When making a home visit one week after birth, the nurse should recognize that the woman would characteristically:

• A. Express a strong need to review events and her behavior during the process of labor and birth
• B. Exhibit a reduced attention span, limiting readiness to learn
• C. Vacillate between the desire to have her own nurturing needs met and the need to take charge of her own care and that of her newborn
• D. Have reestablished her role as a spouse/partner

Answer: (C)

Postpartum adjustment involves balancing self-care with caring for the newborn during the first weeks after birth. One week after delivery, many new mothers are moving from an initial focus on their own recovery toward taking active responsibility for infant care, but they still need support and reassurance. This creates a pattern of vacillation: they want some nurturing and help to meet their own needs, while also wanting to take charge of their own care and of the baby’s care. That developing independence paired with ongoing need for guidance reflects the normal shift in maternal role confidence during this period.

The other possibilities don’t fit as well. Rehashing labor events is a less central focus at this stage; the priority is adapting to parenting. A markedly reduced attention span isn’t a typical expectation for one week postpartum, though fatigue can occur. Fully reestablishing the spousal role may be part of ongoing adjustment, but the characteristic pattern at this point is this push-pull between dependence and autonomy in infant care.