Researchers wanted to estimate typical postpartum mother vital sign ranges for a study. They conducted a multicenter prospective longitudinal cohort research. They looked for women who were less than 20 weeks pregnant, had no substantial comorbidities, and had singleton pregnancies that were reliably timed. For two weeks after giving birth, the women measured their blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and temperature. Participants’ vital signs, including breathing rate, were assessed by trained midwives on postpartum days 1, 7, and 14. They assessed 4,279 pregnant women between August 2012 and September 2016; 1,054 satisfied the eligibility requirements and opted to participate. Data on vital postpartum signs were available for 909 women (86.2% ). The median, or 50th centile (3rd–97th centile), systolic and diastolic blood pressures increased from the day of birth: 116 mm Hg (88–147) and 74 mm Hg (59–93), respectively, to a maximum median of 121 mm Hg (102–143) and 79 mm Hg (63–94) on days 5 and 6, respectively, an increase of 5 mm Hg (95% CI By day 14 postpartum, the median (3rd–97th centile) systolic and diastolic blood pressures had rebounded to 116 mm Hg (98–137) and 75 mm Hg (61–91), respectively. The median (3rd–97th centile) heart rate was 84 beats per minute (bpm) (59–110) on the day of birth, dropping to a low of 75 bpm (55–101) 14 days later. In the two weeks following delivery, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, and temperature did not alter. The median (3rd–97th centile) oxygen saturation on the day of birth was 96 percent (93–98). The median (3rd–97th centile) respiratory rate on the day of delivery was 15 breaths per minute (10–22). The median (3rd–97th centile) temperature on the day of birth was 36.7°C (35.6–37.6).
We propose postpartum, day-specific reference ranges that may aid in the early diagnosis of aberrant blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, oxygen saturation, and temperature during the puerperium. Our findings might help shape the development of an evidence-based modified obstetric early warning system to better detect ill postpartum mothers.
