A client is postoperative following an emergency cesarean section birth. The client asks the nurse about the use of pain medications following surgery. What would be the correct response from the nurse?

Current evidence-based practice and professional nursing standards firmly establish that postoperative clients have a right to adequate pain management. The nurse's correct response affirms that pain medications have been ordered and reassures the client that she should not hesitate to request them whenever she experiences pain. Adequate pain control after cesarean delivery promotes early mobility, deep breathing, effective coughing, and breastfeeding — all of which support recovery and reduce complications. The response suggesting the client must simply endure pain because it will lessen in a few days is harmful and dismissive; unmanaged postoperative pain increases the risk of pulmonary complications and slows recovery. The response warning about addiction is inappropriate in this context; the risk of developing opioid addiction from short-term postoperative analgesic use in a client with no prior history of substance use disorder is very low, and fear of addiction should never discourage appropriate pain management. The response advising the client to wait until pain is unbearable before requesting medication contradicts best practice; it is far more difficult to achieve adequate analgesia once pain has escalated, and anticipatory dosing or timely PRN dosing is the recommended approach. The nurse's therapeutic role includes advocating for adequate pain control and correcting misconceptions.