Low lying placenta. Red/ pink spotting at 22 weeks.

[Glitterybits]

I didn't know where to put this thread, so sorry if I seem like the angel of doom posting such a negative/ worried post on a pregnancy thread, but I can't bring myself to consider miscarriage just yet.

I've been told I have an anterior (yet low-lying) placenta, which is clear of my cervix, but only by a slight margin. They didn't seem overly concerned at my 21 week scan, but it did take the sonographer a bit of time to be certain that the OS was clear. She was a trainee and had to ask to her mentor for clarification purposes, which is fine, but the mentor didn't seem to be paying much attention - which doesn't help in terms of reassurance, does it? I was supposed to be under consultant care because of my history, but was told everything was normal so I could go back to midwife led care.

Prior to this pregnancy, I had a miscarriage with added complications that rendered me infertile for over a year. I had to take medication to get pregnant and was just beginning to relax after 3 good scans, when I started spotting again. Now I've had a bit of on/off spotting throughout this pregnancy, some of it fairly substanstial, some of it very light. It's been bright red, brown and pink, but it's always stopped and then I've had the scans to reassure me. The spotting I'm experiencing at the moment is not too dramatic, but it is red/pink and doesn't seem to coincide with physical activity. The last time I had any spotting was after sex, which I also had when pg with my DS, but it always stopped immediately after.

I suppose my question is, has anyone else has this happen to them and, if so, what did you do? I'm not in any pain and the bleeding is very light. I am still getting wriggles from the baby, although the anterior placenta dulls the sensations a bit, making me worry even more. It's a Sunday, so I doubt I could get a scan until tomorrow at the earliest, even if I went in. It's all very well that medical staff warn you that bleeding might happen, but at what point should you seek assistance? Some books suggest you go in immediately, whereas others suggest you don't panic until the bleeding is significant. I don't want to be neurotic about it, but neither do I want to cause any risk to my baby. I HATE the fact that a prior miscarriage has made me feel like I'm being a nuisance and melodramatic about all this.

Not sure of the specifics re low lying placenta - but do you have a DAU attached to labour ward? Ours is open for drop-ins 24 hours a day including Sundays & they'll see you from 16 weeks. They have access to scans as well as CTG etc - I ended up there twice so far (26 weeks) with reduced movement.

I would certainly want to discuss the situation with DAU/labour ward if I were you. I have high risk pregnancies & one thing my consultant has drummed into me is never ever ever avoid contacting someone because you're worried about being a nuisance - if you are worried call asap.

Hi peanut. Thanks for getting back to me. In the end I decided to call the Birth Unit (as I didn't know who else to call, given that it's no longer an EPAU thing at this stage). We don't have a drop in centre, but they must have been concerned because they had me straight into the labour ward. They couldn't scan me, but they checked the baby's hb and my cervix. The long and short of it is that they have no idea what caused the bleeding. Apparently my placenta isn't as low as I thought, though how they can know that without a scan I have no idea. I've been told my cervix is shut, which is something, but that this may well happen again. I guess I'm going to spend a lot more time worrying. I've also been told to rest and not lift anything heavy. Really easy with a toddler!

You're right about the nuisance thing though. Really must get over that. I'd rather feel silly, but safe, than wish I should have acted sooner.