A white count of 20,000 the day after delivery. A temperature of 38 in the first 24 hours. Cramping every time she breastfeeds. Each one looks like trouble, and each one is normal. In this episode of the Physician Assistant Exam Review Podcast, we cover the six weeks after delivery when nothing is going wrong, who shouldn't breastfeed, and how to tell engorgement from mastitis.

Five priming questions open the episode. Sit with them while you listen, then check yourself at the end.

What's covered:

• Uterine involution: where the fundus sits after delivery and how fast it comes down
• Afterpains, and why breastfeeding makes them worse
• Lochia: red to pink-brown to yellow-white, and the foul odor plus fever that means endometritis
• Postpartum diuresis and the hypercoagulable weeks after delivery
• The 24-hour line for fever, and the white count that's normal
• Pain control, perineal care, and early ambulation
• Prolactin vs oxytocin, colostrum, and vitamin D for the breastfed infant
• Sheehan syndrome: when the first sign is a mother who can't make milk
• Who shouldn't breastfeed, and the infections that don't stop it
• Engorgement vs mastitis vs breast abscess
• Why she keeps breastfeeding through mastitis

Study tip in this episode: win the day. Decide the minimum you're going to get done today, then get it done. Stack those days and you won't need to cram on the weekend.

It's PA Week, and I'm giving away a seat in 33 Days, a Stop Guessing Session with me, and The Final Step 3.0 before anyone can buy it. Enter by Friday: https://physicianassistantexamreview.com/giveaway

Full episode notes: https://physicianassistantexamreview.com/174

Think different. Work different. Score different.