Getting help

Know where to turn when you or your baby need help.

Help for your baby

Call 911 (or the emergency phone number in your area) or go to the nearest emergency department right away if your baby:

is not breathing
is having trouble breathing or is wheezing
is choking and cannot catch their breath
is making a moaning sound like they are sick
has blue skin colour (if you are not sure, look inside your baby’s mouth for blue tongue, lips or gums)

Call your health care provider right away if your baby:

has a body temperature of over 37.5° Celsius or less than 36.5° Celsius
does not want to eat or is throwing up a lot after two or more feedings
is not having enough pees or poops according to how many days old he/she is
has very little energy and is not moving much (does not wake up on their own and is very sleepy when awake)
looks yellow
has a bad smell coming from the umbilical cord, or if the area around the cord is red or is draining fluid
is crying most of the time

Call 911 (or the emergency phone number in your area) or go to the nearest emergency department right away if you:

have trouble breathing or chest pain
have heavy vaginal bleeding (bright red blood from the area between your legs) that completely soaks one or more maxi pads in one hour and does not slow or stop with rest

Call your health care provider right away if you:

pass blood clots that are larger than a dollar coin (a loonie) and your vaginal bleeding becomes heavier and does not slow or stop with rest
have sharp pain in your abdomen
feel unwell or have a fever over 38.5° Celsius
have a bad-smelling vaginal odour
have a red, sore area on your breast that may be swollen
have unusual pain, redness or swelling in one or both legs
have pain or burning when you pee or find it hard to pee
see changes in your C-section cut such as redness or discharge coming from the cut, or if it has a bad smell
have a very bad headache, blurry vision, dizziness or very bad pain under your rib cage