Post-Birth Warning Signs

Most women who give birth recover without problems. However, any woman can have complications after giving birth. Learning to recognize these POST-BIRTH warning signs and knowing what to do can save your life.

These post-birth warning signs can become life-threatening if you don't receive medical care right away because:

• Pain in chest, obstructed breathing, or shortness of breath (trouble catching your breath) may mean you have a blood clot in your lunch or a heart problem
• Seizures may mean you have a condition called eclampsia
• Thoughts or feelings of wanting to hurt yourself or someone else may mean you have postpartum depression
• Bleeding (heavy), soaking more than one pad in an hour, or passing an egg-sized clot or bigger may mean you have an obstetric hemorrhage
• Incision that is not healing, increased redness, or any pus from episiotomy or C-section site may mean you have an infection
• Redness, swelling, warmth, or pain in the calf area of your leg may mean you have a blood clot
• Temperature of 100.4°F or higher, bad smelling vaginal blood or discharge may mean you have an infection
• Headache (very painful), vision changes, or pain in the upper right area of your belly may mean you have high blood pressure or post birth preeclampsia