Bright red bleed at 20 weeks

[baileybubs]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced a bright red bleed during the 2nd tri or later?
I had my 20 week scan yesterday and all looked fine, but this morning woke up and went to the toilet and there was a significant amount of blood on the toilet paper and had turned the toilet water red. I figured I must have bled in my sleep and wiped all of it away in a couple of wipes, since then not had any more.
I have been to a&e, they have assessed it was vaginal bleeding but baby is fine, they didnt scan but I have felt her moving and her heartbeat is fine. I have also had the anti d injection coz I am rhesus negative.
I was just wondering if anyone else has had a bleed like this and can give me some positive outcomes of healthy babies, coz I know it could be nothing but its so hard not to worry, especially as I had a mc earlier this year at 12 weeks.

TIA xxxxxx

 

[Kyla]

I've had bright red bleeding in my last pregnancy, several times from 20 weeks onwards and it was exactly as you described and I even spent some time in hospital being monitored. It was vaginal bleeding. I went on to have a healthy baby boy who is now 6.

I've also had some bleeding/spotting in this pregnancy, and went in for checks, everything is fine and it's more vaginal bleeding.

During pregnancy, the vagina is vascular and can easily bleed/spot. In some women, the pregnancy hormones cause womb cells to grow temporarily high up on and around the cervix, they gain a "lining" and this causes a bright red period type bleed. After pregnancy, these cells disappear.

Once it's happened to you, it is likely to happen again and you must always get checked out (which I'm sure you would do) but just wanted to give you some reassurance.

 

[baileybubs]

Thanks for the response Kyla, its reassuring to hear other people have been fine after this, and I know its not always something to worry about but I cant help but worry a little lol!! Thanks for sharing your story, has made me feel better!

 

[Kyla]

Glad it's made you feel better. I read a thread on the 3rd trimester board the other day and lots of ladies have had similar experiences. Once baby has been checked and happy, cervix is closed then everything should be fine.

I remember the first time it happened to me, I woke up and it was as if a period had started. I was distraught of course, but it was absolutely fine. Sometimes these bleeds can coincide with what would've been AF time, so about 20 weeks makes sense. When I had my booking in appointment with this pregnancy my MW said to look out for bleeding again as it's probably something that happens to me. My consultant wasn't bothered either.

Really hope you don't get it again and your pregnancy goes well.

 

[baileybubs]

Thank you, thats really helped me. I am feeling much better now I am at home and she is wriggling away. Think I'll make sure I take it easy and rest up, and hopefully everything else will go smoothly. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy and birth, thank you xxxxx

 

[New Mrs W]

No but I had a bright red bleed the night after my 12 week scan. I am convinced the pressure used by the sonographer had some sort of input to mine, too coincidental. Glad all seems well with your LO xx

 

[baileybubs]

I was wondering the same thing new mrs w, coz I had to be scanned 4 times yesterday coz my little monkey kept moving into bad positions and they couldn't measure her properly. In total I was in the scan room for about 45 mins with walks in between so that might have contributed. Thanks for the help! Hope everything is going well with your pregnancy and good luck xxx

 

[katnav]

It's strange this has come up today. I had my 12 weeks scan yesterday morning and then at 2 o clock I had bright red bleeding. Of course panicked majorly and went to a and e, had internal examination and scan and all was fine. I was wondering whether it was the pressure from the scan.

 

[baileybubs]

It's quite possible I guess! Especially if we had any bits of loose lining or anything that the pressure could have dislodged. My sonographer had to put a fair but of pressure on during mine coz she was really down low and in awkward positions.

 

[RKW]

Hiya, glad all is ok, I have had this at 16 & 19 weeks, and found out then my placenta is low and covering my cervix which is causing the bleeds, did they mention the position of your placenta in your 20 week scan?
I still have to go to hospital if I bleed again, but have been told to expect it and not to panic if it happens again. I have also been out on pelvic rest :0(

 

[baileybubs]

Yeah my placenta is posterior according to my scan results and they didn't say I had placenta previa when I had the scan yesterday.

 

[shocker]

My sister had a bright red bleed at 20 weeks with her daughter, my niece, who is now nearly ten years old! I had a some spotting at 27 weeks but everything is fine, doctor told me its pretty common with all the things shifting and changing and all the pressure! Glad everything is ok, its hard not to worry but am sure everything is perfect!

 

[baileybubs]

Thanks, I think I'm just more worried because the doctors didnt really offer anything in the way of reassurance except to say they arent worried because I had no pain, which is of no consolation to me as I had a missed miscarriage earlier this year and had no idea my baby had died until I went for my scan so I am still panicking! I have actually calmed down a lot since before coz I know that it can be nothing to worry about, its just so hard to stay calm at the time!! Hopefully in the next few months I can be telling someone else on here that I had a bleed and my baby is fine lol!!

 

[Kyla]

I hate it when Doctors don't fully explain. Sometimes I think it's because they don't know what exactly caused the bleed. The main things they look out for with problems were checked and they werent worried so they should then be honest and say it could be this or that but it's not related to your pregnancy to stop you worrying.

Take it easy for a few days and you will be back to reassure someone else in the future

 

[shocker]

Thanks, I think I'm just more worried because the doctors didnt really offer anything in the way of reassurance except to say they arent worried because I had no pain, which is of no consolation to me as I had a missed miscarriage earlier this year and had no idea my baby had died until I went for my scan so I am still panicking! I have actually calmed down a lot since before coz I know that it can be nothing to worry about, its just so hard to stay calm at the time!! Hopefully in the next few months I can be telling someone else on here that I had a bleed and my baby is fine lol!!

Could you rent a doppler? I rented one at the start and liked it so much I ended up buying one, I had a missed miscarriage with my first at 14+4 and have been paranoid enough without the added worry of a bleed, I find it really reassuring to be able to pull it out and check his heartbeat when hes having a lazy day. I have absoloutly no doubt that you will be, having a perfect scan just before I am sure they wouldve picked up if there was anything wrong

 

[Apple111]

Hi, glad ur ok hon xx

Apple xx

 

[Bumpblessing4]

I had some light spotting at 15 weeks eight days ago. It was brown at first but then I saw red, so I went to the ER. Everything was ok on ultrasound. The doctor did not do a pelvic exam. I never spotted in the first trimester with this pregnancy (or during the second or third trimesters with any of my other pregnancies), so I was very scared, but the ultrasound did reassure me. An OB friend of mine said she has seen this with Bacterial vaginosis, and I ended up taking Flagyl, but my spotting stopped within 18 hours anyways and hasn't returned after a week.

 

[baileybubs]

UPDATE I went to the toilet for a wee this morning and still no blood yay! But just been for a number 2 (sorry tmi) and there was a big drop of blood again when I wiped. Now clearly the bleeding is related to when I poop but the hospital said it hadn't come from my rectum it had come from my vagina so I'm thinking perhaps coz the stool was hard it disturbed something in the birth canal or around the cervix that has made it bleed. I'm gonna ring midwife in a mo anyway just to see what they say but actually think I'm a little relieved that it might not have come from inside my womb.

Oh and shocker, I do have a Doppler and she's fine in there wriggling away and hb normal. Just think I was panicking coz I thought my cervix was opening or something.

 

[Kyla]

Hard stools can cause vaginal bleeding as they irritate the walls which a vascular and sensitive, so it sounds like that was probably the answer. Glad baby is fine, best wishes

 

[baileybubs]

Thanks, I think a prescription for fybogel from the doctors will be first thing I do in the morning and luckily I have some here so hopefully if I can help soften my stools then it shouldn't happen again!

Thanks everyone for the advice and support, hopefully there will be no more bleeding xxx