These are some general signs of infection, and are a reason to call your midwife urgently!
Signs and Symptoms of Infection
If you have any of these symptoms in pregnancy, early labour (before your midwife is with you), or after your baby is born, please call your midwife immediately for assessment!
- Feeling unwell, a fever (temperature above 38°C), or flu-like symptoms
- A bad smell coming from your urine, wound, or amniotic fluid, or smelly vaginal discharge
- Increased greyish, greenish, or thick cottage cheese-like vaginal discharge
- Pain or burning when urinating, increased urinary frequency (peeing more often that usual), feeling like you need to pass urine and then only being able to pass a few drops
- Discharge (pus) coming from your wound
- After your baby is born, increasing firmness or rigidity of your lower abdomen, especially accompanied by increasing pain
- Puffiness, redness, or increasing pain in your wound, stitches, or perineum
- Redness, general pain, or painful lumps in your breast (usually postnatally, but can occur in later pregnancy)
If you have any of these symptoms, or are worried that you might have an infection, please call your midwife!
Causes of infection
Antenatal
Common infections that affect pregnancy in the antenatal period are urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted infections, or vaginal infections such as thrush or bacterial vaginosis. Other infections, such as food-borne illnesses, can also affect your pregnancy.
Labour and Birth
The most common infection during labour is chorioamnionitis, an infection of the placenta or membranes. If you have chorioamnionitis, you need immediate treatment and to birth your baby as soon as possible.
Postnatal
The most common infections in the postnatal period are perineal or caesarean wound infections, endometritis (an infection of the area of your uterus where the placenta was attached), retained products (where some of the placenta or membranes from your pregnancy are left inside your uterus after birth), or mastitis (infection of the breast)