Congratulations! During pregnancy, your body has an enormous responsibility and needs your care.  In the weeks after giving birth, knowing what to expect from your body and how to spot signs of trouble can literally save your life.

Today, we’re talking about how to identify symptoms of post-birth complications and what to do next.  Post-birth complications are serious physical conditions that can happen within a year of giving birth.

Pregnancy and childbirth send your body on a roller coaster of physical changes.  After you give birth, your body continues to experience many strong sensations. Hormones flood your veins, your breasts fill with milk, and you may experience cramps as your uterus shrinks back to its original size.  These are unpleasant, but completely normal after giving birth.

Unfortunately, some moms experience symptoms of serious medical conditions in the weeks and months after birth, including blood clots, excessive bleeding from the uterus, heart problems, or an infection of the C-section incision.  In the weeks after birth, listen to your body and trust your gut when something feels wrong.

Below are signs of potentially serious medical conditions.  Fortunately, many of these problems can be resolved if a you get medical care.  If you experience anything on the list below, call 911. They include:

• Pain in Chest: Possible sign of blood clot in lung or a heart problem.
• Difficulty Breathing: Possible sign of blood clot in lung or heart problem.
• Seizures: Possible sign of a condition called Eclampsia.

If you experience anything on the list below, call your OB/GYN provider and tell them your symptoms. You can call your OB/GYN for advice instead of 911 for these symptoms:

• Vaginal Bleeding: Call if the bleeding soaks through one pad an hour. Or blood clots from the vagina the size of an egg or bigger. It’s a possible sign of obstetric hemorrhage.
• C-section Incision Not Healing: Possible sign that incision is infected.
• Temperature of 100.4°F or Higher: Possible sign of infection in body.
• Red or Swollen Leg: Red or swollen leg that is painful or warm to touch. It’s a possible sign of blood clot in the leg. 

Claire Garon, MPH, CHES, works with Montefiore Health System’s Office of Community & Population Health.

Source: Empowering Women to Obtain Needed Care Project.