Urgent Maternal Warning Signs

Urgent Maternal Warning Signs:
What would you do?

Which of the following patients is demonstrating an urgent maternal warning sign that may indicate a serious medical condition:

a) Miranda, 12 weeks pregnant, experiences extreme nausea and vomiting. She describes it as being more severe and persistent than the morning sickness she had during the early weeks of pregnancy.

This answer is correct, but there is more.

Every woman listed is experiencing one of the 15 urgent maternal warning signs linked to maternal morbidity and mortality.

b) Krystal, 30 weeks pregnant, who has no history of asthma or respiratory illness, complains of trouble breathing.

This answer is correct, but there is more.

c) Ana, 36 weeks pregnant, has had a severe headache for 48 hours.

This answer is correct, but there is more.

d) Mikayla, 2 weeks postpartum, is running an unexplained fever of 100 degrees.

This answer is correct, but there is more.

e) Zoe, 8 weeks postpartum, fainted and complains of dizziness.

This answer is correct, but there is more.

f) Mia, 26 weeks postpartum, experiences overwhelming tiredness.

This answer is correct, but there is more.

g) Natalie, 45 weeks postpartum, is having thoughts of harming herself.

This answer is correct, but there is more.

h) All of the above.

This answer is correct.

Maternal and infant health are closely related. Health care providers who treat pregnant and postpartum women can promote better health for the mother-infant dyad by understanding and responding to urgent maternal warning signs like those listed above.

Hear Her Texas, a program of Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Maternal and Child Health, offers educational materials and resources for providers as well as for women and their partners, family and friends.

Providers are encouraged to take the following steps to improve maternal safety for women who are pregnant or up to one year postpartum:

Always ask whether your patient is pregnant or was pregnant in the last year.
Listen to women and hear their concerns.
Tell your patients and community about the urgent maternal warning signs, and when to get medical care right away.
Educate your patients about pregnancy-related health concerns.
Help patients understand and manage chronic conditions or conditions that may arise during pregnancy, like hypertension, diabetes or depression.
Address health disparities.
Engage your patients in every decision about their medical care.
Recognize and address pregnancy-related complications before they become serious.

Source: DSHS, Provider Resources – Urgent Maternal Warning Signs (2026).

Beyond those steps, there are additional actions providers should take to protect maternal and infant health. Take our free CME courses Prenatal Health: Screening and Intervention and Postpartum Health: Screening and Intervention to learn more.

Why it matters

Complications during pregnancy, delivery and the first year postpartum can have severe consequences for a woman’s health. Health care providers who understand urgent maternal warning signs and are prepared to listen and respond play a critical role in eliminating preventable maternal morbidity and mortality.

Urgent Maternal Warning Signs: What would you do?

Why it matters

Urgent Maternal Warning Signs:
What would you do?