Knowledge Centre · Patient guide
Warning Signs in Pregnancy: When to Call
The six signs that should never wait for your next visit, and why your instinct counts.
Most of pregnancy happens between appointments, which means you are usually the first to notice when something changes. Most changes are normal. A few are not, and those should never wait for your next visit.
Call us if you notice any of these
- Heavy bleeding
- A bad headache or changes in your vision
- Your baby moving less than usual
- Strong or constant tummy pain
- A gush or leak of fluid
- Fever, or feeling very unwell
Or if you feel something is not right
Your instinct counts. Trust it. You know your body and your baby best, and you will never be a bother. Never wait, never feel you are overreacting.
About your baby’s movements
Get to know your baby’s pattern. Every baby has one. From around 28 weeks, if the movements slow down, change, or stop, do not wait and do not rely on home tricks like cold drinks. Call straight away, day or night. Moving less is always worth a call.
How to reach us
- WhatsApp 071 224 2788: anytime
- Johannesburg 011 458 2497 · Pretoria 012 320 0167
- In an emergency, go to your nearest emergency unit, and tell them you are pregnant.
When you call, we prioritise by urgency, which means if it is you with the warning sign, you go to the front of the queue. That is the same reason a scheduled visit occasionally waits: someone else needed what you may one day need.
Keep this list somewhere easy to find, or save the pregnancy companion to your phone; the same list lives inside it.
If any of the above is happening to you now, do not book anything. Get help.
WhatsApp 071 224 2788, day or night, from any of our centres. To speak to a person, our Johannesburg team answers on 066 499 2713 and books for every centre. If you cannot reach anyone, go straight to your nearest emergency unit. Do not wait to be told it is nothing.
When it is not an emergency and you want your pregnancy assessed properly: Antenatal Assessment, from r4,600.
Rather just talk it through?
Tell us what you have read and what you are worried about. We call you back. You do not need a referral, and nothing is booked until you say so.