Low lying Placenta Thread

[kheiro]

I'm so glad to have found this thread, especially your story Butterfly. It's given me a glimmer of hope. Bubs placenta is also a complete grade 4 posterior previa.

I was diagnosed last week at the 20 week scan and I haven't been able to stop crying since :0( I had a beautiful home, hypno birth with my now nearly 2 yr old DD but despite that ended up with postnatal depression (which I never sought help for). I just started feeling like I was really coming out of that a few months ago to be hit with this. This was supposed to be my catharsis and now it's turning out so far to be one of the worst scenarios I personally could have imagined.I just got out of hospital after being monitored overnight after I was getting some brown blood. When I spoke to the consultant he was very dubious about anything changing enough for at least a hospital vag birth.

How are all you ladies managing to stay positive, I'm devastated. I had it all planned another beautiful home hypno and hopefully this time waterbirth and that's all been shot to pieces. Other than for scans I've never been in a hospital in all my 39 years. My head is saying that as long as both bubs and myself are OK and that I don't end up leaving my DD motherless that's what's important but the other part of me feels violated at even the thought of a CS. Everyone I've told seems to think "CS what's the big deal?" They can't seem to understand how it's affecting me. They don't seem to take on board all the other dangers and that I will most probably end up on hospital bed rest away from DD for weeks before the birth. She's so young and that's a long time in a LOs life. I'm really worried about how that will affect the really close relationship that we have.

Are there any other ladies out there with positive stories of a posterior grade 4 that moved enough to have a vag birth ? I could really do with hearing them right now.

I'm sorry of this post has sounded really self indulgent but I just needed to get this all off my chest.

 

[kheiro]

they said they would keep me in at 36weeks but yesterday they said they would only do that if i bleed again, given that i now have high bp and protein they may well change their minds again! They said ANY type of bleed is a warning bleed so you HAVE to ring them no matter how small the bleed is

Sar should I ring them if it's just brown blood ? They seemed happy enough to let me out of hospital yesterday as there was only brown blood when I wiped. I'm still getting it this morning.

 

[kheiro]

they said they would keep me in at 36weeks but yesterday they said they would only do that if i bleed again, given that i now have high bp and protein they may well change their minds again! They said ANY type of bleed is a warning bleed so you HAVE to ring them no matter how small the bleed is

Sar should I ring them if it's just brown blood ? They seemed happy enough to let me out of hospital yesterday as there was only brown blood when I wiped but I'm still getting it this morning.

 

[- Butterfly -]

Aww Kheiro - so sorry that you're feeling so upset. Firstly about the blood - Yes I would definitely ring them up - better to have your mind put at rest.

I know how difficult it is to remain positive . . . . truly . . . . . we had to undergo a CVS test at 11 weeks and wait a week for the results - it is incredibly difficult to remain positive. The way I did it was to think that I need to keep as happy and calm as I could for the growing baby. With regards to your praevia you need to just try and stay focused that it will move out of the way. But if it doesn't and you don't get the birth you want then you need to remain calm etc for the sake of your baby and the most important thing is that your baby will arrive safely.

Hope everything is ok with your bleeding.

 

[sar35]

they said they would keep me in at 36weeks but yesterday they said they would only do that if i bleed again, given that i now have high bp and protein they may well change their minds again! They said ANY type of bleed is a warning bleed so you HAVE to ring them no matter how small the bleed is

Sar should I ring them if it's just brown blood ? They seemed happy enough to let me out of hospital yesterday as there was only brown blood when I wiped but I'm still getting it this morning.

how far gone are you?
I would ring them but I wouldnt think they would worry too much, i think they would worry if its bright red blood, but ring them anyway!

 

[sar35]

they said they would keep me in at 36weeks but yesterday they said they would only do that if i bleed again, given that i now have high bp and protein they may well change their minds again! They said ANY type of bleed is a warning bleed so you HAVE to ring them no matter how small the bleed is

Sar should I ring them if it's just brown blood ? They seemed happy enough to let me out of hospital yesterday as there was only brown blood when I wiped but I'm still getting it this morning.

how far gone are you?
I would ring them but I wouldnt think they would worry too much, i think they would worry if its bright red blood, but ring them anyway! I was told that 95% of them move so you never know!

 

[kheiro]

I'm 20 weeks. That was all I could think about at the time because of course they won't do anything to help him until he's 24 weeks I'm praying that he lives up to the name we have chosen for him which means "soldier"

I keep reading that at 20 weeks there's a real chance of it moving still but the consultant was pretty sure that because of the extent of it and the fact that it's posterior there is next to no chance of any significant change.

 

[sar35]

I'm 20 weeks. That was all I could think about at the time because of course they won't do anything to help him until he's 24 weeks I'm praying that he lives up to the name we have chosen for him which means "soldier"

I keep reading that at 20 weeks there's a real chance of it moving still but the consultant was pretty sure that because of the extent of it and the fact that it's posterior there is next to no chance of any significant change.

mine is exactly the same as yours and unfortunately hasnt moved but that doesnt mean that yours wont! I really hope it does for you

 

[Helly]

Sorry you girls are having a bad time with the placenta, it is rubbish to spend weeks in hospital but when you think what the alternative is then bed rest it is! I was so frustrated when I was admitted at 34 weeks knowing I wouldnt be sectioned until 38 weeks but I did understand and its surprising how quick you settle in!

 

[sar35]

Sorry you girls are having a bad time with the placenta, it is rubbish to spend weeks in hospital but when you think what the alternative is then bed rest it is! I was so frustrated when I was admitted at 34 weeks knowing I wouldnt be sectioned until 38 weeks but I did understand and its surprising how quick you settle in!

are you still there? or was it a previous pregnancy?

 

[Helly]

My first pregnancy, on my second now. Had my 12 weeks scan recently and grilled the poor sonographer on the position of the placenta lol.

 

[sar35]

My first pregnancy, on my second now. Had my 12 weeks scan recently and grilled the poor sonographer on the position of the placenta lol.

so was yours completely covering, did the section go ok? what can you tell me about your experience?

 

[Helly]

It was partially covering at 20 weeks, I was told I would come back at 34 weeks and it was likely to be fine, but at 34 weeks it was still partially covering, I didnt even get to go home, it was straight up to the ward. They scanned again at 36 and it wasnt touching the cervix anymore but was still too close to allow a vaginal delivery.

So as promised when I first arrived I woke up on Monday 19 June and was taken down to theatre having never had so much as a contraction and thankfully not a single bleed.

The c section was absolutely fine, I was nervous of course and I remember lying on the operating table and this panic coming over me that I would feel the knife and I didnt want to feel the knife, but I couldnt because as soon as the knife touches its pain and you cant feel pain only pressure! By the time I had told them why I was panicing they had had me open for ages and told me so lol. James needed his first night in SCBU as there was still some surfacent in his lungs (a common problem of c section babies born early) but it was nothing major and he was with me the next morning.

My consultant was great, when I was first admitted he came to see me and said "do you know why you are here", I said yes obviously and he said "good, cos if things go wrong, even in the car park of this hospital its unlikely I could save either of you, so youre going to stay put right?". I was like after that comment too right Im staying put.
I wouldnt have argued with him anyway, my cousin, totally unrelated to any prior placenta problem like low lying had had full placental abruption, apparently it only happens once or twice a year in the hospital we are in so incredibly rare. She luckily was in labour at the time and literally as it happened a midwife walked in (luckily she was on the monitor and the midwife recognised the sound), 7 minutes later she was out under general anaesthetic and her baby had been born by c section. Both of them survived with no lasting harm.

So yep, its crap and its boring and I hated my time in hospital but I smiled through it cos they dont hospitalise you like that for nothing, they do it to keep you close to theatre. While I was in hospital a girl who had previa with me started contracting, you could hear the midwives outside the room having serious words with the theatre staff saying they wanted her off the ward and in theatre. She was absolutely fine, she had been complaining of backache for hours and we all thought it was just backache and not contractions, she went to theatre and was sectioned as normal, not knocked out or anything.

Hope all this hasnt scared anyone, as you can see every story above had a positive ending, in fact I had to have had the most uneventful birth ever, never had so much as a twinge. Im hoping for a good old fashioned agonising birth this time!

 

[sar35]

wow! I was originally told that I would be hospitalised at 36weeks but the consultant seemed to of changed his mind! Unless I bleed again! How long ago did you have your last baby? Thanks for your story its scary but nice to know someone who has experienced it. Was there ever an issue with the cutting and the placenta, as in did they have to cut through placenta first or anything? Mine is posterior too but I dont really understand it!

 

[- Butterfly -]

I'm 20 weeks. That was all I could think about at the time because of course they won't do anything to help him until he's 24 weeks I'm praying that he lives up to the name we have chosen for him which means "soldier"

I keep reading that at 20 weeks there's a real chance of it moving still but the consultant was pretty sure that because of the extent of it and the fact that it's posterior there is next to no chance of any significant change.

Try to keep positive. Mine is posterior and WAS completely covering OS. It can move.

 

[kheiro]

Thanks Butterfly. I'm clinging to your story at the moment.

I'm visualising away like mad (ala The Secret ) and have started having treatment from two friends one of whom is an energy healer/herbalist and the other an acupuncturist. Neither of them claim that they can definitely change the situation but I don't see that it can hurt, especially as it is starting to make me feel a little more positive.

 

[- Butterfly -]

Thanks Butterfly. I'm clinging to your story at the moment.

I'm visualising away like mad (ala The Secret ) and have started having treatment from two friends one of whom is an energy healer/herbalist and the other an acupuncturist. Neither of them claim that they can definitely change the situation but I don't see that it can hurt, especially as it is starting to make me feel a little more positive.

I'm so pleased that I am helping you. I think it's great that you are getting help and you're so right that the fact that it is making you feel more positive then they are well worth trying.

 

[newmommy23]

mine was fully covered and moved by 36 weeks. have hope girls!

 

[sar35]

mine was fully covered and moved by 36 weeks. have hope girls!

Really! when were you scanned before 36weeks? I was scanned at 34 do you think mine could move?

 

[newmommy23]

mine was fully covered and moved by 36 weeks. have hope girls!

Really! when were you scanned before 36weeks? I was scanned at 34 do you think mine could move?

yep, scanned at 19,21,24,32,34,36,38 and once when I was overdue just to be sure my placenta moved. It moved between my 36 and 38 scans so yeah its possible!