A symptom persists or keeps worsening
Contact care when pain, nausea, reflux, constipation, itching, swelling or another change is not settling or is disrupting eating, drinking, sleep, walking or daily life.
Do not wait for a routine appointment
Urgent help
This page cannot assess symptoms. If you think you or your baby may be in immediate danger, call your local emergency number now.
Prompt advice, not a routine wait
Contact your doctor or maternity team promptly
Some concerns need advice before the next routine appointment even when they do not feel like an emergency. If a symptom becomes severe, sudden or frightening, use urgent care instead.
You cannot manage food or fluids normally
Ask for help when vomiting continues, fluids are difficult to keep down, urination becomes much less frequent or you feel increasingly weak.
You feel unwell or may have an infection
New feverishness, a concerning rash, painful urination, worsening cough or a significant infectious exposure deserves pregnancy-specific advice.
Your mood or anxiety is affecting daily life
Tell a health professional when fear, low mood, panic, intrusive thoughts or poor sleep make it hard to function or care for yourself.
You need to change a medicine or treatment
Review the exact prescription, painkiller, cold remedy, supplement, cream or treatment before starting, stopping or changing it.
You feel unsafe, controlled or pressured
Ask to speak with a health professional privately. If there is immediate danger, use emergency help rather than waiting for an appointment.
Parent warning signs
Urgent signs during pregnancy or within a year after birth
Get medical care immediately for these symptoms. The list is not exhaustive; if something feels seriously wrong, seek help.
A headache that will not go away
Especially if it worsens, feels unusually severe or comes with vision changes or marked swelling.
Dizziness or fainting
New, repeated or severe dizziness, confusion, disorientation or loss of consciousness.
Changes in vision
Flashes, blind spots, blurring, double vision or loss of vision.
Fever
A temperature at or above the urgent threshold given by your local maternity service.
Trouble breathing
Difficulty catching your breath, speaking and breathing, or breathing when lying down.
Chest pain or a fast-beating heart
Pressure, pain, palpitations or an irregular heartbeat, especially with dizziness or breathlessness.
Severe nausea and vomiting
You cannot keep fluids down, are urinating very little, feel confused, faint or dehydrated.
Severe belly pain
Sudden, sharp, worsening or persistent abdominal pain, or pain reaching the shoulder, chest or back.
Baby movement stops or slows
A clear change from your baby's usual movement pattern during pregnancy.
Bleeding or fluid leaking during pregnancy
Bleeding heavier than spotting, a gush or trickle of fluid, or bad-smelling discharge.
Heavy bleeding or abnormal discharge after birth
Rapidly soaking pads, large clots, tissue, bad-smelling discharge, weakness or faintness.
Severe swelling, redness or pain in one limb
Especially a painful, warm or swollen calf, leg or arm on one side.
Extreme swelling of hands or face
Sudden or marked swelling, especially with headache or vision changes.
Overwhelming exhaustion
A sudden or extreme inability to function that is not relieved by rest.
Thoughts of harming yourself or the baby
Or severe confusion, hallucinations, agitation or loss of contact with reality.
Baby warning signs
Urgent signs in a newborn or young baby
Young babies can become unwell quickly. Contact urgent medical care if you notice these signs or are seriously worried.
Breathing difficulty
Grunting, chest pulling in, pauses, very fast breathing, struggling to feed because of breathing or blue/grey color.
Hard to wake or unusually floppy
Very low activity, poor responsiveness, weak movement or a marked change in alertness.
Stopped feeding well
Refusing feeds, repeatedly unable to feed, choking with feeds or a clear drop from the baby's pattern.
Abnormal temperature
Fever or low temperature according to the urgent threshold and measurement method given by local care.
Seizure or unusual repetitive movements
Jerking that does not stop when held, stiffening, unusual eye movements or loss of responsiveness.
Jaundice that needs prompt review
Yellow color in the first day, deepening yellow, yellow palms or soles, or jaundice with sleepiness or poor feeding.
Signs of dehydration
Markedly fewer wet nappies, very dry mouth, a sunken soft spot, unusual sleepiness or poor feeding.
A serious change that worries you
A weak or unusual cry, persistent vomiting, a new rash that does not fade under pressure, or simply seeming very unwell.