low lying placenta/placenta previa

[spikydahlia]

Hi I'm a newbie be nice to me I'm a bit fragile!

I'm 21 weeks preg and have just been told at my scan that i've got complete placenta previa. I have been quite blarzay about pregnancy, since my last one was a breeze with a 3 hour normal labour. I now have a toddler that needs lifting in and out of cars etc and I have been behaving as if I'm not pregnant at all. The sonographer didn't give me any info about the condition, and now i've read up on it I am quite scared!

Obviously I need to take it easy! Anyone else got this/had it/got any experience and support for me???

My other half won't talk about anything serious or emotional I need to share!!!!

i hope the sonographer told you that you can't have sex with this condition? i had a possible low lying placenta and the sonographer didn't even mention about sex being dangerous, which i was quite annoyed about, having looked it up. as it turned out my placenta shifted into a normal position as the pregnancy went on...
i'm sure someone else will be along in a minute with lots more information....

I had this- I wasn't told to avoid sex but did so as a precaution after reading up on it as it can cause some bleeding.

Other than that I carried on as normal and it moved ( for most women with low lying placenta at 20 weeks it does move I think)

You will get another scan at about 26 weeks to check the position of the placenta

Speak to your midwife if you are worried- but it isn't something you need to panic about and I believe it is fairly common at 20 weeks

Thanks for your replies.

I have heard it can move. Does anyone know if it is completely covering the cervix will it move enough to prevent a c section/dramatic bleeding??

I had a complete placenta praevia grade 4 with my DS. I had major bleeds from 20 weeks, was admitted to hospital for complete bed rest at 26 weeks where i stayed until I had an emcs at 31+2 having had 5 major bleeds whilst on bed rest.

A complete placenta praevia in most circumstance does not move.

I was told to avoid sex & lifting and was not allowed to have any internal examinations. This was almost 15 years ago.

I am now 16 weeks pregnant and have been told there is an increased risk i will have another placenta praevia but this is mainly because of 'other' complications.

I had partial placenta previa last time and had lots of extra scans. They kept saying it would move but it didn't, and the terminology was "close to but not covering the os." I had a very big placenta, a big baby and was also on heparin and aspirin and so a CS was recommended, which I was happy with. I wasn't told to avoid sex - the advice is different if you have vasa previa, when you're on bed rest pretty much, but was told to call 999 if there was any bleeding. I had no bleeding, and a very calm and lovely planned CS at 38+5. afterwards the surgeon commented on the size of the placenta and it's position and said he thought I wouldn't have been able to deliver vaginally anyway.

They linked the placental size to the large amounts of additional progesterone support i had in the first trimester. I didn't worry too much about it and took the comments made about it to be that it was a Good Thing.

Helloginger: Ooh so it's not so much doom and gloom if you got to 38 weeks. I'm scared of it being too early and getting carted off in an ambulance with my toddler who would be a nightmare pushing buttons or having a tantrum!

Thanks for your post

Gosh not doom and gloom at all! I don't think you're any more likely to deliver early, but if you do need a section they tend to do it jest before you're likely to labour naturally. Even so, they were very reassuring with me and just said that if anything happened, come straight in and they'd do the section immediately. If you have private medical insurance you might be able to have the section privately. Good luck!

Hi, sorry about this but I'm afraid I've got a bit more doom & gloom. If you have complete placenta previa then the placenta is not likely to move and it is likely that you will bleed (about a 25% chance according to my consultant). Do not be blasé about this condition, avoid sex and if you bleed at all go into hospital. I had pp with dd2, and believe me when a placenta bleeds, it seriously bleeds and a small bleed can often be the sign of a much heavier bleed to come. I don't want to scare the bejeesus out of you, but I was in hospital for 8 weeks, dd2 was prem & we were both very ill. Start thinking about who will look after your toddler if you have a prolonged stay in hospital, in might never happen, but you don't want to have to make plans on the hoof like we did. My poor mil did a round trip of 300 miles every week for 8 weeks to take care of dd1.

Sorry to do this to you, but I honestly did not think this would happen to me, and I wish to goodness I had been given more practical information.

Just to add, as someone else has, that complete placenta praevia is unlikely to move before birth. When the placenta is partially covered, or just low lying, it may move, and merely low laying placentas move in about 90% of cases. Complete placenta praevia is a serious condition, so do rest and take it easy to minimise any complications. On the other hand, don't get over stressed! you sound like you've done some research and understand the risks. The main thing is, if you have any bleeding to go straight to hospital. I am now 37 weeks and had a very low lying placenta, my uterus has finally grown enough in the last two weeks that the placenta is now 2-3cm away from cervix. It's irrelevant in my case as I'm having a section for other reasons. Good luck and take it easy! x

Thanks for your posts. I'm gonna take it easy, pack a bag with PJs and lots of pads and have a plan just in case. My little one can now get in and oout of his own car seat if I have a supply of chocolate buttons and I'm gonna ask some neighbours to be on standby if I have to call an ambulance.

Its not too scary now I've come to terms with it and I have a plan.

I would also back what Thefowlandpussycat said - good to have a plan just in case.

I had a complete previa with DS (DC2) that moved slightly but not enough to move away from the os. I didnt know anything about the condition (was probably going to have to have a c section anyway for other reasons) and was hugely shocked and frightened when I had some very heavy bleeding and needed complete hospital bedrest with i/v drugs to stop bleeding and contractions. I didnt have a plan (for caring for DD etc) so it was very very difficult.

DS ended up extreemly prem but is now a boisterous big bouncing 1.5yr old.

Im now 34wks with DC3 and have been very carefully monitored. I have had a plan (unconsciously initially) every day since very early on in case I have to go to hospital urgently. Hopefully not needed this time.

Good luck. I hope you dont need to use your plan!