posted on pregnancy & health, trying here too for other opinions re: Low Lying Placenta

[lmc48]

Hi I had this with 1st pregnancy, hemorraged quite badly etc. Had an emergency c-section too.Anyone else have PP first time but not second? What are my chances of getting this again, if anyone has any advice please advise - Thank you all so much! I am toying with getting pregnant again but soooooo scared. Any positive or negative stories would be interesting, really am trying to establish if it is unlikely for me to go through this again.thanks again

Hiya, I'm an antenatal teacher and writer on VBAC/CS issues. My reading of the research is that there is a higher risk of Placenta Previa re-occurring if you have had it before AND there is an increased risk of placental problems due to your previous caesarean. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6611791.stm BUT its an increase in a very small risk not an absolute given. If you do decide to have another baby your carers will want to have a look at where the placenta is in relation both to the cervix and your previous scar. If you don't get placenta praevia again, and your risk is about 1%, then you are unlikely to have other problems with your placenta.

Have a look at www.caesarean.org.uk and www.homebirth.org.uk/vbac. You might also find the UKmidwifery email group very useful, the link to this is on www.radmid.demon.co.uk

I hope this helps, if you want to talk it all over with someone IRL, the NCT has VBAC and Caesarean birth specialist volunteers who will be happy to talk through your concerns and your options. 0870 444 8709 is the Pregnancy and Birth Line, then ask them to find the numbers for the VBAC/Caesarean Suppport Co-Ordinators.

My friend had PP and an elective c-section first time around, and no PP and a VBAC the second time. So yes, it definitely is possible, but I guess you knew that!

I had it first time but not second. It is vastly more likely that you won't have it twice than that you will.
I wanted a caesarean 2nd time, though they tried to persuade me to have a vaginal birth.

is it common to hemmorage with low lying pp?do the majority of people that have this hemmorage or is that again just unlucky if you do?thanks ladies

Replied on one of your other threads, but just looking at this again. I'm not very clear from your OP what happened when you haemorrhaged. You say you had an emergency section. So were you allowed to go into labour? And did the haemorrhage happen in labour? Normally with pp you would have to have an elective section, and this would be done before your due date (mine was 36 weeks, but I'd had a lot of bleeding before that, so they did it as soon as was safe - 37 weeks would be more normal). Otherwise, what happens is that when your contractions start they dislodge the placenta (which is obstructing the baby getting out) and this can be dangerous both to mother (loss of blood) and baby (loss of oxygen supply via the placenta). Was your pp not diagnosed until you were in labour?

I still think that you are more likely NOT to have problems in a second pregnancy than to have them. However, I think in your position I'd want to know where my placenta was at the 20 week scan (most hospitals tell you, but not all - mine didn't, and I had to stage a sit-in in the scan room with my 2nd pregnancy till they told me where my placenta was, because I couldn't stand the stress of not knowing!) and if it was at all low, I'd want a repeat scan at 34 weeks (no point doing it in between). If it seemed to be anywhere near the cervix at 34 weeks I'd think about asking for an elective section at 37 weeks.

In response to your question... It is quite rare to haemorrhage with pp, but that is because most cases nowadays are picked up by scans. Without scans ('in the olden days', as my dd would say) it would have been very common for women to haemorrhage in labour due to pp. But it sounds as if you were just really really unlucky that your case was missed.

Good luck and HTH.

thanks ellbell, i was told at 20wks it was complete it complete pp, covering os etc. then at 32 weeks told it had moved enough for natural birth, then when i was in my 4th day of labour my water broke which were blood stained, thats when they carried out my csection. i was told after it had not moved enough to try for natural labour, so cant understand why the lady who scanned me told me it had moved. thats why im so scared to try for another one.

I am not an expert (except from having had it... and having been in hospital for bloody ages with it ) but it really does sound as if you were very unlucky. Perhaps ask for the consultant to do you a late scan next time? Or, if you're really worried and don't think you'd be able to cope with a natural labour, ask for an elective section. But it really is very very unlikely to happen again. Good luck!