When to call your health care provider

When to call your health care provider

Call your health care provider if you have:

  • blood clots that are large (baseball size), especially if they have whitish tissue, bright red bleeding that soaks a pad in an hour or less, or both
  • a bad-smelling or greenish vaginal discharge
  • stitches that separate
  • pain, redness or pus-like drainage at the site of your stitches
  • an abdominal incision that is red, warm to the touch, or has drainage
  • tenderness in your abdomen, other than the usual tenderness around a Cesarean incision
  • constant back, abdominal or pelvic pain
  • fever or chills with a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
  • a hard, red, painful area in your breast, along with fever or chills
  • pain or burning when passing urine, a change in how often you pass urine, or not being able to empty your bladder
  • any trouble breathing
  • a bad headache or double or blurred vision
  • deep redness, warmth, or swelling in any area of your leg(s) or pain when you point your toes toward your nose
  • a feeling of sadness, anxiety or depression that lasts longer than one week
  • not enough energy to care for yourself or your baby

Related resources

Source: Allina Health Patient Education, Beginnings: Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond, eighth edition, ob-ah-90026
First Published: 10/04/2002
Last Reviewed: 12/06/2021