Potential placenta accreta - any experiences please?!

[bananamuffin99]

Hi, so as the title says they think I might have placenta accreta, will be confirmed for definite with a scan. I was just wondering if others have had it and what your experience was like?! I've had placenta previa since 20 weeks, and have been admitted to hospital twice this week with brown blood. Was sent for a scan yesterday where they looked at the placenta and that was when they started talking about placenta accreta. I googled it and it all seems very scary! They have told me there is the possibility I might have to have a hysterectomy after my c section, I think I'm more scared about the thought of general anaesthetic!!

If you did have placenta accreta and had to have a hysterectomy, how did you find the recovery? The Dr said it can take 4-6 weeks. I'm also feeling nervous about having baby at 36 weeks as had been measuring small, under the 10th percentile.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all and just hoping it's a false alarm, and they are just being cautious.

Ah sorry you are having all this to worry about. I don’t have experience of accreta.

I just wanted to add on your other points. I have had a general anaesthetic (for a missed miscarriage) and it wasn’t scary. I don’t even remember going to ‘sleep’, only that when I came around I was a bit confused only because it’s like time is missing. So I closed my eyes in one waiting room bit and then suddenly I was in another room. Oh I felt cold for a short while as well, maybe 20 minutes at most.

I had my baby at 35+0 by an emergency C-section (for preeclampsia), under local anaesthetic this time. It’s the other point I wanted to add really, some sort of reassurance if you need to have your baby early. My baby was healthy and he’s still doing great now he’s 7 months old. He did spend 12 days in scbu, mostly to help with his feeding because he slept instead of trying to take any milk. He also had jaundice but that was resolved in a day of using the incubator.

Good luck and I hope others can help with advice regarding your main questions.

I had placenta percreta (placenta grows through and outside of uterine wall) and did have a hysterectomy, but I was awake for delivery then requested GA for the actual hysterectomy. It took me about 4 months to be fully recovered as I also had bladder surgery, but I was back doing most things by 8 weeks.

It was identified by colour Doppler ultrasound after I raised concerns when I had praevia at my 20 week scan as I had 2 previous c sections and the placenta was partly over my scar.

DS was 36+5 at birth and didn't need to go to NICU, I was able to breastfeed him as my colostrum was in prior to delivery and my milk came in quickly.

Happy to answer any questions.