7 percent weight loss normal for a breastfed newborn?

At about 30 hours it falls within the typical range on curves for exclusively breastfed babies, though toward the upper part. Losses above about 10 percent call for closer evaluation.

What diaper count is expected on a newborn's second day?

Usually at least two wet diapers and two stools, increasing each day, with stools changing from dark meconium to yellow by day three or four.

Why give bilirubin with the baby's age in hours?

Bilirubin is interpreted on hour-specific charts, since normal levels rise over the first days. The same value can be low risk at 60 hours and high risk at 24.

When would the NU143CL Unit 4 plan change?

With weight loss above about 10 percent, fewer wet diapers than days of age, no stool change by day four, a baby too sleepy to feed or yellow spreading below the chest.