Low lying placenta - anyone else??

[Hwilliamson91]

Hi all! At my 20 week scan I was told I had a posterior low lying placenta and that I would need to go for another ultrasound at 30 weeks. I went again last week and my placenta is still low - not completely covering my cervix and she said something about it being 3cm away. I now need to go for another scan in approx 5 weeks.

Has anyone else had this issue? I think I’m really set on having a c-section regardless. I’m really nervous and can’t stop thinking about it!

thanks

Hi, I had a low lying placenta and felt as though I wasn’t given too much information about it but I suppose everyone’s symptoms are different.

I had a lot more scans as they hoped it would move but it didn’t.

I truly believe that I over-did it towards the end of my pregnancy, physically and my son arrived one month early. He was perfectly fine and I had no problems at all with him being a month early but I was not prepared at all for what came with it. I was woken up in the night to a huge bleed - terrified, believing that I had lost my baby. I went straight into hospital and baby was fine, I was monitored for approximately one day and night, whilst still heavily bleeding until the right surgeon was in (this is what I was told).

I don’t mean to scare you, that was my experience and baby was safe the whole time.

If I were you, I would ask lots of questions. For instance, Why in America are mothers but on bed rest near the end of their pregnancy and we don’t do that in this country?

Hello! Thank you for responding! I do feel I haven’t been given much information and I know I shouldn’t Google things but it’s hard not to but I have read a few things about women bleeding and/or early labour. The sonographer didn’t seem too concerned and just said if placenta hasn’t moved by the next scan then a c section would be done and that’s it!

I had the same - I was (mentally) prepared for a c-section but in the end it did move and I had a straightforward birth. I had a few extra scans between 30 and 40 weeks.

Hi @Hwilliamson91 i'm in a similar position but nearly 36 weeks. My placenta is posterior and was 1.6cm away from the os at the 20w scan. I had a small bleed (brown blood after straining myself swimming, which I'm not actually convinced was from the placenta as it wasn't bright red and stopped fairly quickly - was more like brown discharge) at 29 weeks but they couldn't see whether the placenta had moved as the baby's bottom was obscuring the view and I didn't consent to an internal scan. I've just had another scan yesterday and the baby is still breech and obscuring the view. I have an ELCS booked for 2 and a half weeks' time so it's not going to make any difference to delivery so it's not particularly bothering me. I was told that 2cm is the limit where they get twitchy so at 3cm you're safely over that limit, but I would definitely ask if you do have any questions or concerns.

Yeah mine moved up

I honestly think that nobody says too much because every pregnancy is different and anything could happen. Also, lack of knowledgeable the same time. When I was admitted - I waited (bleeding heavily) for 24 hours because they didn’t have a qualified doctor to help which was so scary.

please prep a list of questions and speak to your doctor. I know that they also hope the placenta will move in time and in most cases, it does apparently.

please, please don’t be scared though, they are monitoring it which is great and the extra scans are lovely.

I also don't want to scare you at all but knowledge is power!!

My sister had a low lying placenta. At her last scan before baby arrived they said they thought it was just far enough out of the way for her to have a natural birth.

2 weeks before due date she started haemorrhaging. Lots of big clots. Thought she was losing the baby. Rushed into hospital. Emergency c section. Turns out it wasn't far enough out of the way at all.

Hopefully yours has moved by your next scan but I think it is definitely worth considering a c section!

I really hope these comments don't scare you! I'm sure there's lots of positive stories.

I was told same at 20 weeks, went back for scan at 36 weeks and it had moved out the way. Had a vaginal birth no issues!

I had this too. I was scanned a couple of extra times as it hadn't moved by the first rescan but did after that. For a majority of people it does move. It was so relieved as I didn't want a c-section. Luckily I did go on to have a completely natural vaginal birth 😊