Chapter 8: Prenatal checkups
What to do if the woman has a fever
A fever can be caused by:
• sickness — like flu or malaria (see page 98).
• an infection of part of the body —
like a bladder infection (see page 128)
or a womb infection (see page 179).
A mild fever can also be caused by
dehydration.
Find the cause of the fever, and then treat
it. Along with treating the cause, a high fever
needs to be lowered right away.
To lower a fever
• give 500 to 1000 mg paracetamol �������������������������������by mouth, every
4 to 6 hours
And have her drink 1 cup of water every hour. If she is too sick to drink, give
rectal fluids (page 342) or IV fluids (page 350).
If the fever does not come down in 8 hours, get medical help.
Check the mother’s pulse
Healthy signs Pulse is about 60 to 80 beats a minute when the mother is resting.
Wa r nin g sig ns Pulse is 100 or more beats a minute when the mother is resting.
The pulse tells you how fast the heart is beating. Everyone’s pulse is different.
That is normal.
How to check the pulse
1. Wait until the mother is
resting and relaxed.
2. Put the pads of two fingers
on the pulse. Do not use
your thumbs.
You can find the pulse
on the side of the
throat, under the jaw...
or on the wrist below
the thumb.
120
A Book for Midwives (2010)