Glossary

Term · Support, Home, and Village

AWHONN POST-BIRTH warning signs

Also: POST-BIRTH, postpartum warning signs, warning signs after birth

A checklist of danger signs in the weeks after birth, such as heavy bleeding, fever, or chest pain. Mothers are taught to watch for these at home.

In plain words

AWHONN is the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Its postpartum guidance uses a memory aid, POST-BIRTH, to group the warning signs that call for prompt medical attention after birth. The list covers the body and the mind. It includes bleeding that soaks through a pad quickly, fever or chills, a severe headache or changes in vision, chest pain or trouble breathing, a painful or swollen calf, and thoughts of harming yourself or the baby. The list gives a mother a short set of things to watch for and to name out loud to a nurse or provider. A mother who notices one of these signs is directed to contact her provider, and the most urgent ones call for emergency care. Some of the same signs appear in CDC materials, so a mother may see them in more than one place.

The deeper version

The AWHONN list follows the logic of ACOG's postpartum review guidance, which asks clinicians to screen for hemorrhage, infection, thromboembolism, hypertensive disorders, and depression at each postpartum contact (ACOG Committee Opinion No. 736, Optimizing Postpartum Care, 2018). Cardiovascular conditions are among the leading causes of in the United States, and a substantial share of those deaths occur after the hospital stay (Petersen and colleagues, MMWR, 2019). The evidence that symptom checklists change outcomes is limited, so their main value is a shared vocabulary between mothers and clinicians. Surveys of mothers report that symptoms are sometimes dismissed, which is part of the case for checklists that mothers can carry into a visit. The mnemonic has not been tested as a stand-alone intervention, and its usefulness depends on what follow-up it triggers.

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Sources

  • Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) — Postpartum warning signs: POST-BIRTH mnemonic, patient education resource
  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Committee Opinion No. 736: Optimizing Postpartum Care, 2018

The Mothership Topic Wiki is general information for mothers and the people who care for them. It is not medical, legal, or mental-health advice and does not create a provider relationship. Experiences posted by members are their own. In an emergency call 911. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988.