Pregnancy & Heart Health
Your health story after the NICU.
Your baby has a medical story. So do you.
When your baby needs the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), it is easy to put your own care on hold. This free sheet helps you record what happened to you and plan your next visit.
Download the one-page sheetNo email or account needed. Print it and fill in what you know.
Your follow-up can start now.
Your own care does not need to wait for your baby to leave the NICU. Keep the follow-up plan your team gave you. If you do not have one, ask who will care for you and when you should be seen.
This page is for you whether your baby is in the NICU, is home, or you are living with loss. Share only what you feel comfortable sharing.
1 · My history
What happened during pregnancy or after delivery?
Use the words you remember or copy them from your medical record. “Unsure” is a useful answer. Ask your team to help fill in the gaps.
- High blood pressure during or after pregnancy
- Preeclampsia or eclampsia, if diagnosed
- Diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes)
- Baby born early, before 37 weeks
- Baby smaller than expected or growth restriction
- A placenta problem, such as early separation
- A heart problem during pregnancy or after delivery
- A blood clot in a leg, arm or lung
- A kidney problem during pregnancy or after delivery
- Severe bleeding or a blood transfusion
- A serious infection, including sepsis
- Another complication, or something you are unsure about
Record the details without trying to calculate your own risk. What happened to your baby and what happened to you can be different. Your healthcare team can help explain which parts matter for your care.
What do these medical words mean?
Gestational diabetes means diabetes first diagnosed during pregnancy. Preeclampsia involves high blood pressure with signs of problems affecting organs, during pregnancy or after birth. Eclampsia refers to seizures related to this condition.
Growth restriction means a baby did not grow as expected before birth. Sepsis is a life-threatening response to an infection. Ask your team whether these diagnoses appear in your record.
2 · What to say
Bring your story into the conversation.
“My baby needed NICU care. Here is what happened to me during pregnancy and after delivery. What belongs in my medical record, and what follow-up do I need?”
3 · My follow-up
Make a plan together.
You do not need every test on a checklist. Ask which questions apply to you:
- Does my blood pressure need follow-up?
- Do I need follow-up for blood sugar or diabetes?
- Should we review my cholesterol and overall heart health?
- Do my kidneys need follow-up, or do I need a specialist?
- What medicines or tests do I need, and when?
- Where can I get support for my mood, anxiety or what I went through?
Before you leave: write down your next clinician or practice, the visit date, and whom to contact with concerns.
4 · Know when not to wait
During the year after delivery, get medical care right away for these warning signs.
- A headache that will not go away or gets worse
- Vision changes, dizziness or fainting
- Chest pain, a racing heartbeat or trouble breathing
- Fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher
- Extreme swelling of the hands or face
- Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
- Severe vomiting or trouble keeping fluids down
- Severe belly pain that does not go away
- Heavy bleeding, large clots or bad-smelling discharge
- Severe swelling, redness or pain in a leg or arm
- Sudden, overwhelming weakness or exhaustion
Tell the care team that you gave birth within the past year. For a medical emergency, call 911.
If something feels wrong or you are unsure how serious it is, contact your healthcare team. This list cannot cover every symptom.
Read CDC’s full warning signs and examples5 · My next step
Keep it. Bring it. Ask.
Keep a paper or private digital copy, ask for the relevant history to be added to your medical record, and bring it to your next visit. Write your main question on the sheet so it is easier to start.
Download the one-page sheetAbout this sheet
Created by Lisa Zahakos, RPA-C, founder of HEART RESERVE. Updated September 26, 2026. This educational worksheet supports conversations with your healthcare team. It does not replace medical care or your individual discharge and follow-up plan.
The guidance draws on CDC HEAR HER, the American Heart Association’s pregnancy outcomes statement, and ACOG’s postpartum care guidance. These links do not imply endorsement.