Spotting a true emergency, call 999 now
A short, clear guide to the pregnancy situations that need an ambulance, not a phone call to your unit, and exactly what to say.
Most pregnancy worries are best handled by phoning your maternity unit. A small number, though, are emergencies where you should call 999 for an ambulance without delay. This guide is here so that, in a frightening moment, you have a clear and simple idea of what counts, and the confidence to act fast. Calling 999 when you are not sure is always the right call; the people who answer would far rather come out and find you well.
Call 999 immediately if you have: heavy vaginal bleeding (soaking through pads, or passing large clots); severe, constant tummy pain that does not ease; signs of a seizure or fit; chest pain or sudden difficulty breathing; pain, redness, warmth or swelling in one calf or leg (which can signal a clot); collapsing, fainting, or feeling like you are about to lose consciousness; or thoughts of harming yourself. If your waters break and you can see or feel the umbilical cord, or you feel the urge to push and birth feels imminent, that is also a 999 situation.
When you call, keep it simple. Say you are pregnant and how many weeks, give your location, and describe what is happening in plain words, 'I am 30 weeks pregnant and I am bleeding heavily,' for example. The call handler will guide you step by step and can tell you what to do while help is on the way. Unlock your door if you safely can, and if someone is with you, ask them to stay on the line or wait outside to flag the ambulance down.
A note on signs that can be harder to spot on brown and Black skin. A blood clot in the leg is often described as 'redness', but on darker skin that redness may not be obvious, instead, trust swelling, warmth and a deep ache or tenderness in one calf compared with the other. If you are losing a lot of blood and start to feel faint, dizzy, clammy or 'not right', do not wait to look pale; the way you feel matters more than your colour. Breathlessness that comes on suddenly and is out of keeping with what you were doing always deserves a 999 call.
If you ever feel unsafe, frightened of someone, or that you might harm yourself or your baby, that is an emergency too, and help is there for you without judgement, call 999, or contact your midwife or GP urgently. You deserve to be safe in every sense. This is placeholder safety content awaiting review by our midwife, Dumebi; the thresholds for calling 999 are standard NHS guidance and will stand.
Source: NHS