Anterior vs posterior placenta.. does it matter?

[Fluffydino21]

Looking for some advice from people who know more about this than me!

I've had quite a few issues since I got pregnant with admin / communication mistakes by the NHS.

Some of the mistakes I know I do need to urgently sort out e.g. I'm unable to get my vaccinations because they've incorrectly recorded I've already I had them.

But they have also mistakenly recorded in my medical records that my placenta is posterior. I flagged that this was a mistake to three different midwives / consultants / maternity unit staff as the sonographer said anterior in the 20 week scan.. they just kept saying I must be mistaken and the notes couldn't be wrong. I have just had a private scan and lo and behold it is anterior.

Does this mistake matter for any medical reason? Should I keep spending time and effort pushing the NHS to fix it in the records?

I had an anterior placenta for my first pregnancy and I didn’t even know about it until the very end of the pregnancy! I did feel movements but I had nothing to compare them too as I’d never been pregnant before but I was told an anterior placenta can make you feel movements later/less but I think (I could be wrong) that’s the only issue. They are also very common I believe as well x

It only really matters if it’s high or low. If your 20 week scan shows it was anterior, your notes should say the same now.

No it’s the 20 week scan where the mistake with the notes was made.

It was at a private scan where they clarified its anterior and therefore wrong. So my nhs notes won’t be automatically updated.

im just wondering if it’s risky in any way for the doctors and midwife to think it’s posterior when it’s anterior when doing the birth plan / giving birth / in any emergency situation

No it doesn’t matter unless it’s low (in either position).

Sorry, I must have misread. I would raise it with your midwife. What matters its whether it’s high or low. Low being close to the cervix which could cause complications with delivery.

If you are sure the private scan is correct, definitely mention it.

It is worthwhile them knowing the placenta is anterior if you need a c section as it can increase the risk of bleeding if the incision needs to be made through the placenta- not saying this to scare you as it is manageable but it would be beneficial for the team to know this.

Have you got a copy of your private scan with it saying anterior placenta on it?

Thank you. That’s exactly the kind of reason why I thought it might be important the notes were accurate.

I do have a print off from the private scan saying that it’s anterior. As I say I’ve already flagged it 3 times to the midwife, consultant and maternity unit and been ignored so I think I’ll need to be a bit more forceful about it.

Yes as pp said I would want it corrected because of potential c section and also just that they shouldn’t get details like that wrong in your notes! Can you ask them what the complaint process is or ask to speak to the head midwife? Have you put all this in writing too?

I agree tbh. There’s been mistakes like this from the start which is making me very nervous..

I also would have been a lot more forgiving if when I flagged the vaccination and placenta mistakes they had been sorted out immediately. But that’s very much not the case. Bizarrely everyone from the midwife to the consultant to the actual scan desk just says they can’t easily access the scan pictures / more detailed records to check for themselves!

Im in the process of writing it all up and will have to escalate it unfortunately.

I had anterior placenta both times. The only thing it really meant was I felt little in the way of movements, which made me a bit anxious towards the end. I'd be interested though if there's any correlation between that and the fact that both girls were back to back 🤷‍♀️🤔

This is only relevant if you have a low lying placenta as the c section incision would be made low and potentially through the placenta.
Once it's upper, anterior or posterior doesn't make any difference whatsoever. Many women aren't told as its not a relevant detail as such.
(Im a Midwife just for background**)