Anterior placenta - please share your experiences!

[hubbahubster]

I'm 23 weeks with an anterior, low placenta and only feeling movement sporadically. Some days I get a couple of strong thumps that actually make me feel faint, other days I just get flutters like gas (and quite often plenty of gas too TBH!). Anyone else experiencing anything similar? Just a bit paranoid in case anything's gone wrong so hand-holding appreciated!

[CBear6]

I had an anterior placenta with DS and I would get days where he'd get himself behind it and I'd just feel really vague movements rather than strong kicks. Once I got to about 30 weeks though he was big enough to hit above and below it so I felt him lots more. I had a mc before having him and I spent the whole pregnancy paranoid something would go wrong so the anterior placenta didn't help matters, it's like having a cushion between your abdomen wall and the baby which acts like a shock absorber.

If you're ever worried about movements then have something icy cold to drink and go lay down on your side. I found laying on my side helped me feel more because he could kick against that rather than the front where the placenta was.

[lizandlulu]

hiya, i have no advice but i also have an anterior placenta. i am 22 weeks with my 2nd pregnancy. i went for my scan last week and was told then that the placenta was anterior although it was just said in a matter of fact way and i didnt really think anything else of it untill i googled it (my mistake!) and found that it can cause the baby to be breech, and can be why you dont feel much.

i am only just this week starting to feel more movements and the baby is either punching or kicking me in my bowel alot which is not a very niice feeling. i am sure i felt more when i was pg with dd at this stage.

[CBear6]

Google is your worst enemy when it comes to pregnancy. I googled it when I had it, got myself in a total tizzy, and was eventually told by my GP that it doesn't make a damn bit of difference to the pregnancy, baby position, or labour/delivery. The only drawbacks are that you don't feel as many movements and that there's a small possibility of baby being back to back. Really though it's fine and won't affect your pregnancy.

My GP says he would love it if Dr Google was banned :)

[knackered76]

I had an anterior with my 2 dc's and this one is as well! Made no difference to position and birth, both were quick and fairly 'easy', well as it can be :) The only difference is the movement probably. I did end up in hospital the other day for monitoring, am 30wks, as I hadn't overly felt the baby move for a few days and discovered that I couldn't feel around 75% of the movements picked up on the monitor! I was told off for not going sooner and that even though I have an anterior if I don't feel movements to call anyway. It does get easier to feel the bigger the baby gets :)

[PipCarrier]

I've had an anterior placenta both pregnancies. Haven't delivered this one yet but it made no difference in the delivery of my first, only had a 4.5 hour labour and it was fine. Try not to worry.

[ShowOfHands]

I've had an anterior placenta and a traumatic delivery and so looked into this A LOT. Plus I nagged my consultant about it A LOT.

If you have an anterior placenta, you are more likely to have an OP baby than if you have a posterior placenta...

BUT

An OP baby is not necessarily a bar to normal delivery. Some babies turn in labour, some are born star gazing and it is perfectly possible to have a normal, straightforward delivery with an op baby.

And more importantly, you're still more likely to have an OA baby than an OP baby if you have an anterior placenta. It's just marginally more likely in a pregnancy with an anterior placenta as the baby likes to face the placenta.

Never heard anything about breech and can't see why an anterior placenta would be implicated in a likelihood of a breech position.

Anyway, I had an anterior placenta and felt movement from 17 weeks but at times dd could hide and I wouldn't feel her for a couple of days. I have no experience of a posterior placenta but believe me you do get lots and lots of movements once they're bigger and punching your sides/ribs/bladder.

[vaginiasmonalogue]

I had an anterior placenta and an op baby. I felt a lot less movement than with my onther 2.

He was OP and I actually felt him turning in my foof on his way out!

[owlbooty]

I'm 21 weeks and have had exactly the same as you Hubba - some days I get a couple of good boots and others just the occasional flutter. My doc told me to think of the anterior placenta like a beanbag between the baby and my nevers - so when he kicks out, he's hitting the beanbag rather than the nerves directly.

It's still early days, I bet we'll be grumbling about getting kicked to bits in 10 weeks time :)

[ShowOfHands]

at 'nevers'. They should be called that really.

Believe me, once they're big enough to reach your ribs, bladder and sides in one stretch, you'll get enough movement to make you yelp. And most of the day and night.

[hubbahubster]

Thanks ladies, my main worry is that something's happened to LO when I don't feel so much ? like CBear6 I had a MC last year so I'm extra paranoid probably. He's been quieter since Saturday but still feeling flutters every day, so I'm guessing he's just a bit muffled ATM.

I'll deal with delivery problems if and when the time comes ? I just want to get there safely!

[owlbooty]

Nevers, ha hubs I too had a mc last year so know exactly what you mean.

[Prunnhilda]

I had an anterior placenta and was told (offhandedly) that ds would probably be OP. He was, until labour, when he turned, and birth was v straightforward.
There are lots of forward-leaning positions you can adopt in the weeks up to the birth and especially in labour which can help the baby to turn.

[Poppet45]

DS had an anterior placenta, I forward leant for weeks, didn't sit in a sofa for the last three weeks (I must have been mad), didn't own a car so cycled and walked everywhere, swam and did yoga the day before I went into labour. He didn't end up OP he ended up jammed sideways - LOT - stuck in something called deep transverse arrest where he bounced up and down off the top of my pelvis during the pushing phase and was hauled out of the emergency exit after 19 hours of me turning down all pain relief bar gas and air. I have a horrible feeling this one will be an anterior placenta too, I won't mind at all about the muffled kicks, but I'll be gutted for the fact that it may make my VBAC delivery less likely.

[BrightSideOfLife]

I am the same - I am 24 weeks pregnant with DC2 and have an anterior placenta. In fact - it was only after I mentioned to my consultant (being monitored for another issue) how I was concerned not to be feeling any movement yet (at 20 weeks) that he looked at my scan notes and explained why.

My first pregnancy with DD was completely different - I felt kicks continuously from 17 weeks (She is 2 years old and hasn't sat still since )

It is very different and I also panic slightly about not feeling any kicks on some days!

poppet I hope that you get your vbac....sounds like you had a horrific time with your first birth!

[hubbahubster]

owlbooty I think my are nevers at the moment too! grin

My midwife has written 'Is a worrier' on my maternity notes ? cheeky cow! I don't think I'm any more worried than anyone else, even given last year's MMC. I never call her with questions or anything!

Great to hear from people in the same boat ? BrightSideOfLife, are you feeling much ATM?

[ShowOfHands]

Poppet, we've chatted about this a lot before. We had identical labours- PROM, 2 days of labour, 6hrs of pushing, episiotomy, ventouse, manual rotation, emcs. DD was in deep transverse arrest.

I have an anterior placenta again and know exactly how you feel.

[systemsaddict]

oh yes, I had anterior placenta second time round and didn't feel kicks till 24/25 weeks and got SO hacked off with my mother phoning me every three days - 'is baby kicking yet? I felt you by 16 weeks you know' ARGH! (she is nearly 3 now, I should have moved on from this now shouldn't I ). Had a v. easy delivery with her if that is reassuring at all (as opposed to my first, non-anterior placenta, difficult OP delivery).

[BrightSideOfLife]

hubba I feel a few very soft nudges through the day - maybe 4 or 5times in 24 hours. NOTHING like my first pregnancy.

If I take some time to lie down on my side, I often feel some more kicks (Like he is playing football with my Kidneys!)

lizandlulu I forgot to say that I know EXACTLY what you mean about being kicked in the bowel - very unpleasant!

[Lainey1981]

I had anterior placenta with DS. First felt him move around 17 weeks. Movement definitely got a LOT stronger after 30 weeks but think because of the position of placenta didn't get much of the visible body parts. Having been kept awake many a night by kicking and somersaults am to think how much movement i would have felt with posterior placenta. Don't think would have got any sleep in 3 rd trimester!

[lizandlulu]

i do feel bit of movement, but its very internal if you know what i mean, dh has only felt it kick once, and not many more times for me even though i sit there at night just holding my belly to see if i can feel it!

i bought an angel sounds doppler so i could listen to it and i can hear it moving loads on there and before me scan i wondered how can it be moving so much and me not feel it. but now know why.

i aslo said to mum today about this thread and that it might make the baby move into the back to back position and she said 'well just hope the placenta doesnt move and block its way out, then you will have to have a cesarian' helpful mother!

[schmee]

Sorry - what is OP? Is it breech?

[lizandlulu]

think is abb for the back to back position the baby can get in, i am not sure though

[ShowOfHands]

Occipito Posterior.

The baby's spine lies along your spine so their back is to your back, hence the more common 'back to back' term. Most babies are occipito anterior (back to your stomach) but can be occipito transverse (sideways).

Babies like to face the placenta apparently and that's why they are slightly more likely to be op if you have an anterior placenta.

lizandlulu, tell your mum that it's unlikely that the placenta will fall off the uterine wall. People do like to Say Things don't they? Of course people do have a placenta over the escape hatch but that's what they scan you for.

[schmee]

Thank you! My baby's transverse at the moment which I heard can be because the placenta is low, but it's also anterior so interesting to know that she is likely to be back to back even if she goes head down. Poor confused little monkey!

[ShowOfHands]

Please be assured it's not 'likely'. You are still more likely to have a baby in an anterior position. And an op baby isn't necessarily a problem.

Transverse where the baby lies bodily across the uterus is also slightly different to occipito transverse as the 'occiput' is the back of the head iirc and it indicates head down but the position of the head (and spine) being turned sideways.