Your body has gone through a lot giving birth to your baby! While most women recover without having any problems there are a few signs to look out for that can indicate an infection after birth. Being able to recognise these signs means you will be able to get the treatment you need promptly.
Types of postpartum infections
There are a number of infections you can get after you give birth and they can affect various parts of your body from your breasts to your urinary tract. We run through some of these below.
Endometritis
Endometritis is an infection you can get up to six weeks after giving birth, and affects the lining of your womb, which becomes swollen and inflamed. The womb infection is caused by bacteria getting into your womb during the process of giving birth.
You can feel generally unwell if you have endometriosis. Other symptoms may include:
- A high temperature
- Pain in your tummy
- A smelly discharge from your vagina
- Bleeding from your vagina – it’s normal to bleed after giving birth, usually for up to six weeks but if you have endometritis, it may last longer and suddenly become heavier and you could have blood clots
- Pain if you have sex
- Pain when you pee
You’re more likely to get endometriosis if you have had a caesarean. Other things can make you more likely to get endometritis too, such as if you had a long labour, any difficulty removing the placenta and having to have lots of internal examinations during your labour.
Seek medical attention as soon as possible if you develop these symptoms. Antibiotics are prescribed to cure the infection, but if you are ill you may need to be admitted to hospital for treatment.
Mastitis and breast abscess
A mastitis infection occurs when there has been a build-up of milk in your breast, which then becomes infected by bacteria. An infection is more likely to enter the milk ducts if you have a cracked nipple.This then spreads to your breast tissue.
You might get flu-like symptoms which often develop quickly, such as aches and pains, a high temperature, chills and tiredness, which often develop quickly. Other symptoms of mastitis include:
- A red, swollen area on your breast that can feel hot and painful when you touch it
- A lump or hard area on your breast
- A burning pain in your breast – this may just happen when you breastfeed or be there all the time
- Pus or blood coming from your nipple
You will be advised to continue to breastfeed so you empty your affected breast of milk. A course of antibiotics for up to 14 days is prescribed when there are signs of infection. Occasionally mastitis can develop into a breast abscess, where a very painful, red and hard lump forms in your breast. This can make you feel very unwell and feverish. A surgical procedure to drain the abscess may be required, so seek medical attention as soon as you think you may be developing a breast abscess.
Wound infection
If you have a caesarean delivery, sometimes the wound can get infected. Several factors increase your risk of a wound infection, such as being overweight, having diabetes, being a smoker or having a poor diet.
An infection will cause redness and swelling, and it can feel increasingly painful – there might be some smelly, yellow discharge coming from the wound too. If the infection spreads, the redness will spread to more areas of skin and you might feel generally unwell and have a temperature and aches and pains.
The hospital will take precautions to prevent infection in your wound such as giving you antibiotics prior to your surgery. You will also be advised on how to keep your wound clean and protected against infection. Seek urgent medical attention if your wound appears to be getting infected: a swab will be taken if there is a discharge and you may require a course of antibiotics to clear any infection.
Perineal infection
Your perineum is the area between your vagina and anus. Sometimes when you’re giving birth, your perineum tears as your baby comes out, or your doctor or midwife might need to make a cut in the area to allow your baby to come out more easily if there is a clinical need to do so. While some tears are minor and will heal naturally, a surgical cut (an episiotomy) will need to be closed with stitches.Sometimes the wound can get infected.
Symptoms of a perineal infection include:
- Red and swollen skin
- A discharge or liquid coming out from the wound
- Pain
- A smell from the area
If you notice any of these symptoms, let your GP, midwife or health visitor know.
Urinary tract infection
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection of your bladder, usually caused by bacteria from your gastrointestinal tract (digestive system) entering your urethra and travelling up to your bladder.
Symptoms of a UTI include:
- Pain when you pee – you might feel a burning or stinging sensation
- Needing to pee more often than usual, particularly at night
- Feeling an urgent need to pee – you might not make it to the toilet in time
- Pee that looks cloudy or has a different smell or colour to what you usually have – it might look red or brown
- Discomfort or tenderness in your tummy
Some discomforts after giving birth are normal. But new moms may be at risk of serious health conditions that need medical care.
Learning signs and symptoms of health complications may help save your life. Getting treatment quickly may help prevent certain life-threatening conditions.
Life-threatening conditions that can happen after giving birth include infections, blood clots, postpartum depression and postpartum hemorrhage.
Warning signs to watch out for include chest pain, trouble breathing, heavy bleeding, severe headache and extreme pain.
If you think your life is in danger, call emergency services (911) or go to a hospital emergency room.
Your body goes through lots of changes after giving birth, and it needs time to heal. It’s normal to feel some discomforts in the weeks after you give birth, like being sore and really tired. But some women have complications after having a baby that can cause serious, life-threatening health problems. If you’re worried about how you feel or you have pain or discomforts that don’t feel right, call your health care provider. If you think your life is in danger, call emergency services (911) or go to a hospital emergency room.
All women need postpartum care after giving birth. Postpartum care is medical care for women who just had a baby. Go to all of your postpartum checkups, even if you’re feeling fine. These are medical checkups you get to make sure you’re recovering well from labor and birth. They help your health care provider spot and treat health conditions you may have. Postpartum care is important because new moms are at risk of serious and sometimes, life-threatening health complications in the days and weeks after giving birth. Too many new moms die from problems that could have been prevented.
What are warning signs to look for after giving birth?
In general, warning signs of serious health conditions include chest pain, trouble breathing, heavy bleeding and extreme pain. If you have any of these signs or symptoms, call your provider right away. If you think your life is in danger, call emergency services (911) or go to the emergency room.
Signs of a condition are things someone else can see or know about you, like you have a rash or you’re coughing. Symptoms are things you feel yourself that others can’t see, like having a sore throat or feeling dizzy.
Call your provider if you have any of these signs or symptoms:
Signs and symptoms of infection
- Fever higher than 100.4 F. You get a fever when your body is trying to kill the virus or bacteria that caused an infection.
- Discharge, pain or redness that doesn’t go away or gets worse around a c-section incision (cut), episiotomy or perineal tear. A c-section (also called cesarean birth) is a surgery in which your baby is born through a cut that your doctor makes in your belly and uterus (womb). An episiotomy is a cut made at the opening of the vagina to help let the baby out during birth. A perineal tear is a tear in the perineum, which is the area between the vagina and the rectum. Your perineum may tear naturally during vaginal birth.
- Pain or burning when you urinate (pee), pain in your lower back or side or needing to pee often. You may have a urinary tract infection (also called UTI), like a bladder infection called cystitis or a kidney infection called pyelonephritis.
- Red streaks on your breasts or lumps in your breast that are new and hurt. You may have a breast infection called mastitis. This can happen when you have a plugged duct, you miss or delay breastfeeding or your breasts become engorged (swollen and full of milk).
- Severe pain in your lower belly. You may have endometritis. This is inflammation (redness or swelling) in the lining of the uterus.
- Vaginal discharge that smells bad. You may have endometritis or an infection called bacterial vaginosis (also called BV). BV happens when there’s too much of a certain bacteria in the vagina.
Sometimes the body has an extreme response to infection called sepsis. Sepsis can be life-threatening. Call 911 or go to the emergency room if you have any of these signs or symptoms of sepsis after giving birth:
- Chills or feeling very cold
- Clammy or sweaty skin
- Fast breathing
- Fast heart rate
- Feeling confused
- Fever
- Having extreme pain or discomfort
Signs and symptoms of other health conditions
- Bleeding that’s heavier than your normal period or bleeding that gets worse over time. You may have postpartum hemorrhage (also called PPH). PPH is when a woman has heavy bleeding after giving birth. It’s a serious, but rare condition that can happen up to 12 weeks after having a baby.
- Pain, swelling, redness, warmth or tenderness in your legs, especially in your calves. You may have deep vein thrombosis (also called DVT). This happens when a blood clot forms deep in the body, usually in the lower leg or thigh.
- Changes in vision, dizziness, severe headache, pain in the upper right belly or in the shoulder, trouble breathing, sudden weight gain or swelling in the legs, hands or face. You may have postpartum preeclampsia. This is a serious condition that happens when a woman has high blood pressure and signs that some of her organs, like her kidneys and liver, may not be working normally after giving birth.
- Chest pain, coughing or gasping for air. You may have a pulmonary embolism (also called PE). An embolism is a blood clot that moves from where it formed to another place in the body. When the clot moves to a lung, it’s PE. PE is an emergency.
- Feeling sad or hopeless for more than 10 days after giving birth. You may have postpartum depression (also called PPD), a kind of depression some women get after having a baby. PPD is strong feelings of sadness, anxiety (worry) and tiredness that last for a long time after giving birth. These feelings can make it hard for you to take care of yourself and your baby. PPD is a medical condition that needs treatment to get better.
- Feeling sick to your stomach or throwing up. You may have PPH or cardiovascular disease (also called heart disease). Heart disease includes conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels. They often affect the heart muscle or involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Last reviewed: July, 2018
See also: Your body after baby: The first 6 weeks, Your postpartum checkups, Pregnancy-related death, maternal death and maternal mortality