The nurse is caring for a postpartum woman who has relinquished her baby for adoption. The care plan for the client should include which of the following priority strategies?
- Make a referral for grief counseling.
- Allow the woman to see her baby initially, and then discourage further visits.
- Provide opportunities for the woman to express her feelings.
- Inform the woman she has the right to change her mind about relinquishment.
Answer(s): C
Explanation:
Most women who relinquish their infants at birth have come to that decision with a great deal of love and pain. They have made plans in advance.
The nurse needs to first provide them with opportunities to express their feelings that might include grief, loneliness, and guilt.
A referral for grief counseling might be appropriate if no other support system exists or the mother indicates that she wants assistance working through her grief. If the nurse assesses that the grief process is abnormal, a referral is also appropriate.
The mother has probably already made a decision about whether or not she wants to see her baby. The nurse should ask her and make arrangements for that to happen if the mother requests it. Seeing the baby might aid in the grief process. Until relinquishment occurs, this is the mother’s baby and she should be allowed to see it as often as she wants. The mother does have the right to change her mind until final legal arrangements are made. But suggesting this option might lead her to think that the nurse believes she shouldn’t relinquish her baby.