Your Body After Giving Birth

Warning Signs Of Health Problems After Childbirth

Key points

• It is normal to have some discomfort after childbirth. But new moms can be at risk for serious health conditions that need medical attention.
• Knowing the signs and symptoms of health complications can help save your life. If treated quickly, it can prevent certain life-threatening conditions.
• Life-threatening conditions that can occur after childbirth include infections, blood clots, postpartum depression, and postpartum hemorrhage.
• Warning signs to watch for include chest pain, trouble breathing, heavy bleeding, a severe headache, and extreme pain.
• If you think your life is in danger, call emergency services (911) or go to a hospital emergency room.

When do you need medical care after giving birth?

Your body goes through many changes after giving birth and needs time to recover. It is normal to feel certain discomforts in the weeks after giving birth, such as being sore and very tired. But some women experience complications after having a baby that cause serious and life-threatening health problems.

If you are concerned about how you feel or if you have pain or discomfort that does not seem normal, call your health care professional. If you think your life is in danger, call emergency services (911) or go to a hospital emergency room.

All women need postpartum care after giving birth. Postpartum care is health care for women who have just had a baby. Go to all of your postpartum checkups even if you feel fine. These are medical checkups to make sure you are recovering well from labor and delivery.

At these checkups, your healthcare provider can find and treat health problems you may have. Postpartum care is important because new moms are at risk for serious and sometimes life-threatening health complications in the days and weeks after delivery. Too many new moms die from problems that could have been prevented.

What are the warning signs to watch for after giving birth?

In general, warning signs of serious health conditions include chest pain, trouble breathing, heavy bleeding, and extreme pain. If you have any of these signs or symptoms, call your healthcare provider right away. If you think your life is in danger, call emergency services (911) or go to an emergency room.

Signs of a health condition are things that someone can see or know about you, such as if you have a rash or if you are coughing. Symptoms are things you feel that others cannot see, such as having a sore throat or feeling dizzy.

Call your healthcare provider if you have any of these signs or symptoms:

Signs and symptoms of infection

• Fever over 100.4 F (38.6 C). Fever occurs when your body is trying to kill a virus or bacteria that caused an infection.
• Drainage, pain, or redness that does not go away or gets worse at the incision (cut) area for a cesarean section, episiotomy, or perineal tear. Cesarean section is an operation in which your baby is delivered through a cut the doctor makes in your abdomen and uterus (womb). An episiotomy is a cut made in the opening of the vagina to help the baby come out during delivery. A perineal tear is a tear in the area between the vagina and the rectum. The perineum can tear naturally during vaginal delivery.
• Pain or burning when you urinate, pain in your lower back or side, or having to urinate often. You may have a urinary tract infection (UTI), such as a bladder infection called cystitis or a kidney infection called pyelonephritis.
• Red streaks on the breasts or breast lumps that are new and painful. You may have a breast infection called mastitis. It can happen when you have a plugged milk duct, when you skip or delay breastfeeding, or if your breasts become engorged (swell and fill with milk).
• Sharp pain in the lower abdomen. You may have endometriosis. It is an inflammation (redness or swelling) of the lining of the uterus.
• Vaginal discharge that smells bad. You may have endometriosis or an infection called bacterial vaginosis . Bacterial vaginosis occurs when there is too much of a certain bacteria in the vagina.

Sometimes the body has an extreme response to infection called sepsis. Sepsis can be life-threatening. Call 911 or go to the emergency room if you have any of these signs or symptoms of sepsis after delivery:

• Chills or feeling very cold.
• Moist, sticky or sweaty skin.
• Fast breathing.
• Fast heart rate
• feeling confused
• Fever
• Feeling extreme pain or discomfort

Signs and symptoms of other health conditions

• Bleeding that is heavier than your normal period or bleeding that gets worse over time. You may have postpartum hemorrhag . It happens when the woman has heavy bleeding after childbirth. It is a serious but rare condition that can occur up to 12 weeks after having a baby.
• Pain, swelling, redness, warmth, or tenderness in the legs, especially the calves. You may have deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This happens when a blood clot forms deep in the body, usually in the lower leg or thigh.
• Vision changes, dizziness, severe headache, right upper abdomen or shoulder pain, trouble breathing, sudden weight gain, or swelling in the legs, hands, or face. You may have postpartum preeclampsia. It is a serious condition that occurs when a woman has high blood pressure and signs that some of her organs, such as her kidneys and liver, may not be working normally after giving birth.
• Chest pain, cough, or shortness of breath You may have a pulmonary embolism. An embolism is a blood clot that travels from the place where it forms to another part of the body. When the clot travels to a lung, it is a pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary embolism is an emergency.
• Feeling sad or hopeless for more than 10 days after giving birth. You may have postpartum depression, a type of depression that some women experience after having a baby. Postpartum depression is having strong feelings of sadness, anxiety (worry), and tiredness that last a long time after giving birth. Having these feelings can make it hard for you to take care of yourself and your baby. Postpartum depression is a medical condition that needs to be treated to get better.
• Feeling sick to your stomach or vomiting. You may have postpartum hemorrhage or cardiovascular disease (heart disease). Heart disease includes conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels. They often affect the heart muscle or are associated with narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack or stroke.