Stoke Mandeville Hospital hosts nextdoor to the Waddesdon Wing (where NHS Infant Feeding services live), the whole region’s A + E department as well as (SDEC..Same Day Emergency Clinic)

999 / NHS 111 / EMS

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS)

In June 2011, SCAS was named England's top performing ambulance service and our local ambulance services play a vital role in the healthcare system by ensuring timely access to emergency medical services (EMS). They are essential for saving lives and providing critical support during medical emergencies, making them a cornerstone of community health services

Here are the key postpartum emergency conditions to be aware of — these matter clinically since early recognition dramatically changes outcomes:

Postpartum Haemorrhage (PPH)

  • The most common serious postpartum emergency — defined as blood loss over 500ml (vaginal) or 1000ml (C-section)

  • Primary PPH: within 24 hours of birth — most often caused by uterine atony (uterus fails to contract), retained placenta, trauma/tears, or clotting disorders

  • Secondary PPH: from 24 hours to 12 weeks postpartum — usually due to retained products of conception or infection

  • Red flags: soaking through a pad in under an hour, large clots, dizziness, rapid heart rate

Pre-eclampsia / Eclampsia (postpartum onset)

  • Can develop after birth, even in women with no prior signs during pregnancy — most commonly within 48 hours but can occur up to 6 weeks postpartum

  • Symptoms: severe headache, visual disturbances, upper right abdominal pain, sudden swelling, high blood pressure

  • Untreated, can progress to eclamptic seizures or HELLP syndrome (Haemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, Low Platelets)

Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) — DVT/Pulmonary Embolism

  • Pregnancy and postpartum carry significantly elevated clotting risk for up to 12 weeks

  • DVT signs: unilateral leg swelling, pain, warmth

  • PE signs (medical emergency): sudden breathlessness, chest pain, coughing blood, rapid heart rate

Puerperal Sepsis

  • Infection of the genital tract postpartum — can escalate to sepsis rapidly

  • Signs: fever, foul-smelling lochia, abdominal pain, rapid heart rate, confusion

  • Historically one of the leading causes of maternal death; still requires urgent antibiotic treatment

Postpartum Cardiomyopathy

  • Rare but serious heart failure developing in the last month of pregnancy to 5 months postpartum

  • Symptoms overlap with normal postpartum fatigue (breathlessness, swelling), which can delay diagnosis — key differentiator is severity/rapid progression and orthopnea (breathlessness lying flat)

Postpartum Psychosis

  • A psychiatric emergency (distinct from postpartum depression) — onset typically within the first 2 weeks

  • Symptoms: severe confusion, hallucinations, delusions, rapid mood swings

  • Requires immediate psychiatric intervention; carries risk to mother and infant safetyUterine Inversion / Rupture

  • Rare, but rapid-onset and severe when they occur — usually intrapartum or immediately postpartum, associated with sudden severe pain, haemorrhage, and shock