Anterior Placenta

[*Infinity*]

I'm a fair way of labour yet (!) but at my 19 week scan today I was told that my placenta is localising anterior - front of my uterus, and well away from the birth canal which is good. No issue really - though one person has mentioned to me that placenta at the back of the uterus is better for birth?

So, a question: is an anterior placenta likely to have a negative impact on my baby's position as we get closer to birth? Any experiences would be great.

Thanks
Lolly x

[Nelle]

Not to my knowledge - my second had an anterior placenta and everything was fine - it's not uncommon. The only problem I know of is that it can move down to over your birth canal, but your scan showed that's not an issue for you!

So yeah - there might be rare complications that exist perhaps, but in my experience and all the others I've heard of, an anterior placenta hasn't posed any problems at all for a straightforward pregnancy and birth.

[Pandora]

I had one with DS and have it again with this pg.
I've never been told of any birth 'complications' just from it being at the front.
Apparently in general, babies can like to face towards the placenta, which for an anterior placenta would mean the baby is posterior, but again I never had that problem with my son.

[visitor1]

With DD2 i had an anterior placenta and it never had any affect come labour/birth time.

[mbear]

I there - i am 22 weeks and i have an anterior placenta too...ive only just started to feel kicks - something i had not experienced with my other 3 pregnancies as they were all posterior.
I have not heard or been alarmed that the placenta being in this possi causes any problems at birth. Although i have heard it is possible baby can face the placenta which means that the baby might be more inclined to be posterior possi (spine to spine)....but that works the other way too - my placenta was posterior for baby #1 and baby was born posterior...

Its only a problem (labour) if its low lying, across your cervix.....

[*Infinity*]

Yep - it was whether bubs is more likely to be posterior that i was curious about but so far looks like it can go either way based on other's experiences.
Thanks!

[Toomanytoomany]

Yep - it was whether bubs is more likely to be posterior that i was curious about but so far looks like it can go either way based on other's experiences.
Thanks!

I can't comment on how it is for other people, but my fifth baby was the only one I've had an anterior placenta for and she was stubbornly posterior until soon before she was born. She did rotate during labour however, and so I had no issues other than a bit of back labour before she did so.

[Toomanytoomany]

Oh, and having an anterior placenta can muffle kicks a bit more, make it a wee bit harder to get the baby's heartbeat over placenta "noise" and palpation of the various bits of baby can be a little more difficult. These are just irritations to the midwife trying to get things done, however

[Heaven]

I have an anterior placenta and baby is anterior and has been for weeks now