It is normal to feel some aches and pains during your pregnancy. But sometimes there are problems that arise during pregnancy that need urgent medical attention.
Contact your midwife or doctor straight away if you have any of the danger signs listed below.
- You have bleeding from your vagina, or you have vaginal discharge that is unusual for you.
- Your ‘waters’ leak or break before labour starts or, once they have broken, the fluid is dirty looking, greenish or brown.
- Your pēpi (baby) moves less than usual or you cannot feel any movement at all.
- After the first few weeks of your pregnancy, you have pains or cramps in your tummy.
- Your hands, feet or face suddenly swell.
- You have pain or burning when you wee, especially if you also have a fever and a sore back.
- You have a very bad headache and this lasts for more than a few hours.
- You cannot see well, you have blurry vision or you start to see white lights, flashes or dots in front of your eyes or you have double vision.
- You have a fever of over 38 degrees Celsius – you may have a virus, so check with your midwife, doctor, or pharmacist before you take any medicines, and contact them again if it lasts more than a day.
- You fall on, or hurt, your tummy – get this checked, even if you do not feel hurt or sore.
- You are very thirsty but you cannot wee.
- You start feeling sick and throwing up in late pregnancy – especially if you have pain and a fever.
- You itch all over – especially if you have dark-coloured wee and pale poo.