COMPLICATIONS AND NURSING CARE IN THE PUERPERIUM PERIOD

Abstract

Introduction: The puerperium or postpartum is the period that is called immediately after childbirth, being defined by processes in the recovery of the maternal organism. Some pregnant women may be at risk of experiencing complications during this period. Nursing is extremely important during pregnancy with prenatal and postpartum consultations, providing guidance and identifying signs and symptoms of possible postpartum complications. Objective: Identify the main complications in the postpartum period and learn about nursing care. Methodology: The research was an integrative review of the literature, which was carried out in the VHL through the databases: LILACS, MEDLINE and BDENF. Using the descriptors: “Puerperium”, “Postpartum Period”, and “Nursing care”, using the Boolean operator “AND”. To this end, the following inclusion criteria were used: complete articles available in full, in Portuguese, Spanish and English, with a time frame of the last five years (2019 to 2023). And for the exclusion criteria we have: theses, monographs, dissertations and reports. The data were treated qualitatively, following the steps of the integrative review, presented in tables and compared with the relevant literature. After the research, 104 documents were selected, in which the exclusion criteria were used, leaving 53 for reading and selection. And soon after, 36 were left to read the documents in full, and thus 09 articles were selected for the preparation of this work. Results and Discussion: After analyzing the articles, complications such as postpartum hemorrhage were identified, which is one of the main causes of maternal deaths worldwide. Furthermore, postpartum depression is one of the main complications that affects women during the postpartum period, which interferes with the bond between mother and baby. Furthermore, it is possible to acquire eclampsia in the postpartum period, which is difficult to diagnose in the postpartum period as it is not common in the postpartum period. Therefore, during this period the nursing professional will welcome this woman, go over the guidelines, interventions, and care that needs to be taken. Furthermore, the nursing professional needs to understand and know how to identify the possible signs and symptoms of complications that this woman may have before and during the postpartum period. Conclusion: Therefore, these complications can be diagnosed early with their signs and symptoms by the nursing team, through guidance, prevention and care throughout this period.