Warning signs worth acting on, in pregnancy and after birth

Run your eye down this list. If something you are feeling is on it, call your doctor or midwife now — they would far rather hear from you and find nothing wrong. If nothing here matches, that is genuinely reassuring, and it is the answer most people who check this page get.

If you cannot reach anyone and you are frightened, go to your nearest emergency department. In the US, call 911.

Headache that won’t go away or gets worse over time

• Feels like the worst headache of your life.
• Lasts even after treatment with medication and fluid intake.
• Starts suddenly with severe pain—like a clap of thunder.
• Throbs and is on one side of your head above your ear.
• Comes with blurred vision or dizziness.

Dizziness or fainting

• You faint or pass out.
• You have dizziness and lightheadedness that's ongoing, or comes and goes over many days.
• You experience a gap in time of which you have no memory.

Changes in your vision

• You see flashes of light or bright spots.
• You have blind spots or you can't see at all for a short time.
• Your vision is blurry, you can't focus, or you're seeing double.

Fever of 100.4°F or higher

• You have a temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher.

Extreme swelling of your hands or face

• Swelling in your hands makes it hard to bend your fingers or wear rings.
• Swelling in your face makes it hard to open your eyes all the way—they feel and look puffy.
• Your lips and mouth feel swollen or you have a loss of feeling.

Thoughts about harming yourself or your baby

• You may think about hurting yourself because you:
  • Feel very sad, hopeless, or not good enough.
  • Don't feel that you have control over your life.
  • Feel extremely worried all the time.
• You may think about hurting your baby and/or you may have scary thoughts that come when you don’t want or that are hard to get rid of.

Trouble Breathing

• You feel short of breath suddenly or over time, as if you can't breathe deeply enough to get enough air in your lungs.
• Your throat and/or chest feel tight.
• You have trouble breathing when you're laying down flat, such as needing to prop your head up with pillows to sleep.

Chest pain or fast-beating heart

• You have chest pain, such as:
  • A feeling of tightness or pressure in the center of your chest.
  • Pain that travels to your back, neck, or arm.
• You have a change in your heartbeat, such as:
  • A fast heartbeat or a pounding in your chest.
  • An irregular heart rate or skipped heartbeats.
• You feel dizzy, faint, or disoriented.
• You have trouble catching your breath (talking and breathing are difficult).

Severe nausea and throwing up

• You feel severely sick to your stomach (nauseous) beyond the normal queasy feeling and throwing up that many moms have in early pregnancy.
• You are unable to drink for more than 8 hours or eat for more than 24 hours.
• You throw up and can't keep water or other fluids in your stomach.
• You have:
  • A dry mouth.
  • Headaches.
  • Confusion.
  • Fever.
  • Dizziness or lightheadedness.

Severe belly pain that doesn’t go away

• You have a sharp, stabbing, or cramp-like belly pain that doesn't go away.
• Your belly pain starts suddenly and is severe, or gets worse over time.
• You have severe chest, shoulder, or back pain.

Baby’s movement stopping or slowing during pregnancy — during pregnancy

• You feel that your baby has stopped moving or your baby is moving less than before.

Vaginal bleeding or fluid leaking during pregnancy — during pregnancy

• You have any bleeding from your vagina that is more than spotting—like a period.
• You have fluid leaking out of your vagina.
• You have vaginal discharge that smells bad.

Vaginal bleeding or discharge after pregnancy — after birth

• You have heavy bleeding—soaking through one or more pads in an hour.
• You pass clots bigger than an egg or you pass tissue.
• You have vaginal discharge that smells bad.

Severe swelling, redness, or pain of your leg or arm

• You have swelling, pain, or tenderness in your leg—usually your calf or in one leg.
  • It may or may not hurt when you touch it.
  • It may hurt when you flex your foot to stand or walk.
  • The painful area can also be red, swollen, and warm to the touch.
• You have pain, tenderness or swelling in your arm, usually on just one side of your body.

Overwhelming tiredness

• You are suddenly very tired and weak, not like chronic fatigue.
• You don't have enough energy to go about your day.
• No matter how much you sleep, you don't feel refreshed.
• You feel so tired that you don't get up to take care of your baby.
• You feel sad after having your baby.

If your baby or child is unwell

Sepsis is the body's extreme response to an infection. It is a life-threatening medical emergency.

A child with sepsis might have one or more of the following signs or symptoms:

• High heart rate or weak pulse
• Fever, shivering, or feeling very cold
• Confusion or disorientation
• Shortness of breath
• Extreme pain or discomfort
• Clammy or sweaty skin

If your child has an infection that's not getting better or is getting worse, act fast. Get medical care immediately. Ask a healthcare professional, “Could this infection be leading to sepsis?” and if your child should go to the emergency room.

Quoted from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Get Ahead of Sepsis. This covers children generally rather than newborns specifically. We have not found an equivalent US public-domain list of newborn-specific warning signs, so we publish none rather than invent thresholds to fill the gap. If your baby is very young and something about them worries you, call your pediatrician and ask — that call is always reasonable.

Trust yourself

“This list is not meant to cover every symptom you might have. If you feel like something just isn't right, or you aren't sure if it's serious, talk to your health care provider.”

That sentence is the CDC's, and it is the most important one here. You do not need to justify the call, and you do not need to be sure.