When to seek care
Call the Health Line: 404-365-0966
When you need medical guidance for a routine or urgent situation that is not a medical or psychiatric emergency, call the Health Line. Registered nurses are available by phone 24 hours a day, every day, to offer advice and help you determine the best way to get the care you need: 404-365-0966
Call the Health Line immediately if YOU experience these symptoms
- redness, discharge, or foul odor from C-section incision
- foul odor from vaginal discharge
- shaking, chills, and/or temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher
- increased pain not relieved by pain medication
- hard, red, or tender areas on breast, or cracked or bleeding nipples
- urgent or frequent urination along with burning sensation
- feelings of severe despair or anxiety, or inability to cope
Call the Health Line immediately if YOUR BABY experiences these symptoms
- marked change in behavior, unusual irritability, excessive sleepiness, or general restlessness
- excessive crying or screaming in spite of being held and comforted
- swelling, foul odor, pus drainage, or redness of skin surrounding umbilical cord
- blood or mucus present in bowel movements, or frequent or explosive watery stools that soak a diaper
- fewer than 6 wet diapers in 24 hours
- loss of appetite or refusal to eat several times in a row
- rapid breathing greater than 60 respirations per minute, or difficulty inhaling or exhaling
- sudden chest enlargement or redness
- changes in skin color — either yellow or bluish tinge
- fever: rectal temperature greater than 100.4°F (38°C); underarm temperature greater than 99.4°F (37.4°C)
- low temperature: rectal temperature less than 97.5°F (36.4°C); underarm temperature less than 97.0°F (36.1°C)
- frequent or excessive vomiting (not just spitting up)
- whites of eyes looking yellow
Call 911 or go to the ER immediately
If you think you have a medical emergency — a condition that would put the life, health, limbs or bodily functions of yourself or your baby in serious jeopardy — call 911 or go to the closest hospital emergency department.
Call 911 or go to the ER immediately if you experience these symptoms
- severe pain in chest, abdomen, back, or legs
- fainting, severe headache, spots before your eyes, seizures, or blurred vision
- excessive bleeding (soaking through more than one sanitary pad in less than one hour)
- persistent passage of clots larger than a golf ball
- thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else
How to reach us
Need to make an appointment with your care provider? Feeling something unusual or like you’re going into labor? Want advice about breastfeeding? We’re here for your call.
