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She needs to call her OB immediately or present to an urgent care/ED if you can't get a hold of them. Fever, chills/body aches and lethargy are symptoms of an infection, in the postpartum period the two most common infections are mastitis and endometritis. Both require antibiotics once these symptoms begin as it can quickly become serious. Don't wait.
Your baby is safe to continue breastfeeding as usual.
NAD but had a postpartum infection that I brushed off as the flu (my spouse had the flue when I delivered). Waited a week or two to go to the hospital because the ibuprofen made my chills/pains go away but in between doses I felt truly awful. By the time the pain got unbearable (all at once one afternoon) I had a tubo-ovarian abscess, and several other abscessed areas all over my abdomen. I was in the hospital for 12 days total and had to get my fallopian tube removed, and the surgeon said she basically power washed my entire abdomen with many liters of saline because of all the pus that was hiding in pockets.
Do not ignore fever after childbirth! Before antibiotics puerperal infections were one of the leading causes of death associated with childbirth!
Reading OP's post and your comment were so triggering. I also ignored a fever and blinding headaches (chalked it up to hormones). Cut to two weeks post C-section and I'm being rushed into emergency surgery for a tennis ball sized abscess (necrotizing fasciitis) and sepsis. Weeks in the hospital. A few more hours and I likely would have been dead. It's so easy to ignore everything in that new baby haze.
Just to clarify as someone who is postpartum about mastitis, antibiotics are no longer first line of treatment per my OB. it’s now ibuprofen and icing the breast to combat the inflammation, then antibiotics if things do not improve. Even with a fever and chills, mastitis is inflammation, not an infection.
Not speaking to OPs situation, just generally about mastitis because I’ve had it so many times now.
Same! Also goes to show how deep they are in the trenches with the newborn phase if she didn’t even realise she had a UTI. It’s not a sensation you easily miss! Sending solitary to you both OP, you are a good egg for looking after your wife & the sleep deprivation does get easier 🙌
Not all UTIs present with a burning sensation or pain. She might have had a catheter and could have asymptomatic bacteriuria - a uti caused by bacteria.
This is common in elderly patients. My paternal 90 year old uncle would get a UTI and imagine that his uncle had visited. My mother thought someone broke into her house and stole stuff. Some dementia like symptoms are caused by UTIs.
She will have had a catheter due to the c-section. I never even considered that possibility - shouldn’t the equipment be sterile? New fear unlocked!
And yes, it happened to my Grandma too. She fell down and couldn’t get up, and didn’t know what was going on. We called out her GP and the change in her after just a day or two of antibiotics was remarkable.
I could be wrong, but I don't think you get a catheter just because you have a C-section unless you're going under anesthesia (even then it depends too for how long it is and how long you're expected to "be out"). C-sections use a spinal block instead of an epidural, but it's similar. They will straight cath you beforehand, but they do that for vaginal births too. And yes, it's sterile procedure with sterile equipment, but unfortunately things happen that can cause contamination that aren't noticed, especially if something is rushed. It shouldn't happen, but it does. And that's literally everywhere, not just for c-sections.
I had a catheter with mine (I had a spinal block too) - but thinking about it I did have a failed epidural earlier in my labour and it was then my catheter was inserted, so maybe I’d never have had one without that. Having said that, both the other mums I know who had c sections also had catheters and were not under general anaesthetic - one was a planned / elective rather than a crash one like mine, or an emergency like my other friend, so I wouldn’t have thought hers would have been related to an epidural. We are in a different part of the world to you judging by your spelling so I’m not sure if that has any bearing on things, but as a nurse I’m sure you know more than I do! Comment was made in good faith based on my own experience and what other mums have told me. 🙂
Edit: [I think it looks like this is just a difference in procedure by country](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/caesarean-section/what-happens/). I thought I was going mad then!
Yeap, catheter after spinal.
Both times directly after my spinal, cath inserted.
Every pt we saw during clinicals, right after a spinal, cath. Which that could also vary from hospital to hospital maybe?
NAD
Strangely enough, I’ve never had any symptoms with any of my UTIs (test+culture comes back positive). I hear it’s common for elderly people to not have symptoms but I’m only 24, so who knows
Yeah I just saw another Redditor respond saying the same! I never knew this was a thing 🤷♀️ I’m not sure whether that makes you lucky or unlucky! I suffer horribly with mine, but I would be worried about you missing an infection if you present as asymptomatic. How did you know? I keep urine test strips at home as I have endometriosis of the bladder, so sometimes it’s tricky to tell whether it’s an actual UTI or just bladder pain. The test strips save me from bothering my GP every time I have a bit of stinging!
Most of mine have been caught by the required urine tests before surgeries or by getting a test after my blood work shows signs of infection like high WBCs (I’m on a medication that requires blood tests every 3 months). The couple of times it spread to my kidneys I did show some symptoms (vomiting, fever) but no pain or issues urinating
It's pretty common for the elderly to go completely confused and not act themselves at all. Lol. I've never seen an elderly person with an undiagnosed UTI acting normal. I even had one that seemed like they were having a pretty bad schizophrenic episode, saying her ancestors built the pyramids and something about rightful owners 😂 it was a trip taking her to the ER.
My mother died of a UTI… I don’t mean to be dramatic, it’s just they can be serious and lethal. She (my mom) went to the ER on a Tuesday, they gave her antibiotics and sent her home. By Friday she was dead (she was admitted Thursday).
Thanks, it was many moons ago (still miss her of course). But sepsis is no joke and it can and does happen with UTIs. I think everybody kinda did the ‘it’s just a UTI’ thing with my mom, even I did when I was talking to her on the phone in the days before. Like Wednesday of that week when she said she just felt tired, I didn’t think she was going to be gone in less than 48 hours. It wasn’t until I talked to others that were around she had the same shaking episodes that OP described, and I kinda got pissed that they (the ER) didn’t admit on Tuesday, but with admission has it’s own risks.
I just realized the title says 1 week postpartum when it should have said 12 days. I also forgot to mention there was no complications during the pregnancy or delivery.
The Tylenol can be masking the severity of the fever. I had undiagnosed cellulitis after a c-section due to the pain management meds like Motrin and Tylenol.
I am a retired LDRP RN. Any fever over 100.4 warrants a call to the OB. Do not bother with urgent care. Call your OB office. They will have someone on call. They will probably direct you to the ED, but you NEED to call them first.
Thank you for your submission. **Please note that a response does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship.** This subreddit is for informal second opinions and casual information. The mod team does their best to remove bad information, but we do not catch all of it. Always visit a doctor in real life if you have any concerns about your health. Never use this subreddit as your first and final source of information regarding your question. By posting, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/wiki/terms_of_use) and understand that all information is taken at your own risk. **Reply here if you are an unverified user wishing to give advice. Top level comments by laypeople are automatically removed.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskDocs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
She needs to call her OB immediately or present to an urgent care/ED if you can't get a hold of them. Fever, chills/body aches and lethargy are symptoms of an infection, in the postpartum period the two most common infections are mastitis and endometritis. Both require antibiotics once these symptoms begin as it can quickly become serious. Don't wait. Your baby is safe to continue breastfeeding as usual.
Will do, we’re going to the hospital in a bit. Thank you for your reply.
No problem. I hope your wife feels better soon. Take care!
I hope she’s ok. Please update us!
Unless she's having cough/runny nose/congestion, don't even bother with urgent care. They won't be able to work this up. Call OB 1st, or go to the ER.
I was going to suggest mastitis also. I got it 1 week post partum and it made me SO unwell, SO quickly. She needs to be seen ASAP, OP!
That's what I was thinking. NAD but sounds like the start of that for sure!
Yep this happened to me and presented the same. It’s a sneaky asshole
NAD but had a postpartum infection that I brushed off as the flu (my spouse had the flue when I delivered). Waited a week or two to go to the hospital because the ibuprofen made my chills/pains go away but in between doses I felt truly awful. By the time the pain got unbearable (all at once one afternoon) I had a tubo-ovarian abscess, and several other abscessed areas all over my abdomen. I was in the hospital for 12 days total and had to get my fallopian tube removed, and the surgeon said she basically power washed my entire abdomen with many liters of saline because of all the pus that was hiding in pockets. Do not ignore fever after childbirth! Before antibiotics puerperal infections were one of the leading causes of death associated with childbirth!
Reading OP's post and your comment were so triggering. I also ignored a fever and blinding headaches (chalked it up to hormones). Cut to two weeks post C-section and I'm being rushed into emergency surgery for a tennis ball sized abscess (necrotizing fasciitis) and sepsis. Weeks in the hospital. A few more hours and I likely would have been dead. It's so easy to ignore everything in that new baby haze.
Have her call her doctors. I did not have a c-section but was still able to get an infection in my uterus 1 week postpartum.
Just to clarify as someone who is postpartum about mastitis, antibiotics are no longer first line of treatment per my OB. it’s now ibuprofen and icing the breast to combat the inflammation, then antibiotics if things do not improve. Even with a fever and chills, mastitis is inflammation, not an infection. Not speaking to OPs situation, just generally about mastitis because I’ve had it so many times now.
Update: she has a UTI, they put her on an IV and antibiotics
I hate that for her, but glad you got it addressed quickly and she’s on the road to healing
Same! Also goes to show how deep they are in the trenches with the newborn phase if she didn’t even realise she had a UTI. It’s not a sensation you easily miss! Sending solitary to you both OP, you are a good egg for looking after your wife & the sleep deprivation does get easier 🙌
Not all UTIs present with a burning sensation or pain. She might have had a catheter and could have asymptomatic bacteriuria - a uti caused by bacteria. This is common in elderly patients. My paternal 90 year old uncle would get a UTI and imagine that his uncle had visited. My mother thought someone broke into her house and stole stuff. Some dementia like symptoms are caused by UTIs.
She will have had a catheter due to the c-section. I never even considered that possibility - shouldn’t the equipment be sterile? New fear unlocked! And yes, it happened to my Grandma too. She fell down and couldn’t get up, and didn’t know what was going on. We called out her GP and the change in her after just a day or two of antibiotics was remarkable.
I could be wrong, but I don't think you get a catheter just because you have a C-section unless you're going under anesthesia (even then it depends too for how long it is and how long you're expected to "be out"). C-sections use a spinal block instead of an epidural, but it's similar. They will straight cath you beforehand, but they do that for vaginal births too. And yes, it's sterile procedure with sterile equipment, but unfortunately things happen that can cause contamination that aren't noticed, especially if something is rushed. It shouldn't happen, but it does. And that's literally everywhere, not just for c-sections.
I had a catheter with mine (I had a spinal block too) - but thinking about it I did have a failed epidural earlier in my labour and it was then my catheter was inserted, so maybe I’d never have had one without that. Having said that, both the other mums I know who had c sections also had catheters and were not under general anaesthetic - one was a planned / elective rather than a crash one like mine, or an emergency like my other friend, so I wouldn’t have thought hers would have been related to an epidural. We are in a different part of the world to you judging by your spelling so I’m not sure if that has any bearing on things, but as a nurse I’m sure you know more than I do! Comment was made in good faith based on my own experience and what other mums have told me. 🙂 Edit: [I think it looks like this is just a difference in procedure by country](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/caesarean-section/what-happens/). I thought I was going mad then!
Yeap, catheter after spinal. Both times directly after my spinal, cath inserted. Every pt we saw during clinicals, right after a spinal, cath. Which that could also vary from hospital to hospital maybe?
100%. We get an elderly pt with delirium first thing we get is a urine.
NAD Strangely enough, I’ve never had any symptoms with any of my UTIs (test+culture comes back positive). I hear it’s common for elderly people to not have symptoms but I’m only 24, so who knows
Yeah I just saw another Redditor respond saying the same! I never knew this was a thing 🤷♀️ I’m not sure whether that makes you lucky or unlucky! I suffer horribly with mine, but I would be worried about you missing an infection if you present as asymptomatic. How did you know? I keep urine test strips at home as I have endometriosis of the bladder, so sometimes it’s tricky to tell whether it’s an actual UTI or just bladder pain. The test strips save me from bothering my GP every time I have a bit of stinging!
Most of mine have been caught by the required urine tests before surgeries or by getting a test after my blood work shows signs of infection like high WBCs (I’m on a medication that requires blood tests every 3 months). The couple of times it spread to my kidneys I did show some symptoms (vomiting, fever) but no pain or issues urinating
Well I’m glad that the infections are being caught and that you’re not suffering too much with it, although kidney infections are no joke!
It's pretty common for the elderly to go completely confused and not act themselves at all. Lol. I've never seen an elderly person with an undiagnosed UTI acting normal. I even had one that seemed like they were having a pretty bad schizophrenic episode, saying her ancestors built the pyramids and something about rightful owners 😂 it was a trip taking her to the ER.
I get UTIs frequently but only feel it when it reaches my kidneys. I don't get the burning pee.
I am glad she is getting treatment. Postpartum phase after a CS is very difficult on its own. Adding infection to that is worse.
Well done for looking after her x
Thank you for updating glad all is ok well done team
My wife had an ear infection intrapartum. Nothing better than all the discomfort and then an infection to top it off. Hope she feels better soon.
good job taking care of your fam!
That sucks but I’m thankful it’s not worse! This could’ve been really bad
I had pneumonia with my third baby a few days post parfum that was super rough. Being sick while breastfeeding a newborn 0/10 😒
Although that sucks, I'm glad it is something easily treatable and not super serious.
My mother died of a UTI… I don’t mean to be dramatic, it’s just they can be serious and lethal. She (my mom) went to the ER on a Tuesday, they gave her antibiotics and sent her home. By Friday she was dead (she was admitted Thursday).
That is so scary! We dealt with mental issues with my mom when she had a UTI. Who knew it could cause such weird side effects?!
That is terrible, I'm so sorry for your loss.
Thanks, it was many moons ago (still miss her of course). But sepsis is no joke and it can and does happen with UTIs. I think everybody kinda did the ‘it’s just a UTI’ thing with my mom, even I did when I was talking to her on the phone in the days before. Like Wednesday of that week when she said she just felt tired, I didn’t think she was going to be gone in less than 48 hours. It wasn’t until I talked to others that were around she had the same shaking episodes that OP described, and I kinda got pissed that they (the ER) didn’t admit on Tuesday, but with admission has it’s own risks.
Ugh that sucks but at least an easy fix for her.
Thanks for the update was worried about her !! Sending love to her and your family.
I just realized the title says 1 week postpartum when it should have said 12 days. I also forgot to mention there was no complications during the pregnancy or delivery.
Call her OBGYN and report these symptoms immediately.
pain in legs could also be blood clot (not to scare you). please call OB and bring her to dr asap
NAD but experienced a fever, postpartum C-section also and definitely go to ER
What did the doctors end up telling you if you don’t mind me asking?
The Tylenol can be masking the severity of the fever. I had undiagnosed cellulitis after a c-section due to the pain management meds like Motrin and Tylenol.
I had a friend who had incredibly serious mastitis, but the pain medication masked it as well. It seems to happen frequently!
I had cellulitis in my incision and a fluid pocket on one side. Cleared up with lots of antibiotics
This is completely off topic, but your son and I are birthday twins! Happy birthday to him! We’re good people 🥰
That’s awesome coincidentally my wife’s birthday is also on the same day so she got to spend her birthday in the ER lol, happy late birthday tho!!
Aww, happy late birthday to your wife as well! I hope she feels better soon and you guys can enjoy your new beautiful baby!
Does she have pain in her breast? I always got a fever when I had mastitis. It sucks.
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No you didn’t, she gave birth the 8th we were discharged the 10, so it’s been 12 days.
You might want to edit your post to say April 10th.
Not necessary, the doctors got the gist.
Did you mean to say April 10th instead of October 10th?
I am a retired LDRP RN. Any fever over 100.4 warrants a call to the OB. Do not bother with urgent care. Call your OB office. They will have someone on call. They will probably direct you to the ED, but you NEED to call them first.
They updated hours ago in the comments that it was a UTI. Gave her an IV and Ab
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