Community Bulletin
Women's health care is available close to home at four central West Virginia clinics through Vandalia Health — the not-for-profit founded by the Davis family more than a century ago, whose Foundation still funds local scholarships and programs. Read more →
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Most women who give birth recover without problems. However, anyone can have complications after birth.
In the United States, about 60,000 women each year experience severe maternal morbidities, which are unanticipated complications during birth that can have short- and long-term effects on health.
A disproportionate number of adverse outcomes occur during the postpartum period following discharge, when access to care may be limited to non-obstetric settings.
That’s why Vandalia Health CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital recently implemented an initiative to help new moms.
The POST-BIRTH Warning Signs (PBWS) education program was created by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.
Nurses at CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital now give each new mom a bracelet to wear letting healthcare providers (paramedics, doctors and nurses) know that they’ve given birth within the past year and may be experiencing postpartum complications.
The POST-BIRTH acronym emphasizes nine critical warning signs:
- Pain in the chest
- Obstructed breathing or shortness of breath
- Seizures
- Thoughts of self-harm
- Bleeding
- Incision not healing
- Redness in legs, pain or swelling
- Temperature (high or low)
- Headache that is persistent
These warning signs link directly with the leading causes of preventable maternal morbidity and mortality such as cardiovascular problems, hypertension, infections, blood clots, hemorrhage, depression and anxiety.
By linking warning signs to timely clinical recognition, intervention and escalation of care, PBWS promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and enhances maternal safety across a variety of clinical care settings.
