A nurse is caring for a client who is experiencing shaking chills during the immediate postpartum period. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

Shaking chills in the immediate postpartum period are a relatively common physiological occurrence resulting from the sudden hormonal and thermoregulatory shifts that follow delivery, including rapid changes in blood volume and redistribution of fluid. However, chills can also signal infection, particularly if accompanied by fever. The nurse's priority action is to assess the client's temperature, because this finding will determine whether the chills are a normal physiological response or an early sign of postpartum infection such as endometritis or sepsis. Assessment must precede any intervention so that care can be appropriately targeted. Covering the client with warm blankets may eventually be appropriate if assessment reveals the chills are non-infectious and the temperature is normal or only mildly elevated, but applying blankets before taking the temperature could mask or delay recognition of fever. Placing the client on seizure precautions is not warranted because shaking chills are not equivalent to a seizure; seizure precautions would be appropriate for a client with eclampsia who displays tonic-clonic activity. Notifying the charge nurse is a secondary action that may follow the assessment if an elevated temperature or other concerning findings are identified. Accurate data collection through temperature measurement is the essential first step.