Just after a client delivers a baby weighing 7 pounds, what is the priority nursing action?

The priority nursing action just after a client delivers a baby is to dry off the newborn. This step is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, drying the baby prevents hypothermia, which can occur due to the newborn's wet and exposed skin. Newborns have a high surface area-to-volume ratio, making them more susceptible to heat loss in the first moments after birth. By drying the infant, the nurse helps to stabilize the baby’s body temperature.

Additionally, drying the newborn stimulates the baby and promotes respiratory efforts. This is important as it encourages the baby to breathe independently and initiate vitals signs like heart rate and respiration.

While checking the Apgar score, weighing the newborn, and encouraging skin-to-skin contact are all important actions that will follow, they do not address the immediate need to prevent heat loss and maintain the newborn’s thermal stability. Drying the newborn is thus the most critical intervention to ensure the immediate wellbeing of the infant post-delivery.