1. Running head: POSTPARTUM/NEWBORN TEACHING 1
Postpartum/Newborn Teaching Record and Reflection
Lisa Tripp
California Baptist University
Author’s Note
This paper is presented to Professor Hutchinson in partial fulfillment for the
requirements of Childbearing Famil Practicum, NURS 533B on April 22, 2016.

2. Postpartum/Newborn Teaching 2
Teaching Record 30 points – make sure that evaluation of learning is measurable. Patient states
they understand are not measurable.
Content Assessed/Taught
1.5 points each
(Describe in detail what
you taught)
Teaching Methods Used
1/2 point each
Evaluation of Learning
1 point each
(Explain how you know
patient understands).
1. During the newborn
assessment, the postpartum
patient was taught about the
newborn’s fontanels. The
postpartum patient was
taught that the newborn has
two openings in the skull
called fontanels, that exist
because the bones of the
skull have not yet fused to
allow for the newborn’
skull to fit through the
vaginal canal and to allow
for brain growth. The
postpartum patient was
taught that the newborn has
a posterior fontanel that
closes any time between
birth and 2 months, and an
anterior fontanel that closes
between 12 and 18 months.
The postpartum patient was
taught that the newborn’s
fontanels are a good
representation of the
newborn’s level of
hydration. The postpartum
was taught how to feel the
newborn’s fontanels (with a
flat hand), and that sunken
fontanels indicate
dehydration, and bulging
1. The postpartum patient
was familiarized with the
concept of fontanels by
using conversational
teaching. The postpartum
patient was familiarized
with the technique used
to assess the newborn’s
fontanels using
demonstration (flat
handed touch).
1. The postpartum patient
demonstrated
understanding by stating
that she has been taught
about the baby’s “soft
spots” at a previous time,
but that she felt more
comfortable with the
concept since teaching
had been reinforced. The
patient stated that she had
not been taught about the
danger signs that the
fontanels can indicate, and
that she would monitor
for any changes and report
to the HCP if they
occurred.

3. Postpartum/Newborn Teaching 3
fontanels indicate possible
increased intracranial
pressure. The postpartum
patient was taught that both
of these assessments require
immediate notification of
the health care provider.
2. During the newborn
assessment, the postpartum
patient was taught about
breastfeeding the newborn.
The postpartum patient was
taught that the newborn
needs to be fed at least
every 2-3 hours, and upon
demand. The postpartum
patient was taught
signs/cues the newborn
would demonstrate
indicating demand. The
postpartum patient was
taught that the newborn
may demonstrate the
rooting reflex, sucking
reflex, and become irritable
when ready to feed. The
postpartum patient was
taught that she can assess
whether or not the baby is
being fed often enough and
an adequate quantity by
noting the number of
diapers the baby soils. The
postpartum patient was
taught that he newborn
should produce at least 1
diaper on the first day of
life, 2 diapers on the second
day of life, 3 diapers on the
third day of life, etc. up
2. The postpartum patient
was familiarized with
breastfeeding frequency,
feeding cues, newborn
feeding assessment using
conversational teaching.
The postpartum patient
was familiarized with the
technique used to assess
the newborn’s cues
through demonstration
both by the nursing
student and by eliciting
the sucking and rooting
reflex on the newborn.
2. The postpartum patient
demonstrated
understanding by stating
that she understood the
newborn needed to be
breastfed on demand, and
at least every 2-3 hours.
The postpartum
verbalized understanding
of newborn feeding cues.
The postpartum patient
verbalized the correct
newborn diaper count
expectations according to
days since birth.

4. Postpartum/Newborn Teaching 4
until the sixth day of life,
when the number of diapers
should be 6-8 per day,
indicating that the newborn
is being adequately fed.
3. During the newborn
assessment, the postpartum
patient was taught about
umbilical cord care for the
newborn. The postpartum
patient was familiarized
with the newborn’s
umbilical cord and taught to
fold the diaper down below
the umbilical cord to
prevent pressure and
wetting of the cord. The
postpartum patient was
taught to refrain from
wetting the cord during
bathing until the umbilical
stump falls off, and not to
apply alcohol to the stump.
The postpartum patient was
taught that the stump
should fall off in
approximately one week
from the date of birth. The
postpartum patient was
taught that warning signs
that should be reported to
the healthcare provider
include bleeding from the
site and any drainage.
4. During the postpartum
assessment, the postpartum
patient was taught about
expected emotional changes
post-delivery. The
3. During the umbilical
cord teaching,
verbalization was used to
educate the patient about
cord care and warning
signs that need to be
reported to the health care
provider. Demonstration
was used to teach the
patient about diaper
folding and placement
below the umbilical cord.
4. The postpartum patient
was taught about
expected emotions post-
delivery, postpartum
3. The patient
demonstrated
understanding by
verbalizing that she
understood how to how to
care for the cord by
keeping it clean and dry.
The patient verbalized
that she had planned on
putting alcohol on the
stump to facilitate drying
and sloughing, but she
stated that she no longer
planned on applying
alcohol after
reinforcement.
4. The postpartum patient
demonstrated
understanding by
verbalizing that she had
heard about baby blues
and postpartum

5. Postpartum/Newborn Teaching 5
postpartum patient was
taught that emotional
changes are normal and
expected during the first
two weeks postpartum. The
postpartum patient was
taught that due to natural
hormonal fluctuations that
occur after delivery of the
newborn, she may feel
feelings of sadness and
irritability referred to as
“baby blues”. The
postpartum patient was
encouraged that this change
is normal, and that the
postpartum patient should
not be alarmed. The
postpartum patient was
taught that if these feelings
do not subside after the first
two weeks, that the patient
should seek help from the
health care provider as
postpartum depression may
be occurring. The
postpartum patient was
encouraged to additionally
seek support from her
family.
5. The postpartum patient
was taught about lochia.
The postpartum patient was
taught that lochia is the
flow that occurs after birth
any may last 2-4 weeks.
The postpartum patent was
taught about lochia rubra,
serosa, and alba and the
expected length of time
blues, and postpartum
depression, and warning
signs using one-on-one
verbalization.
5. The postpartum patient
was taught about what
lochia is, the types of
lochia, amount,
consistency, color, and
odor of lochia, and
warning signs of report to
the healthcare provider
depression, and that her
previous teaching was
reinforced. The
postpartum demonstrated
understanding about the
need for support by
verbalizing three people
she can rely on for help
including her mother,
father, and the newborn’s
father.
5. The patient
demonstrated
understanding bv
verbalizing that she had
never been taught about
lochia, and that she would
be sure to monitor her
lochia for type, amount,
consistency, color, and
odor, and report any
warning signs to her

6. Postpartum/Newborn Teaching 6
each type of lochia would
be present, the expected
color, the expected
consistency, the expected
odor, and the expected
amount. The postpartum
patient was taught that the
healthcare provider should
be alerted if more than 1
pad per hour is being
soaked, if clots greater than
the size of a ping pong ball
are produced, or if the odor
of the lochia is foul. The
patient was taught to empty
the bladder, put the
newborn to the breast, and
perform fundal massage if
these circumstances occur.
6. The postpartum patient
was taught about her
cesarean section surgical
site. The patient was taught
that the site is secured by
staples, and that the doctor
would perform the first
dressing change. The
patient was taught that the
site may cause considerable
pain, and that the site may
be splinted during
movement in order to
reduce pain. The patient
was taught about
pharmacological pain
management. The patient
was taught to report any
amount of significant
bleeding to the healthcare
provider. Additionally, the
using verbalization and
demonstration showing
the patient the amount of
lochia currently on her
pad and the size of clots
to report to the healthcare
provider.
6. The patient was taught
about her cesarean
section surgical site, site
care, site assessment, and
warning signs that should
be reported to the
healthcare provider using
verbalization of
instruction and
demonstration, showing
the patient her site and
what warning signs might
look like.
doctor immediately.
6. The patient
demonstrated
understanding of the
surgical site teaching by
verbalizing warning signs
that should be reported
and ways to reduce
surgical site pain.

7. Postpartum/Newborn Teaching 7
patient was taught that any
redness, edema, drainage,
and pulling of the wound
apart from itself should be
reported to the healthcare
provider.
7. The postpartum patient
was taught about the
importance of ambulation
after cesarean section. The
postpartum patient was
taught that since it had been
24 hours since her cesarean
section, it was an
appropriate time to begin
ambulation. The postpartum
patient was taught that
ambulation after surgery is
important because it is an
important element of deep
vein thrombosis prevention.
The patient was taught that
although many cesarean
section patients would like
to stay in bed due to pain
and exhaustion, doing so
may result in stasis of blood
within the vessels of the
legs which can cause clot
formation, which is very
dangerous. The patient was
taught that early ambulation
after surgery is essential in
preventing clot formation.
The patient was taught to
request analgesics before
ambulation if necessary.
7. The patient was taught
about DVT prophylaxis
and the importance of
early ambulation after
surgery using verbal
teaching strategies and
physical demonstration of
the areas where clots may
form.
7. The patient
demonstrated
understanding of teaching
by agreeing to walk after
the assessment was over
after a morning of
refusing to get out of bed
due to pain.
8. The patient

8. Postpartum/Newborn Teaching 8
8. The postpartum patient
was taught about breastmilk
production. The patient was
taught about the different
types of breast milk
including colostrum,
foremilk, and hind milk.
The patient was taught
about colostrum, the time
frame during which it is
produced, the amount that
is produced, the
concentrated factors that
colostrum contains, and the
importance of the newborn
being fed the colostrum.
The patient was taught that
her regular milk would
come in approximately 48-
72 hours after delivery. The
patient was taught that milk
letdown can be facilitated
by feeding the newborn
often and applying warm
compresses. The patient
was taught that a sign of
milk letdown is
engorgement.
9. The postpartum patient
was taught about nipple
care. The postpartum
patient was taught that
some nipple discomfort
may occur during
breastfeeding, especially
considering that she is a
first time mom. The patient
was taught that should
dryness and cracking occur,
breastmilk can be expressed
8. The patient was taught
about breastmilk
production, the types,
amount, and timing of
breastmilk production,
and how to facilitate milk
letdown. The patient was
taught about engorgement
and how to palpate the
breasts to detect
engorgement using
demonstration.
9. The postpartum patient
was taught through
verbalization about nipple
changes due to
breastfeeding, and about
nipple care that can be
done to prevent and treat
discomfort. The patient
was demonstrated how to
express milk to apply to
demonstrated
understanding by
verbalizing that she had
never been taught what
colostrum was, and about
why it is so important for
the baby, and that she
would be sure to
breastfeed the baby
frequently to ensure the
baby was able to receive
it. The patient verbalized
understanding that milk
letdown would occur 48-
72 hours after delivery
and that feeding the baby
frequently and applying
warm compresses will
facilitate letdown.
9. The postpartum patient
demonstrated
understanding of the
nipple care teaching by
verbalizing that she had
not been taught about
using her own breastmilk
as a moisturizer, and that
she would contact the
lactation specialist at any
time she had concerns
about breastfeeding.

9. Postpartum/Newborn Teaching 9
and applied to the areola as
a natural moisturizer. The
mother was taught that if
nipple discomfort occurs
during breastfeeding, the
baby might not be fully and
correctly latched to the
entire areola, and that a
finger can be slipped into
the side of the newborn’s
mouth to break the baby’s
latch for repositioning. The
patient was taught to
contact the lactation
specialist with any specific
breastfeeding concerns.
10. During the newborn
assessment, The postpartum
patient was taught about
crib safety. The patient was
taught that when the
newborn is laid in the crib
to sleep, the baby should
always be laid on its back,
and never on its stomach.
The patient was educated
that laying the newborn on
its back poses a risk for
suffocation. The patient
was also taught that no
items should be placed in
the crib with the newborn
including blankets, stuffed
animals, and toys, and these
items may also pose a
suffocation risk. The patient
was also taught to always
keep all sides of the crib up
at all times.
the areola and how to
release the newborn’s
latch when discomfort is
felt.
10. The postpartum
patient was taught about
crib safety using
verbalization of teaching.
10. The postpartum
patient verbalized
understanding of the crib
safety teaching by
expressing that she would
never place the newborn
on its stomach in the crib
and that all items in the
crib would be removed in
order to prevent
suffocation.

10. Postpartum/Newborn Teaching 10
Reflection Questions: 2 points each
1. Describe emotions you experienced while providing patient/family teaching.
While providing patient/family teaching, I felt a sense of being overwhelmed by
the lack of knowledge the patient had being a very young first time mom. I felt that I
sould have talked to the patient about the postpartum and newborn teaching that she
really needed to receive for over an hour. I felt that the patient had been disservice in
ways during her prenatal and antepartum care by not being taught some of the concepts
that I had familiarized her with. Ultimately, I felt a sense of accomplishment both in the
amount of knowledge that I had, how comfortable I felt providing teaching, and knowing
that my patient would be better able to safely care for herself and her child when
discharged home.
2. Describe specific ways you could improve upon how you provide patient teaching.
I can improve my patient teaching in many ways. First, I need to improve my
assessment of the patient’s health literacy in order to teach in a way that is at an
appropriate comprehension level for the patient. In doing this, I can improve by using
medical terms when appropriate, and more colloquial terms when necessary.
Additionally, I can improve by improving my speed of teaching, as I found myself
speaking very quickly, which may have decreased the patient’s level of comprehension. I
can also ask the patient to perform more teach back in order to more accurately assess
their level of understanding of the teaching that was given.
3. Describe what was difficult for you during the patient/family teaching sessions & why.
During the teaching sessions, it was difficult for me to control my level of
anxiety. I was very nervous going into the postpartum and newborn assessments, and I

11. Postpartum/Newborn Teaching 11
think that my anxiety affected the way that I performed teaching. I spoke quickly and
mixed up my words occasionally, which may have impaired the patient’s ultimate
understanding of what was taught. In the future, I need to remember how long it took me
to learn the material that I now understand, and take that timing into account when
performing patient teaching. Additionally, I found it difficult at times to organize my
thoughts and keep all of the teaching specific to one area within the same section of
teaching given.
4. Describe something you learned about teaching patients/families by observing another
member of the health care team as they provided teaching.
By observing the nurses that I have shadowed over the semester, I have learned a
lot about how to give effective patient teaching. First, I have observed that my nurses do
not give patient teaching all in one sitting, but spread teaching out over the course of the
patient stay in order to enhance comprehension and not to overwhelm the patient.
Secondly, my nurses taught their patients using a level of language that is very simplified
in order to be sensitive to the patient’s level of health literacy. Third, I have noticed that
my nurses have performed teaching in a conversational way in order to make to teaching
feel natural and to make the patient feel comfortable.
5. Describe how you implemented aspects of the Humanbecoming theory as you were
engaged in teaching your patients or family members.
I was able to implement Parse’s Humanbecoming theory in a variety of ways
during patient teaching. First, I had to be sensitive to the patient’s current place in life,
and take that into account when providing teaching (Parse, 2014). I had to understand that
the patient was still creating meaning out of her new set of circumstances, and that I
could really help to facilitate meaning acquisition through my communication (Parse,

12. Postpartum/Newborn Teaching 12
2014). I made sure to use open-ended questions and give the patient my true presence in
order to allow the patient to express herself and her feelings in order for her to create
meaning (Parse, 2014). Additionally, I had to consider the fact that this patient was
demonstrating the Humanbecoming principle of revealing-concealing, revealing her
vulnerabilities and concealing her fears about being a first time mom (Parse, 2014). The
patient was treated as an august presence, and I did my best to show her the love,
attention, and respect that she deserved as a child of God (Parse, 2014).

13. Postpartum/Newborn Teaching 13
References
Parse, R. R. (2014). The humanbecoming paradigm: A transformational worldview. Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania: A Discovery International Publication.