15 wks pg and Just come back from hosp after a hemorrage (sp?).help.

[nobodysfool]

TMI ALERT:
I'm 15 weeks pg and have had on and off bleeding from 9 weeks.
this afternoon i went to the loo and had a massive bleed and passed lots of large clots (a little bigger than an egg).I was bleeding (pouring out) constantly for roughly 10 mins.
Dh called an ambulance and they took me off to hosp.
Sent up to the gyne ward and waited to see the consultant-4 hours.
She did an internal and said i had a massive hemorrage and possibly a low lying placenta.There was no scanning machine available so have been booked in for a scan sun morning.
She used a doppler and eventually found the babys heartbeat.Thank goodness.
Can anybody tell me more about a low lying placenta and what it means for my baby-have looked on the web but it didnt tell me much.
I really thought i was loosing the baby and it has knocked me for six and im still so worried.

Is it likely to move if it a grade 4?It's covering the cervix completely.
Send some positive vibes that it moves up,i've got the next scan on the 29th.

Thanks sazzles.

The later you have the total praevia the less likely it is to move. From what I understand, if you still had total praevia by 22 weeks it would be unlikely to move away. Or if you did get movement away from the cervix, it would still be close enough to considered too risky for vaginal delivery. The accepted 'safe' zone is a placenta that is 2cms or more distance from the cervix. I also think the position of your placenta can have a bearing - if it's anterior rather than posterior and 2cm or more away from your cervix then you possibly be allowed to try for a vaginal delivery.

Having said all that, if you have a history of bleeding due to praevia then they get a lot more edgy about vaginal delivery and tend to push you towards caesarean as the risk of bleeding during delivery are much higher.

I really sympathise Nobodysfool - the bleeds are very scary and I spent most of my pregnancy waiting for them to happen. It was all very erratic - no warning signs or triggers; just out of nowhere and very frightening. Some were heavy, some were light and the final one at 35 weeks was very heavy. But once I'd accepted the likelihood I could adjust my mindset - I was almost 'waiting' for one, which is a pretty boring way to spend your pregnancy and not quite the easygoing tra-la-lah floatabout I'd evisaged, but at least I was prepared. I always had my notes, I always had my mobile with me and I made sure I wasn't miles from a hospital. All this gave me relative peace of mind in the sense that I was doing all that I could.

You might not get any more - it can happen that people have a few bleeds and then the rest of their pregnancy is uneventful - it happens.

The killer though was the lack of orgasms. 6 months of no sex I could just about get my head around (so to speak...) but no orgasms was a nightmare. Given that I spent the last month on bedrest in hospital and could have done with the diversion, this seemed particularly cruel!!

Good luck and I really hope things tail off and that this pesky placenta moves away. It could well happen.

Kx

Thanks k.
I'm not too worried about a c-section as i had an emergency one last time, so a planned one must be more calmer.
I have packed a bag for hosp and have my notes with me all the time so i feel prepared, but worried.
I'm really not worried about the bleeding for my health (though i keep getting told off by docs and nurses for saying it) my only concern is for the baby and how these massive bleeds will effect them.Also, if there were to come early by section how their little body will cope.
Your spot on when you say you are just waiting.I had a bleed this morning-nothing major but i was waiting for it to really kick off.

Hello again,

My consultant told me that the real risk from all these erratic, sporadic bleeds was to me in terms of anaemia. So I was bunged onto Ferrous Sulphate tablets quite early on. And even with those I was very anaemic by the end, but I think that was more to do with a twin pregnancy as you tend to get anaemia with that regardless. I spent the last month in hospital and, on several occasions when I was holed up on the labour ward after a bleed I had scans which showed the babies were absolutely unbothered by all the fuss. Their blood flow was fine and they were happily wriggling about, playing with their umbilical cords; it was just me in a frenzy of panic! So although it seems terrifying, it is far worse for you. A midwife explained it very well by saying that the blood I was losing was a fraction of what was actually pumping around my body; and that even a small amount of liquid goes a long way - if you chuck a tablespoon of milk on the floor it looks more than it did in the spoon. So the blood loss will affect you more than the baby as the baby will continue to take exactly what it needs from you - as always, you will come second!!

In fact the only time it would have posed a risk to my babies (and me) was if the bleeding hadn't stopped. Thankfully this is incredibly rare and tends to be preceded by what they call 'herald' bleeds that increase in frequency and volume. However, they tend to be very aware of the warning signs of this and at that stage, will make you stay in hospital as if a big bleed happens then they can have you in theatre within minutes. This is VERY rare though - every few years my consultant told me.

The one thing you might get is steroid injections and so it might be worth asking for these at 24 weeks. So if your babies did come a few weeks early then their lungs would be okay. I had them (at 25 weeks and at 31 weeks) and my twins were born at 35 weeks and didn't have to go into special care - which is quite unusal for twins of that gestation.

It also might be worth talking to your consultant about iron supplements. They may not think it's necessary at this stage, but it can be worth a mention. If you don't fancy the tablets, then Floradix iron tonic (tastes like strong tea - not unpleasant) is much nicer and doesn't bung you up like the tablets can. Most health food shops sell it.

Your baby will be fine. This is horrible for you but your baby is blithely unware of all the drama. Hopefully things will settle - certainly now that you're on pelvic rest that should reduce the likelihood of bleeds as you won't be leaping around, etc.

Hang in there - I really hope things settle down for you as I know how rubbish it is.

Kx

Thanks for that Kitstwins-
I already take pregnacare so i think i'm ok for my iron levels but i will ask if there is anything else i can take as it is really draining me and i have been badly anemic in the past.
I had another bleed last night so another trip to hospital...three times in 5 day...they will isue me with a season ticket soon!
I was given the choice if i wanted to stay in and as they could only monitor me i came home.
I will ask my consultant about the steroid injections when i see him.
Thanks for your kind words and good luck wishes it means alot that somebody else knows how worrying it is.
x

Hello again!

I'm glad it has helped and I totally sympathise - the bleeds are exhausting (emotionally and physically) and the dread of them can just hang over you.

Pregnacare is good but I do think you might need a bit of an iron booster so I would really recommend the Floradix tonic - it's a good healthy alternative to the heavy iron tablets that can make you badly constipated and it will help keep your iron levels up.

I really hope things tail off now and that your pregnancy settles down - three times in five days is very full on. I remember how draining and knackering it all is so I really smpathise.

Take lots of care and hang in there. It's horrible but you will get through this.
Kx

Ktstwins-do you know if the iron tonic is ok to use alongside pregnacare?Or will it be too much iron in my system?Do you know if Holland and Barretts sell it?
Had another one this morning so i'm feeling exhausted.Mentally i'm not doing to well this morning,really teary and down in the dumps.I need something to help perk me up a bit.
Trying to help my iron levels with food.I have got steak,spinach and spuds for tea tonight and bubble and squeak tom.

You poor thing. You really are having a crappy time with this. YOu must be absolutely exhausted and fed up.

The tonic is safe during pregnancy although you might not need to take it in addition to the pregnacare at the moment. However, you will need an iron supplement of some sort so it's good that you are getting it in some form. When is your next consultant/midwife/gp appointment and will they do a blood test to check your haemaglobin levels then? It might be worth pushing for this in the next week or so, especially if the bleeds continue, as you may need to go on a heavier dose of iron. If they suggest the ferrous sulfate or some similar tablet then you could always mention floradix as an alternative then. You CAN take too much iron but it's quite hard to do - you'd need to be ingesting vast amounts. Holland and Barrett sell it, as does Boots, etc. I got mine from a chemist and it might be worth having a chat with the pharmacy there as they'll be able to advise really well on iron levels, etc. And maybe give your GP/Midwife a call to discuss whether you should up your dose.

My bleeds started at 23 weeks but they didn't put me on iron supplments until around 30 weeks, by which time I was quite badly anaemic. As I've said before, the twin pregnancy doesn't help (you tend to always end up slightly anaemic with these as you require double the volume of blood) but the bleeding really pushed my levels down. So at around 23 weeks, although I was on a pregnancy vitamin and mineral supplement (similar to pregnacare - just a different brand) I also started taking the floradix. I generally took it every other day or so as I still had the iron supplement in my standard pregnancy vitamins.

However, by the end they had me on giant ferrous sulfate iron tablets and I was swigging from the floradix as if it was going out of fashion and I still ended up badly anaemic (should have had a transfusion after birth but they 'forgot', but that's a whole other story....) so I wish I'd started on the iron supplements earlier.

Are you getting help with these bleeds? Are you going to hospital when they are happening or are you calling the hospital? If you arent' it might be worth doing so as I think it's important that the regularity and levels of bleeding find their way onto your notes so that they have a picture of what is really happening. I jotted down every time one happened (time, date, duration of bleed, 'amount' of blood - the latter was always a bit vague, as it's quite hard to measure) which even now makes quite astonishing reading as I'd no idea I'd had so many (lots of small ones that I never bothered telling the doctors about).

I really feel for you - I know how upsetting and exhausting it is and what a shadow it can cast. The second half of my pregnancy was spent in a state of fear and anticipation, which seemed like such a loss and waste and not how I imagined my lovely pregnancy would be.

Kx