One in five mothers seek emergency care in year after babies are born – report

More than one in five mothers (22%) need emergency care in the year after their babies are born, according to new analysis.

And emergency hospital admission in the year after birth occurs after more than one in 20 (6%) deliveries, the Nuffield Trust said.

Emergency contacts were most likely to occur soon after birth, according to the Nuffield Trust report.

It warned that mothers are particularly “vulnerable”, especially during the early weeks and months after their babies are born.

And it said that “health inequalities follow women into the next phase of motherhood” after previous reports highlighted inequalities faced by women in pregnancy and birth.

The report draws data from 1.6 million deliveries across England over three years.

Analysts looked at hospital data on almost all births in England between April 2021 and March 2024, and linked information to see whether each mother had an A&E visit or an emergency hospital admission in the year following birth.

Some 21% of mothers went to A&E and 6% needed hospital admission.

Overall 22% needed emergency care, which includes both emergency hospital admission and A&E care.

Around one in 10 emergency contacts – including both A&E visits and emergency hospital admissions – occurred within the first fortnight, and almost a quarter within the first six weeks.

Researchers said that there was a “notable spike” in emergency contacts for women five days after giving birth.

Stomach pain, chest pain and vaginal bleeding were among the most common reasons for an A&E attendance.

Reasons for emergency admissions, particularly in the first six weeks after giving birth, were bleeding and infections.

The report highlights “stark disparities” in the women who sought emergency support, including:

– Some 27% of deliveries to mothers living in the most deprived areas were followed by an emergency contact within a year, compared with 17% for those in the least deprived, the authors found.

– Women with a mental health condition faced up to 79% higher odds of a post-natal emergency contact compared to those with no such record.

– Those with obesity had up to 26% increased risk of needing emergency help and those with lung conditions faced up to 45% higher odds.

– Black women were more likely to go to hospital in an emergency during their baby’s first year of life, compared to the overall average. Women with Pakistani, Bangladeshi and “other” Asian ethnicities also faced “substantially elevated” risk.

– Young mothers, under the age of 20, were also more likely to need emergency help.

Published: 15/07/2026 by Radio NewsHub