Postpartum Checkups: Common Questions
Visits with your obstetric or primary care provider in the weeks and months after giving birth.
Last revised
Postpartum Checkups: the questions people actually ask, answered from published guidance.
Key takeaways
- First contact with your care team: within the first 3 weeks after birth
- Comprehensive postpartum visit: no later than 12 weeks after birth
- Most useful single change: Book your postpartum appointments before you leave the hospital.
- Commonest mistake: Skipping the visit because you feel fine or are busy with the baby.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
What is Postpartum Checkups?
Visits with your obstetric or primary care provider in the weeks and months after giving birth.
Why does it matter?
Many serious pregnancy-related complications, including high blood pressure, infections, blood clots and depression, happen after delivery, and the postpartum period is a chance to plan ongoing care.
First contact with your care team for Postpartum Checkups?
Within the first 3 weeks after birth.
Comprehensive postpartum visit for Postpartum Checkups?
No later than 12 weeks after birth.
If you had high blood pressure in pregnancy for Postpartum Checkups?
A blood pressure check within days of going home, as your team advises.
Topics to cover for Postpartum Checkups?
Mood, sleep, healing, feeding, contraception and birth spacing, and chronic conditions.
What is the single most useful thing to do?
Book your postpartum appointments before you leave the hospital.
What is the most common mistake?
Skipping the visit because you feel fine or are busy with the baby.
When should I see a doctor?
Call your provider for heavy bleeding that soaks a pad in an hour, discharge that smells bad, a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, a headache that will not go away, or a red, swollen, painful leg. Call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, a seizure, fainting or thoughts of harming yourself or your baby.
Related topics
- What the Guidance Really Says About Men and Health Services (Men's Health)
- The Evidence on Eye Tests, Without the Hype (Eye Health)
- The Evidence on Hormones and Mood, Without the Hype (Thyroid and Hormones)
- What the Guidance Really Says About Annual Reviews (Long-Term Conditions)
Where to go next
- Why Postpartum Checkups Matters, Explained Simply
- Postpartum Checkups: The Practical To-Do List
- Postpartum Checkups — the reference entry
- Pregnancy and Postpartum: The Complete Guide
- The Evidence on Prenatal Care Schedule, Without the Hype
- Folic Acid Before and During Pregnancy: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
When to get help
Call your provider for heavy bleeding that soaks a pad in an hour, discharge that smells bad, a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, a headache that will not go away, or a red, swollen, painful leg. Call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, a seizure, fainting or thoughts of harming yourself or your baby.
Where this comes from
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Optimizing Postpartum Care
- CDC — Hear Her: Urgent Maternal Warning Signs
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.
