Natural Parenting Toolbox: Postpartum Warning Signs

Your birth attendant will check on you several times during the postpartum period and your doula will help you to understand what is normal. Here are some warning signs that indicate you should contact your birth attendant right away.

• You soak more than two pads in a half hour or four pads in four hours.
• You have any bright, red bleeding after the fourth day postpartum.
• Your lochia has a strong, unpleasant odor.
• You have a fever of over 101 degrees (aside from the first 24 hours after birth).
• Your breasts are red, hot and painful.
• You have pain, burning or difficulty when urinating.
• You have swelling, redness, heat or discharge from the site of a cesarean incision.
• You have depression that makes it difficult for you to care for your baby.