Health and Safety at Home

Once you go home, it’s important to know what to watch for that may indicate a problem for yourself or your baby.

Postpartum Warning Signs for Baby

Call 911 or go to the emergency room (whichever is faster) if your baby: 

• Has serious difficulty breathing 
• Has blue lips, tongue, or mouth 
• Has tremors or seizures 

Call your baby’s health care provider if you are concerned for your baby or have any questions related to your baby’s health. 

Postpartum Warning Signs for Mother

These signs can be a matter of life or death. Call 911 immediately if you are having any of these signs:

• Pain in your chest 
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing 
• Seizures 
• Thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else 
• Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there) 

Call your health care provider immediately if you are having any of these signs. If you cannot reach your health care provider, go to an emergency room or call 911 right away.

• Heavy vaginal bleeding, soaking through 1 or more pads within an hour or passing blood clots larger than a golf ball 
• Cesarean or episiotomy incision that is not healing 
• Red or swollen leg that is painful or feels warm when touched 
• Temperature of 100.4F or higher 
• Headache that does not get better, even after taking medicine, or bad headache with vision changes 
• Sudden swelling of the face, hands, or feet 

Call your health care provider if you are concerned for your health or have any questions related to your health. 
 

Safe Sleep

Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) describes the sudden and unexpected death of a baby less than 1 year old. These deaths often happen during sleep or in the baby’s sleep area. Though sleep-related deaths are rare, they are the leading cause of death in infants in the first year of life. 

Learn about safe sleep practices.