Pregnancy Emergency Management
Pregnancy problems are assessed straight away rather than through a general queue, because two patients are involved and the picture changes quickly. Labour rooms, obstetric theatres and the neonatal unit are on the same floor, so a decision to deliver is not a journey.
- Assessed immediately, day or night
- Obstetric theatre at any hour
- Neonatal unit on the same floor
- Obstetrician and paediatrician called together
Stay
Hours to several days
Duration
Assessed immediately
Anaesthesia
Spinal or general if delivery is needed
About Pregnancy Emergency Management
The common obstetric emergencies are bleeding, pre-eclampsia, reduced fetal movements, preterm labour and postpartum haemorrhage. Each is assessed with mother and baby together: observations, fetal heart monitoring, blood tests and a scan where needed. Where delivery becomes the safest course, everything required is already in the same part of the building.
- Mother and baby are assessed together, always
- Reduced movements always warrant assessment, never a wait
- Blood pressure can rise dangerously with no symptoms
- Bleeding after delivery is the emergency that moves fastest
Before you read on
Everything here is general information about pregnancy emergency management. Whether it suits you, and how it would be done in your case, is a decision for your doctor after examining you.
Your consultant's instructions always take precedence over anything written on this page.
When is it recommended?
Situations in which a doctor may suggest pregnancy emergency management.
- Bleeding at any stage of pregnancy
- Severe headache, visual disturbance or sudden swelling
- Reduced or absent fetal movements
- Regular contractions before 37 weeks
- Waters breaking before term
- Severe abdominal pain in pregnancy
- Heavy bleeding or fever after delivery
Procedure details
The usual sequence, from first consultation through to follow-up.
Immediate assessment
Blood pressure, pulse, urine and abdominal examination, with fetal heart monitoring started straight away.
Investigation
Blood tests and ultrasound where needed to assess the baby, the placenta and the cause.
Treatment
Medication for blood pressure, fluids and blood for bleeding, or steroids where preterm delivery is likely.
Decision
Where delivery is safest, obstetric and neonatal teams prepare together, with theatre on the same floor.
How to prepare
What to sort out before you come in.
- Come immediately, and call 108 for heavy bleeding or severe symptoms
- Bring your antenatal records and scan reports
- Note when symptoms started and when you last felt the baby move
- Do not eat or drink if bleeding heavily, as surgery may be needed
- Bring somebody with you, as you may be admitted
Recovery
What to expect afterwards, and roughly when.
- Length of stay depends on the problem and whether delivery took place
- Blood pressure is monitored for weeks after pre-eclampsia, including at home
- Where preterm labour was stopped, antenatal follow-up becomes closer
- After significant bleeding, iron and blood counts are checked before discharge
- Report headache, heavy bleeding or fever after going home
Why choose Humayun in a pregnancy emergency
In obstetric emergencies the distance between assessment, theatre and the neonatal unit is what decides the outcome.
- Pregnant women assessed immediately rather than through a general triage queue
- Obstetric theatres on the same floor, so an emergency caesarean starts without a transfer
- Neonatal intensive care beside the labour rooms
- Obstetric and neonatal teams called together rather than one after the other
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