Anterior placenta distress

[firsttimepregnanthelp]

Hi ladies,

im nearly 28w with my first baby and an anterior placenta and I’m really struggling with movements. I haven’t gone more than 2 weeks without going to triage because of ‘reduced’ movements (maybe not actually reduced, just that I can’t feel them). Last Friday I was there and that was my second time there after 24 weeks so they brought my 28 week scan forward to Saturday and everything looked fine but I haven’t felt anything this morning so I’m worried again. I also heard about a girl who had reduced movements at 27 weeks and ended up with a c section which has worried me. This is all having a real impact on my mental health and I don’t know what to do

Call triage. I had an anterior placenta too and went in a few times. Including two days in a row!

They would rather see you 100 times for monitoring than deal with a tragedy. Go in!

@FunnyOrcaim so tempted to go but all they do is use the Doppler which doesn’t tell you anything anyway? And I fear creating a reliance on it - I am there so much as it is. Maybe I will hold out til this evening and go if I haven’t felt anything by then - it’s difficult as I’m out and about with my job so don’t get a chance to sit and focus on movements during the day. When did you start to feel yours more strongly?

Having a really cold (iced) drink often woke mine up. I too have an anterior placenta, once or twice I have been very worried but haven’t gone to triage but wish I had. For me the babe did have quiet days up until about 32 weeks but if you’re worried they will always tell you to go.

@FoamShrimpsthank you, I will try a cold drink when I get to the office and see if that stimulates anything. I was really hoping I’d be feeling more by now

Also, tmi but I always found mine moved less if I needed to poo / was constipated

I remember on my previous pregnancy and every GP or midwife appointment they'd ask me about movements and I would literally be like "well I don't particularly feel anything, it's more of a shock if I do feel something" and I usually could only feel something I'd say in the 6 weeks maybe when he was head down?

I'm 21 weeks now again and haven't felt anything.

Then I go for scans and baby is doing flipping jigs and reels. It's crazy.

I went in twice with reduced removements because I couldn't remember the last time I felt a movement but all was fine. They'll usually tell you come in though.

As someone else said Ice Cold drink, lie on your side if possible.

Thanks everyone, I felt random twitches and pulses throughout the day and just had some flutters so maybe I can leave triage for today? It’s so hard to know what to do for the best

Maybe just just down in your phone notes anytime you feel something from now and overnight?

I understand it’s not ideal but even if you need to go to triage every other day because you haven’t felt movements or are concerned then do it. Honestly it’s better to be safe than sorry. My friend was like you with her anterior placenta and by 30 + weeks she felt baby move every day. Don’t ever feel silly for popping in and getting checked.

@BudgetBusterthat’s not a bad idea, thank you. I am stressing again now as I haven’t felt anything for a little while.

@Diamondsareagirlsbestfrieni am sure I will end up there at some point this week, it’s not that easy to keep going there with work and life (hospital is 30 mins away), not to mention the parking costs, and it’s hard to know when warrants a visit. I felt movements this afternoon so didn’t go but really I probably would have liked to have gone for peace of mind - I cancelled seeing a friend this evening because I thought I would be going but when I called triage (x4) no one answered. I have rearranged to see my friend on Friday and I hope I don’t have another day where I have to cancel her because I might need to go to triage.

I really sympathise. I had anterior placenta in my first pregnancy and had to attend triage several times due to reduced movements. I didn’t feel any movement until 24 weeks either. There were many, many fraught hours when not attending triage spent with both me and my partner clutching my belly desperately trying to feel even the tiniest ripple of movement, and nothing- sugar, cold drinks, handstands- would make a bloody difference.

I have a posterior placenta in my current my pregnancy and I think the longest I’ve gone without feeling any movement since around 17 weeks is genuinely about 10/15 minutes. Most of the time I can feel the baby constantly moving and while I’m definitely more physically uncomfortable, I would take this over an anterior placenta any day.

I don’t think there’s anything you can do unfortunately other than accepting it’s a bit shit and just try and get through the remainder of the pregnancy as best as you can, and definitely just attending triage even if it feels unnecessary or like an overreaction, even though it’s a massive stress in itself.

@scott2609thank you so much for empathising - how lovely that you have a posterior placenta now! What you describe about the fraught hours trying to feel something really resonates with me. I have spent entire nights awake trying to feel something. I am going to try to relax for today as I did feel something earlier but who knows what tomorrow will bring?! It really does ruin the pregnancy experience

Keep going in when you need to so that baby can be checked and the professionals are aware of the pattern. There is additional monitoring that you can be given if necessar,y but if you don't report your concerns they can assess whether this is needed.

I ended up on twice weekly doplers to check blood flow to the cord, plus fortnightly growth scans so that they could whip baby out at the first sign of trouble. Made it to 37 weeks before it was deemed that the placenta might be failing so baby was evicted. Good job he was as the placenta showed signs of deterioration and the midwife said that if things had been left to run their course it could well have failed.

It is such a hassle, and I felt a bit silly, but I kept telling myself that it was far better than spending the rest of my life wishing I had gone sooner.

Well baby went nuts with movement overnight which is new and not something I’ve ever experienced before so I’m at triage now. I cannot explain how much I hate all this worry and stress - I can’t relax, I’m tearful all the time. I think I’m going to have to stop work, I can’t do it all.

I had an anterior placenta in my second pregnancy and as the baby grew it moved up so ended up being on the top (“fundal”) rather than front, plus as the baby grows the movements are stronger anyway. So I think this is likely to get better for you - and in the meantime do just get checked when you feel you need.

I am 25wks with an anterior placenta and have still felt very consistent movements, (other than once at about 17 wks where he had a quiet spell) and it was the same with my last DD too, so it doesn't always mean reduced movements.Maybe your baby is lying in a place less easy to feel.
Sounds frustrating but you have to keep going in just incase.
I thought if you keep going in multiple times over a short period with reduced movements they have to offer you a scan....

How are you and your baby doing now? I’m so sorry that it’s been another worrying night for you. I know it’s easy for people to say to just go to triage and, of course, you should. However, I know how stressful it is constantly second guessing whether it’s actually necessary, hoping you’re overreacting and it will improve, gearing yourself up to call, and then having to drop everything and travel in. It’s awful and so exhausting.

Hi
I'm so sorry that this is stressing you out! I also have an anterior placenta and have been in the same situation a few times this pregnancy and have been to triage once. It feels to me like an unreasonable big responsibility to have on my shoulders and really stresses my out from time to time. .

My doctor's guide (I am sure they all have their own), is to eat something sugary and drink something cold. Wait 30 minutes and the go lie on your left side. Now count movements for 1 hour. You should be able to detect at least 3 movements and apparently every movement counts even if it's subtle. If you don't get to 3 movements, go to the hospital immediately.

So my strategy now is to do this test every time I am worried, and to date I have never actually "failed" it, so that gives me comfort.

That said, whenever you are in doubt or feeling concerned, it is always better to have it checked out professionally. Everyone at the hospital also kept saying to me, you can never overreact to possible reduced movements and that they would much rather check you time and again only to find a healthy baby than have you ignore it.

How are you @firsttimepregnanthelp

@firsttimepregnanthelp togally sympathise.
I had an anterior with my first and honestly apart from flutters at about 18 weeks I never felt him move. I remember going to the apps and being asked so is baby active and id say erm no. I only once got loads of movements which wasn’t the norm and rang triage.
im 22 weeks and have a anterior again but this time I feel baby loads it’s a very different experience, I don’t stress myself out as much

My second baby was like this (posterior placenta though). She'd occasionally have a crazy 24hrs of vigorous movement, not just kicking but flipping about. Then the next 24 would be virtually silent while I assume she snoozed it off. This happened once a week or so right up to 39 weeks! (She was born perfectly healthy.)

It will hopefully get a bit easier as your baby gets bigger.

Thank you everyone for being so kind and understanding. I had a CTG yesterday which was normal and am back for another tomorrow. I felt some movement this morning but have felt none this evening despite lying on my left side and prodding. I’m wondering if I should go back to triage but I’m so tired after yesterday I genuinely think I might crash the car if I go. It’s so hard to know when I should be concerned

To be honest with you OP at 28w I was still establishing a pattern. If you have been so much could this be what is happening to you too? You won’t feel baby move all the time, they will have periods of not feeling them move and eventually you’ll get to know what time of day you are expecting the most movement (for example for me personally the baby always moves a lot late evening after dinner, and a little bit in the morning when I wake / after breakfast. Until about 33/40 I could go the rest of the day without really noticing anything especially if I was busy). I know it’s hard but you also have to keep your sanity, it’s a marathon not a sprint. Sending you good vibes x

@FoamShrimpsthank you so much, I have zero pattern yet, but professionals keep saying to go in if I experience any changes - they are not listening to me when I say every day is different. I think I may have already lost my sanity tbh, I’ve been crying all evening - this is such a strain. Thank you so much for the good vibes, they are really needed!

Please just keep going in. My mother lost her first baby at 29 weeks after reduced movements and she always impressed this on me: just go in.