MOTHERWARD
Safety and professional support
United States resources. This site is not an emergency service or a substitute for your care team.
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Call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, collapse, seizure, or immediate danger. New hallucinations, confusion, or loss of contact with reality after birth also requires emergency assessment.
If you may act on thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or cannot be sure of safety, call 911 or go to an emergency department. If someone is available, ask them to stay with the baby. If alone, tell emergency services you are with a baby; do not delay care.
Urgent physical warning signs
Seek immediate medical care for bleeding that soaks at least one pad in an hour, clots larger than an egg, fever of 100.4°F / 38°C or higher, a severe or persistent headache, vision changes, severe belly pain, foul-smelling discharge, or one-sided limb swelling or pain. This is not a complete list. Tell the team you recently gave birth.
CDC full maternal warning-sign guidance
Mental-health support
For suicidal crisis or emotional distress: call 988, text 988, or use 988 chat. Immediate danger needs 911.
For non-emergency maternal emotional support: call or text 1-833-852-6262. The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is free, confidential, and available 24/7.
Contact your care team promptly
Persistent or worsening sadness, disabling anxiety, distressing intrusive thoughts, difficulty functioning, or inability to sleep despite an opportunity deserve assessment. Do not wait two weeks if symptoms are severe.
Read NIMH’s perinatal depression information and IOCDF’s perinatal OCD information. Unwanted thoughts are different from intention; a webpage cannot assess individual risk.
Resources checked September 18, 2026. Source organizations do not endorse Motherward. Outside the U.S., use verified local services.