Anterior placenta - Do you worry?

[Amygdala]

I found out a few weeks ago that my placenta is anterior. I'm 18-19 weeks now and still go for days without any obvious baby movements. I've had two kicks I think, everything else is still flutters, even when I do feel something. I've had three miscarriages in the past, all between 7 and 10 weeks, although two were missed until 12 weeks. But never a late loss and still I worry because I can't feel baby.
If you have an anterior placenta, does the lack of movement worry you?

 

[Moom7900]

I've had an anterior placenta the last few pregnancies. This time I felt occasional movements at 16 weeks, and they've got stronger and stronger. Now at 23 weeks I can clearly see my stomach moving when baby is kicking and others can feel it well too. Don't worry, despite the location of your placenta, baby will soon be big enough that you can't miss them kicking xxxxxxx

 

[Ally2015]

I had an anterior placenta ( found out at 16 week gender scan) and i felt only little bubbly movements. It did worry me, but I didn't really know what to expect or feel. But by my 20 week scan i felt stronger movements and learnt that my placenta was posterior now. But even now, at 22 weeks, with some sort of movement everyday, i worry!

I think it doesnt matter what stage we are in pregnancy, we will always find something to worry about. Having an anterior placenta will mean your movements are muffled and you may not feel much- that is normal. When you are further ahead, you'll feel him/her more.

You are past the stage where you had miscarriages previously, all is ok

 

[Lucasmum]

I did with my first but he was also very very lazy so what little movement there was I didnt feel he was monitored very very frequently and is now a hyperactive 9 year old who drives me insane with his constant moving

This time round even though its an anterior placenta again I feel so much more but nothing regular till about 24-25 weeks, now its like she is copying her brother from the inside I sometimes wish she would give me a break but heres hoping she is calmer when she arrives

 

[cnote]

I also have an anterior placenta and I didn't feel a thing until 20 weeks, and even then it was so slight sometimes I thought maybe it was just gas. Now at almost 22 weeks I feel definite movement several times a day, but it's still pretty subtle. I read women calling their babies ninjas etc, but I guess my baby has a more peaceful nature, lol. But every day I feel him a little stronger. So by 22 weeks I think you'll feel reassured with stronger movement. The waiting sucks I know!!

 

[Amygdala]

It's not so much the waiting for me but the fact that movements come and go and often I think I felt baby but then second guess myself and wonder if it was just gas or a twitch. I know I just need to be patient but with another scan coming up in two weeks time, I could really do with some reassurance that baby is fine.

 

[Ally2015]

It's not so much the waiting for me but the fact that movements come and go and often I think I felt baby but then second guess myself and wonder if it was just gas or a twitch. I know I just need to be patient but with another scan coming up in two weeks time, I could really do with some reassurance that baby is fine.

Even at 22 weeks, with posterior placenta, movements come and go, and sometimes i wonder- was that baby or gas. I have no pattern of movement but midwife told me that is normal and nothing to worry about.

Just relax, all is fine but i understand the anxiety, i too also had a miscarriage before this pregnancy and have been worried and anxious through the whole time!

x

 

[cnote]

I felt the same way in between scans when we were going through the whole NT fiasco, so I bought a doppler to reassure myself while I was waiting. I bought the angel sounds doppler on Amazon for about $50, and at first I thought wow that's pricey, but honestly it was worth every penny. If I don't feel movement for a day or so, I bust out the doppler and after I hear him in there I feel a lot better. I highly suggest you get one, it's worth the $.

 

[Thegoodtwin]

The lack of movement scares me too. I found out at my 15 weeks gender scan I have an anterior placenta which surprised me since I started feels flutters really early. But since the first early flutter at 13 weeks I haven't really felt much else but the occasional flutter. A few days ago I felt a definte kick but that's pretty much it. My Doppler is the only thing that puts my mind at ease when I get worried

 

[Amygdala]

Thegoodtwin, that's pretty much exactly my experience! So frustrating but good to hear it seems to be normal.

Cnote, I think you may have a point about the Doppler. I didn't get one early on in case I couldn't find the heartbeat, which would have worried me more. Recently I've been thinking about it again but then thought it won't be long until regular movements now. But it looks like it may be a good few weeks still so maybe it's worth it after all. How are you feeling now, after the nightmare you had with tests etc? Must be difficult to fully relax I imagine. Have you started baby prep yet?

Ally, thanks for sharing your experience! It's useful to know not to expect a regular pattern too soon. If only I wasn't so impatient...

 

[Ally2015]

Thegoodtwin, that's pretty much exactly my experience! So frustrating but good to hear it seems to be normal.

Cnote, I think you may have a point about the Doppler. I didn't get one early on in case I couldn't find the heartbeat, which would have worried me more. Recently I've been thinking about it again but then thought it won't be long until regular movements now. But it looks like it may be a good few weeks still so maybe it's worth it after all. How are you feeling now, after the nightmare you had with tests etc? Must be difficult to fully relax I imagine. Have you started baby prep yet?

Ally, thanks for sharing your experience! It's useful to know not to expect a regular pattern too soon. If only I wasn't so impatient...

you are most welcome, my baby has quiet days where i hardly feel him, and other days he is so active. But i always have a worry in my head, I think it's just normal in pregnancy. Everything is out of our control and if i could i would have a ultrasound every week to make sure everything is ok!
lol, im sure it won't be long and we are feeling our little ones all the time. x

 

[cnote]

I think a doppler would put your mind at ease, and at this stage you will be able to find the heartbeat. Sometimes it does take a few minutes though. I think the one on Amazon had free returns before 30 days so if you find you don't really need it after a couple weeks, you could always return it.

We are doing much better since finding out the baby is fine. In the last couple weeks we finally told everyone, including our families, that we're expecting. People are shocked at how far along we are and haven't said anything till now, but we didn't feel comfortable announcing with all the negative possibilities. We are now preparing mentally and letting it sink in that we will be parents in a few months! It's scary but also really exciting, and the whole NT thing made us realize how grateful we are to have a kid, let alone a healthy one, at all. The crazy part is, at our heart scan last week, the doctor told us our baby has an even higher chance of being healthy than one who had a normal NT and didn't go through all the testing! I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the big 180 the docs did on us. Anyway, we are so happy everything is okay. Thank you for all your support during that mega rough patch! Sounds like your pregnancy is going well, despite the anxiety and such?

 

[Amygdala]

Oh yeah, I think so. More soft wriggles today so not too anxious for now but I'm sure that'll come back. But other than that, I really can't complain. I'm feeling pretty well just now, which couldn't be said for this stage in previous pregnancies.
Congratulations on your announcement! We left ours relatively late as well, due to previous losses, but no-one really batted an eyelid. They were probably all too preoccupied with the shock of hearing that we're having a third! My mum, even asked me if I was happy! Considering we have two children who were very much planned and are even more loved, I thought that was a pretty strange reaction. We're in our 30s and financially stable, but somehow three kids seems to sound like a whole football team to our families.

 

[RichieesMom]

i actually posted about a week ago on here about how much i hate anterior placenta. i was 18wks n never felt a thing!! gave me crazy anxiety. i know hes a big mover bcuz iv seen him plenty of times on ultrasound wiggling around in there but feel nothing! within the last couple days, at 19wks, iv started to feel a little something here n there but i have to be still at the time to notice. cant wait to start feeling real movement.

 

[JT2013]

In my first pregnancy my placenta was anterior. I felt irregular movements from 18weeks and by 20-22 weeks he never stopped moving and it was visible from the outside too.

 

[PubMissus]

I have an anterior placenta too and all I do is worry.
I'll have one day when I can feel her loads and the next I might not at all and I freak out.
Hoping that in a couple of weeks I'll feel her a bit more regularly and stronger.

 

[Amygdala]

PubMissus, sounds like more movement should be just around the corner for us. Have you had your 20 week scan yet?

 

[cnote]

Yay for feeling more wiggles!! I think every day you'll start to feel it a little more. Your mom is probably just misunderstanding things, or maybe even projecting her own anxiety! I know when my sister had her third kid, my parents nearly keeled over, since they help a lot with baby-sitting. But either way, when the baby gets here, everyone will see his/her place in the family as a blessing. People get weird about pregnancy and kids...its a big change, and a huge investment on every level. It's not for everyone...but it's for you! And that's all that matters!

 

[lucy_x]

It's not so much the waiting for me but the fact that movements come and go and often I think I felt baby but then second guess myself and wonder if it was just gas or a twitch. I know I just need to be patient but with another scan coming up in two weeks time, I could really do with some reassurance that baby is fine.

This is exactly how I feel

I'm not even sure I have an anterior placenta, but assume I must (I did last time) - I'm feeling only bubbles around my left hip, sometimes a little something more definite, but like you second guess it Incase it is gas...

I don't have a scan for another two weeks, and I'm dreading it. Like all our babies this is very much wanted, and I want to feel it move more than anything right now

Eta is reassuring to see women not feeling much at this stage (18 weeks) - my first I felt very often. But that was a posterior placenta

 

[PubMissus]

PubMissus, sounds like more movement should be just around the corner for us. Have you had your 20 week scan yet?

I hope so! It would help my stress levels.. just want to feel some real and somewhat regular kicks.

Yeah I had my scan on Friday. Little girl is all good, placenta is definitely still anterior, have to go back in a couple of weeks because of a band/sheet thing.