Low lying placenta now moved, feeling confused

[dkilby]

I should start with I'm consultant lead at the hospital due to bmi over 35 ... just!

So I don't have an assigned midwife or Dr to talk to and I'm just confused/disappointed.

From 20 weeks I've had low lying placenta, from 28 weeks the Dr at the hospital has said I will be having a c-section. Today at 35 weeks my placenta has now moved to 2.4cm clear of my cervix. This now means no more c-section.

I know I should be happy but based on my last appointment 3 weeks ago, the Dr told me I would be getting my date today on when I would be having it, but instead I was told I'm now having a natural birth.

I have no idea what to expect, how to prepare, I've lost control and can no longer plan and it's really got me confused. I was getting anxious about having the major surgery but happy because I would see the end date of when I could finally hold my boy. Whereas now I have absolutely no idea what to expect and no midwife to ask any questions to as I'm still consultant lead until 39 weeks :/

My original plan was a water birth in the birth centre but I now have no idea if I can have that, if I can how? If I have to go to labour ward there is only 1 pool and you're just lucky if you get it. So I don't know what to plan for, I don't want to be forced on my back legs in the air, it isn't a natural position and I feel like all my choices would be taken from me.

Everyone keeps telling me it's a good thing I can have a natural birth but I feel so unprepared for it that whilst it is still fresh in my head I don't feel like it's a good thing.

Just looking for advice really and wondered if anyone else has been through similar?

Feeling really let down last minute by the nhs who have up until today been fantastic. The Dr came across, in the whole 5 minutes of being with her, as if she was saying, well you're not having a c-section now so you're not our problem. Good luck, oh and by the way we won't sign you back to midwifery care until your final growth scan at 39 weeks.

If you still want a ELCS then request it.
If you're not sure ring the midwifery team, do you not have any appointments with them at all?
I'm consultant-led and not as far along as you and still see the midwife every 3 weeks and soon will be every 2 weeks for blood pressure and general check.
It sounds like you were originally open to the idea of a vaginal birth and had just come to terms with a C-section and now feel in limbo again so take a bit of time to think about what you would hope for and talk to them. I can't see how they can just leave you hanging until 39 weeks. If you do decide you want a C-section then there is probably more of a need to get back in touch sooner.

You need to decide what you would want to happen, I obviously can’t tell you that… but, I had a very similar thing in that I had a low placenta which had moved by millimeters by the final scan so I didn’t ‘need’ a c-section. I had decided since I was about 4 years old a c-section was the ONLY way a baby would be coming out of me if I was ever brave enough to have one though 🤣 So I had made this clear to the midwife from my very first appointment. I got my c-section with no issues, even though it wasn’t for medical reasons in the end up. I was terrified before it, really expected to die during the surgery so I was viewing it as ‘if I survive this itl be a bonus’ SPOILER ALERT I did survive 🤷🏼‍♀️
It was amazing! So so good! So controlled, so painless! The recovery was completely fine too so I would vote for another c-section without a doubt. If you actually want a vaginal birth though it’s a different story, there wasn’t a single fibre of my body interested in even attempting a vaginal birth so I’m the wrong person to ask about it 🙈