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💛 Mum · Late Pregnancy

🚨 7 red-flag reasons to head straight to labor & delivery

Pregnancy warning signs need prompt assessment, not an at-home diagnosis.

What should you do?

  1. 1. What to prepare

    Contact maternity care immediately for reduced or changed movements, bleeding, suspected waters breaking, severe headache or visual disturbance, severe pain, fever or early labour symptoms.

  2. 2. What to check

    Do not wait for the next appointment or rely on a home Doppler. Call emergency services for collapse, seizures, severe bleeding or serious breathing difficulty.

  3. 3. In South Africa

    For a life-threatening medical emergency call 112 from a mobile phone; 10177 for an ambulance. Give your location and follow dispatcher instructions.

  4. 4. In South Africa

    Confirm your clinic or midwife obstetric unit, referral hospital, transport plan and after-hours contacts. Bring pregnancy records and your baby’s Road to Health booklet to visits; private medical-scheme arrangements and public referral pathways differ.

A local detail, or your own experience with this guide? Write to the team

Same topic

When in doubt, contact your doctor or midwife. For a life-threatening emergency, call 112 from a mobile phone; 10177 for an ambulance.