Postpartum chills is a physiological response that occurs within two hours of

childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births globall ...

. It appears as uncontrollable

shivering Shivering (also called shuddering) is a bodily function in response to cold and extreme fear in warm-blooded animals. When the core body temperature drops, the shivering reflex is triggered to maintain homeostasis. Skeletal muscles begin to s ...

. It is seen in many women after delivery and can be unpleasant. It lasts for a short time. It is thought to be a result of a nervous system response. It may also be related to

fluid shift The human body and even its individual body fluids may be conceptually divided into various fluid compartments, which, although not literally anatomic compartments, do represent a real division in terms of how portions of the body's water, solut ...

s and the actual strenuous work of labor. It is considered a normal response and there is no accompanying

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...

. A fever would indicate an

infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

. Reassurance is all that is needed and for the mother to be kept warm. It has been described as a fairly common and normal occurrence. It is thought to be possibly related to the environmental temperature.

References

Bibliography

Childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births globall ...

Midwifery Women's health {{perinatal-disorder-stub