A nurse is caring for a client who is 36 hr postpartum. Exhibits After reviewing the information in the client's medical record, which of the following complications pose a greater risk for the client? The complication that poses the greatest risk for the client is dropdown as evidenced by their dropdown

Rationale for correct choices: • Hemorrhage: The client demonstrates a boggy fundus that requires repeated massage to maintain firmness, a midline fundus with heavy lochia containing small clots, and increasing heart rate, all classic signs of postpartum hemorrhage. These findings indicate the uterus is not contracting effectively, placing the client at risk for excessive blood loss. • Amount of lochia: The moderate to heavy lochia rubra with clots indicates ongoing uterine bleeding. Monitoring the amount and characteristics of lochia is critical for early recognition of hemorrhage. Rationale for incorrect choices: • Mastitis: The client’s breasts are soft, warm, and only mildly tender, with no signs of infection (redness, localized heat, or systemic symptoms), making mastitis unlikely. • Endometritis: The client has a mildly elevated temperature but no significant fever, foul-smelling lochia, or severe uterine tenderness, so endometritis is less likely at this time. • Temperature: While slightly elevated, the temperature is not high enough to indicate infection, and it does not correlate with the immediate risk of hemorrhage. • Breast findings: The breast assessment shows normal postpartum changes without infection, making this less relevant to the acute risk.