Key Points
- Learn the urgent maternal warning signs to watch for during or within a year after pregnancy.
- If a loved one experiences an urgent maternal warning sign, she should get medical care immediately.
- Listen to her concerns, offer support, and help her get the care she needs.
Why your support matters
Your pregnant or recently pregnant friend or family member is going through many changes. Changes are normal but some could be warning signs for complications or more serious problems.
Changes may be physical, but they may also include feelings of sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion. Thus, it is important to Hear Her® concerns when she expresses them to you. Serious pregnancy-related complications and deaths can occur, but many can be prevented if we recognize the warning signs and encourage women to get help early.
Urgent Maternal Warning Signs
How can you help?
- Learn the urgent maternal warning signs.
- Listen to her concerns and encourage her to seek medical help.
- If something doesn't feel right, she should reach out to her provider.
- If she is experiencing an urgent maternal warning sign, she should get medical care right away.
- Be sure that she says she is pregnant or was pregnant within the last year.
- Offer to go with her to visit a health care provider and help her ask questions.
- Support her through follow-up care.
Offering support through challenges
Starting the Conversation
If your loved one shares that something doesn't feel right, support her to get the care and answers she may need. Learn the urgent warning signs that need immediate medical attention. Print this guide to help with the conversation.