After a birth: symptoms that need help

Call 999 now (UK), 911 (US), or your local emergency number for new chest pain, severe difficulty breathing, sudden confusion, a new seizure (fit) after birth, or immediate danger of harm to yourself or someone else. Get emergency medical help now for sudden or very heavy vaginal bleeding, even if you don’t feel faint. Call 999 (UK), 911 (US), or your local emergency number if you can’t get to emergency care safely.

CDC’s Hear Her campaign warns that serious problems linked to pregnancy can happen in the year after giving birth. Tell the clinician you’ve recently been pregnant, even if your symptoms don’t seem linked to the birth. Don’t put off urgent care while you wait for a planned postnatal appointment.

Bleeding that needs immediate attention

Get medical care straight away for heavy bleeding, passing large clots or tissue, or vaginal discharge that smells bad. In CDC guidance, heavy bleeding includes soaking through one or more pads in an hour. Clots to worry about include those bigger than an egg. These examples help you describe what’s happening. You don’t need to reach them before you call.

Get emergency medical help now for sudden or very heavy vaginal bleeding, even if you don’t feel faint. Call 999 (UK), 911 (US), or your local emergency number if you can’t get to emergency care safely. Don’t wait to see whether another pad fills.

Fever, shivering and feeling seriously unwell

Get an urgent medical check now for a fever after birth. CDC lists a temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher as an urgent warning sign. Severe tummy pain that doesn’t go away also needs medical care straight away. Contact your maternity unit or NHS 111 in the UK, your obstetric clinician in the US, or your local doctor or midwife.

Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection that needs urgent hospital treatment. Having recently given birth raises the risk. Call emergency services now if you’re unwell and have fast breathing, sudden confusion or slurred speech, or skin that is blue, pale or blotchy. On brown or black skin, colour changes may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet. You don’t need every symptom to get help.

A painful leg, breathlessness or chest pain

Get an urgent check now for swelling, tenderness or pain in a leg, especially around the calf or on one side. CDC also lists redness and warmth around the painful area. Call your maternity service or doctor. Don’t leave it for a routine check.

Call 999 now (UK), 911 (US), or your local emergency number for new chest pain or severe difficulty breathing, even without leg symptoms. For new breathlessness, get an urgent medical check now through your maternity service or NHS 111 (UK), obstetric clinician (US), or local urgent service. Trouble breathing when lying flat, a feeling of pressure in your chest, a racing heart with dizziness, or struggling to catch your breath also need checking straight away. If you have both chest and leg symptoms, mention both.

Headache and vision changes after delivery

Get urgent help now for a severe headache that won’t go away with simple painkillers, blurred vision or flashing lights, pain below the ribs, or sudden swelling of the face, hands or feet. After a recent birth, NHS advice is to call 111. In the US, contact your obstetric clinician. Elsewhere, contact your doctor or midwife. Don’t wait until tomorrow.

Pre-eclampsia (a serious condition linked to high blood pressure) can first appear in the days or weeks after birth. So these symptoms still need checking after you’ve had your baby. A clinician can check you. A list of symptoms can’t tell you the cause.

Call 999 now (UK), 911 (US), or your local emergency number if someone has a new seizure after birth.

Mental health changes that cannot wait

Get urgent help now if you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, including frightening thoughts you don’t want. If there’s immediate danger or you can’t keep someone safe, call emergency services. Otherwise, contact your maternity clinician or urgent mental health service now. In England, you can call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option.

Postpartum psychosis is a medical emergency. Signs can include hearing or seeing things that aren’t there, unusual beliefs, feeling very high or overactive, and confusion. In the UK, contact a GP straight away to be seen the same day. Elsewhere, contact your doctor or emergency mental health service. Call emergency services if someone is in danger right now. Someone close to you may notice changes before you do.

Support while getting help

In the UK, you can call Samaritans on 116 123 at any time. In the US, call or text 988 for crisis support. These services give you someone to talk to. If there’s immediate danger, contact emergency services without waiting for a listening service.

When you talk to a clinician, say when you gave birth and what has changed. The CDC advises asking for help even if a symptom isn’t on its list of warning signs. You could say: “I gave birth recently, and I’m worried about how unwell I feel.”