My pregnant partner can't keep fluids do

Call the maternity unit's triage line now to have her seen today — do not wait for her to faint.

A pregnant woman who cannot keep fluids down needs a clinician today, not a plan for tonight. This is not a diagnosis, and I am not changing anything she takes — only a clinician who examines her can say what is causing the vomiting and whether she needs fluids or medicine. This is about getting her in front of that clinician today and making the handover easy.

If any of the signs in part 3 is true right now, call your local emergency number right now rather than driving her yourself.

Does she need an IV?

That call belongs to the clinic, not to you: they decide after they examine her and check her urine and blood. Two things you can do are get her seen today, and hand them the evidence — what went in and stayed down, when she last passed urine, any home readings with their times. And know this in advance so it is not a shock at the door: if she arrives and still cannot keep fluids down, a drip in the chair is a routine part of that visit, not a sign that something terrible has happened.

1. What you have tried, and the better alternative

Tonight's steps — about 20 minutes in total, no cooking, nothing to prepare

1. Call (5 min). Maternity triage, labour-and-delivery triage, or the obstetric emergency desk. Say: "She is pregnant, [X] weeks, vomiting since [time], cannot keep fluids down, last urine [time], dizzy on standing [yes/no], no bleeding, no pain, taking [list]."
2. Make her comfortable while you wait (5 min). Lying down, warm, not standing on her own, bathroom door unlocked. Cool water or ice chips only if that is what she can tolerate.
3. Write the log (5 min). Times, what stayed down, urine, and any home blood-pressure or temperature reading with its time — those readings are for the record, not for deciding anything at home.
4. Cover the house (5 min). Send the handover messages below, and check that she is not alone.

2. Constraints and the avoid list

• No medicine for the vomiting without a prescriber. No leftover anti-sickness tablets from an earlier pregnancy or from another person, nothing bought from an online pharmacy, no herbal or "natural" nausea mixes, no powders. What is safe in pregnancy is the clinician's decision.
• Do not start, stop or change anything she already takes, including prenatal vitamins — bring the list instead.
• Do not attempt to rehydrate at home. No homemade salt-and-sugar mixes, no juice, no sports drinks, no flat drinks. If she cannot keep fluids down, home rehydration does not work.
• Do not force food. If she wants something, plain dry crackers or plain toast are the least risky things in your kitchen — that is comfort, not treatment.
• Do not leave her alone, and do not make the school-age child responsible for her. The elder or sibling nearby is the right person to sit with her or come along.
• Do not let her stand up unaided (bathroom, stairs), and do not let her drive or be a passenger while she feels faint.
• Do not drive her yourself if she is faint, drowsy or confused — call the emergency number.
• Do not postpone this for the school week. The school run is solvable; the fluid loss is not.

3. Red flags — when to stop DIY and get clinical or urgent help

Step 1 — Can she keep any liquid down at all?

• If no → this is a same-day, in-person problem: call maternity triage now and get her seen today.
• If yes, some stays down → still to be seen today, and no emergency call needed unless step 2 says otherwise.

Step 2 — Is any of this true right now? If yes, call your local emergency number now:

• Fainted, nearly fainted, hard to wake, unusually drowsy or confused
• Dizzy when standing, or too weak to get out of bed
• Almost no urine, or dark urine
• Severe abdominal pain, or a belly that is hard and tender
• Severe headache with blurred or flashing vision, or pain high in the belly
• Any bleeding or leaking fluid
• Fast or difficult breathing, or chest pain
• A fit
• Vomit that is dark green, or has blood or a coffee-ground colour
• The baby moving much less than usual, or not at all
• Fever together with feeling too weak to get up
• Sudden puffiness of the face or hands, or a ring that no longer fits

What to say when you call

To the triage nurse or dispatcher:
"She is pregnant, [X] weeks pregnant. She has been vomiting since [time] and cannot keep fluids down. Last urine [time]. Dizzy on standing: [yes/no]. Bleeding: [no/yes]. Pain: [no/yes]. Baby's movements: [normal/reduced]. Allergies: [x]. Current medicines: [list]."

To the school, or to the elder or sibling nearby:
"She is being seen at the maternity unit this evening. Two things please: stay with her and do not leave her alone, and [child] — pickup at [time] from [who]. If she seems faint, confused or too weak to stand, call the emergency number straight away and call me on the way."

Bring with you

Pregnancy record or antenatal card, ID, her medicines (boxes or a written list), and a bag for anything the clinic gives you.

I made a one-page sheet you can screenshot and hand over: pregnancy-vomiting-today-onepager-12b3473e.pdf — it has the log, the red-flag checklist, the handover boxes and six questions to ask before you leave.

What success looks like in 24 hours

Success is not "she stops vomiting" — that may take longer, and it is not tonight's goal. Success is:

• she has been seen by a clinician today, and they have decided and told you about fluids;
• she has a written plan: what she may take for the nausea, what she should drink and eat over the next hours, and what to do if she cannot keep fluids down again;
• you know which door to use, and which signs mean the emergency number instead;
• she is not alone tonight, and the school week is covered.

One thing I still need: which country and city are you in? Coverage note: no coverage of your local unit's phone number or opening hours from here — with the country and city I can point you at the right maternity and emergency numbers instead of you guessing.