Bright red blood 37+2

[dillydallydollydaydream7]

Hi ladies

Wondering if anyone can offer any advice.

DD was IVF, small baby (common with fertility babies), ELCS at 40 weeks. Really straightforward pregnancy, no issues.

Currently 37+2 with DD2, natural surprise pregnancy. Baby measuring small so had regular growth and Doppler scans and been closely monitored. Actual due date 14.11.20 but measuring small so was told ELCS would be today if size had dropped on Fridays scan, or Wednesday if size was good. Size increased slightly so all booked in for ELCS Wednesday.

Went to toilet at 12am, totally fine. Went at 3:15am, wiped - bright red, fresh blood! Wiped again and not as much but still there when wiping and more 'dry'. Rang triage and she said cause I can feel baby moving it could just be a show and to put a pad on and go back to bed and check on it again when I wake (cannot possibly sleep now!). She asked if it was like mucus; said I couldn't be certain because it felt 'smooth' in the sense that there seemed to be a lot at first wipe (so I'm thinking if bleeding started after 12am and I didn't check til after 3 the blood has had chance to build up so to speak) and that wipes after were blood on paper as opposed to lots of blood (sorry hope that makes sense). I can feel baby moving - I'm lying in bed and can feel some aching in my lower back which I've had for a few weeks off and on now but I've suffered with sciatica in both pregnancies which has affected my back and legs (physio first time round but not this time due to Covid which is understandable). Front wise period type aches now and again which again I've had off and on for a few weeks but as I'm coming to the end of pregnancy again it's sort of the 'normal' type of aches. Hospital bag is packed - have a feeling if I bleed anymore then I'll be going in and staying put until baby makes an appearance and think my section would be moved to today as an emergency rather than Wednesday as a planned which is what is panicking the life out of me because last time was so smooth and relaxed! (ELCS first time round as baby was ivf and we had been through a lot to have her, ELCS this time around due to previous CS and I don't deal well with anything 'down there' - not medical reasons but emotional ones)

Sorry I'm rambling, I'm just wondering people's thoughts and ideas?

I would call triage again with your concerns.
I had a few periods of fresh blood in the 3rd trimester of my last pregnancy, and there wasn’t a known issue. So please try not to worry xx

I would ring again, with a few to going in. In my case fresh red blood meant a uterine rupture. In my experience, shows are very obviously mucusy.

Good luck.

I think you should ask to go in and be checked out. It could be a show or it could be something more. You’ll not relax now until you’ve been seen.

Call triage again and explain your concerns. You can't lie awake worrying about something like this. Good luck OP

Go in. Don’t call. Just to. They need to assess you in person. The person you speak to in person might be wrong. Go.

Thank you all so much for your replies - I'm so pleased you're all awake!

I've just been to the toilet again - it's been an hour and a half since I last went and found the blood. No blood on the pad and when I wipe it's very dry (as in the blood doesn't seem to be 'fresh' and wipe away easily, it's just sort of on the paper) and it's not as bright red as before, more like darker as in older if that makes sense?

With my previous 2 bleeds the blood wasn't brown and old it just seemed to be like this where it got drier and darker then stopped. Pains seem to have stopped now too which I find odd and can still feel DD wiggling away and kicking hell out of my ribs.

DH is on his way back from work and is due in any minute now so I think I'll give them a ring back and see about getting checked. I did explain to them that I'm actually booked in at my local hospital (that doesn't have a working maternity ward so the hospital I rang is another in the trust 15 minutes away) for a Doppler and steroid injection at 10:30am today (steroid injection today and tomorrow because DD will be getting delivered 2 weeks early so it's for her lungs) so I'm wondering if they might pop me in for a scan too while I'm there just to check everything is OK

Update: been again (I love the part of pregnancy where you can wee on demand, anytime, anywhere... said no pregnant lady ever!)

Wiped, nothing on pad and when wiping it's just got a pink tinge now and doesn't seem anywhere like what it was earlier which has settled me down quite a lot. Still going to get checked though but don't feel as anxious as I did.

Thank you again for all of your replies, and I'll update again later just for anyone who might be experiencing anything similar

I had exactly the same a month ago at 37+2, a popping sensation and fresh blood, went to get checked out and was already 8cm without knowing, 2hours later and baby was here! Definitely get checked out! Good luck! X

It's so surprising how many women have this and quite reassuring that it seems to be common!

So I've been on a monitor and baby met criteria within 10 mins but they left me on for half an hour just to make sure and midwife said baby sounded very happy and active. Had scan and Doppler - fluid and pressure in cord is normal, she couldn't see all the placenta because of baby but could see a big bulk of it and said it looks completely normal. Waiting for file then back to clinic to do a swab (she mentioned a speculum but that's part of the reason I'm an elective section - I don't cope well with them due to previous history) so she said I can decline it and do the swab myself as though I was putting a tampon in so I've opted for that. She said if the scan and Doppler is fine then it'll just be a case of go home and monitor, if the blood stays the same not to worry but if it gets heavy to put a pad in, ring them, monitor it then come back in if it's heavy. She said around this stage the cervix can bleed and then settle down once pregnancy is over. Asked about my last smear and if it was normal, said it was but they said I was quite swollen and it was a bit bloody but could be because of the problems they had getting it and also because I was injecting myself daily with buserelin for the IVF which was obviously targeting my tubes and eggs etc