Talk me down: anterior placenta after previous C section

[manandbeast]

I'm hoping that some of you will be able to share some positive stories - I've been googling and scared myself...

I'm 17 weeks and have a low lying anterior placenta. I have to have a MAP scan to diagnose whether the placenta has grown into my C section scar. If it has, google tells me, this is seriously high risk and delivery could end with hysterectomy. I had a post partum haemorrhage last time and I feel very traumatised by the memory of lying in pools of my own blood thinking this is it.... so this new worry is playing on my mind.

Anyone else had a low lying placenta after previous c section and been fine? Am planning an elcs.

Yes!
High risk due to reasons you stated (right down to the post surgical haem) + high risk of second early labour. Horribly stressful and worrying pregnancy but I'm currently sitting cuddling my healthy 4 month old who was born by ELCS at 39 weeks.
My c-section got a bit complicated and I had to have a blood transfusion but the theatre team were incredibly calm, informative, reassuring, etc and I had every confidence in them. It was actually a nice experience (but then my son's birth was horrific so my comparison isn't great).

I hope everything goes well for you.

Thankyou.
So had your placenta implanted into scar? You did require blood transfusions? How did you feel afterwards? Where did you give birth?
Thankyou

Well, fuck. I did not know this is a thing & im almost certain the sonographer mentioned anterior placenta again this time after EMCS last time.
Consultant hasn't mentioned anything at all though. So glad you brought this to my attention. Hope all goes well for you

It was covering my cervix and over the scar/anterior. My first was an EMCS and surgery for post-op haem which had left a lot of scar tissue behind. This ELCS was a bit difficult because it was difficult to hack through all the scar tissue and they did the cell salvage transfusion.

I had this baby at Devon and Exeter hospital. I can't praise the surgical team enough. The anaesthetist was brilliant. At one point they had to wait for a more senior surgeon/OB to assist, they were so calm we were actually having a laugh while my insides were outside!!

I was so relieved the baby was ok. The pain was managed really well. The ward staff were brilliant. The OB and anaesthetist came to the ward the next day to debrief.

I remember being told at 17 weeks and feeling so nervous and sick for the next 20 weeks.

Coldhands an anterior placenta with a previous caesarean is only a concern if the placenta is low lying. Does your scan report say "Anterior placenta, clear of the os?" In which case, it's fine.
Manandbeast, I'm sorry you're having to go through this extra stress. Google is not your friend! Yes, you are higher risk but hopefully the scan will be fine and the vast majority of people with placenta praevia/accreta/percreta will be OK. Some hospitals use interventional radiology to help in these cases when they do the caesarean, balloons are inserted into the arteries supplying the uterus and these can be inflated to stop the bleeding. If it was an emergency last time, hopefully a carefully planned caesarean will be a much nicer experience.

Thank you, I have just done a bit of reading & come to that conclusion. I can't read my notes very well, but I think it says 'not low' which is reassuring. I think I'm confusing with last time which was both anterior and low.
I thought I'd stopped worrying, but apparently not! But am reassured for a bit of reading.

Thankyou for your positive stories and also advice.

I'm sure the odds are on my side and I will stay away from Google.

Sorry to cold, and anyone else who I've worried with this thread.

I've had 4 cs and had accreta with 2+4

With my second the placenta had attached where the previous scar was and was also low. I lost quite a lot of blood and I won't lie, I was in a lot of pain afterwards. It was a difficult cs and stressful. I'd had a scan and MRI to diagnose
With my fourth it was a smaller area of accreta higher up as the placenta wasn't low so notbreally any major complications except ds was a month early and very poorly in nicu for over a week

@manandbeast, frankly, I would rather know! My hospital aren't that great on the giving information front.
It's absolutely it your fault I'm prone to a bit of a panic just now, but I'm definitely glad I know & can double check about this when I see the consultant.
Really I hope things go well for you, it's so hard to decide what to do for the best :)

I am in the same boat, although this is baby number four and will be section number four too. I'm 23 weeks and have a scan booked for 32 weeks (with MRI to follow up if not conclusive).

How many prior sections have you had? The consultant said I am higher risk due to having more prior sections (something like 60% chance of accreta with three prior section if already diagnosed with praevia - overall risk without praevia diagnosis around 2%). But still won't know for sure for another nine weeks.

I won't lie, it is a worry; and I have extra concerns as the hospital I'm booked into is currently in the midst of investigations into its neotatal and maternal morbidity and mortality! Plus I had a shite postnatal experience last time.

But I am trying not to panic, and just do what I usually do, which is to read everything on the subject, look at the actual risks, so that I am clued up with questions if accreta is confirmed. I am also doing research into consultants specialising in high risk deliveries; again, more to reassure myself that second opinions or other options are available if I need them.

Oh and I meant to say that I had a severe pph with my second delivery, so I can totally understand your fears. My last delivery was all geared up to prevent this reoccurring, with drip etc and it all went really smoothly. I think with all of these things if they know in advance about potential complications then they can prepare for them.

Thankyou - it's just so intimidating to imagine things going wrong. I was blissfully naive the first time around.

To answer your question I've had 1 previous c section so hopefully chances are low.

Also placenta can move I think? I think I felt my first kicks today and I heard with low lying placenta it might be much later so hoping those kicks are a good song??

*sign

The attached is from the RCOG paper on placenta praevia/accreta... risks are much lower with only one prior section. It is a massive worry, I've not told family (apart from dh) as it sounds so scary and I worry that they'll either panic or think I' bring a drama llama!

To answer your question, the placenta can move, well it's not that the placenta itself moves, it's that the bottom third of the uterus grows, so the placenta appears to move upwards. It's not entirely clear to me what happens if the placenta is attached in the scar, presumably it all just stretches hence increasing chance of bleeding if you do have praevia/accreta?

I was at risk of accreta. They will do an extra scan, check blood flow and also an MRI. DS2 came at 26 weeks for entirely unrelated reasons (he's doing well now and snoring next to me), but during the CS the whole thing was v well handled. My surgeon said to me that in 25 years he had 2 accreta cases where he had to perform a hysterectomy and in BOTH cases the accreta came as a surprise. Where the accreta is known in advance the surgery itself is much less high risk.

Thankyou.

And glad to hear all turned out well