low placenta at 20wks

Hi ladies,

I had my 2nd tri scan this week (week 20) all is good with the baby's development which is a relief.

I was however told that my placenta was lying low at about 1.8 cms and to be safe they need to be about 2 cms from the cervix. This increases my risk for getting placenta praevia so they will give me another ultrasound at 32 weeks. They did tell me that most placentas move up with time.

My placenta is also anterior.

I googled of course (I couldn't help it) and came up with some worrying birth complications if I end up with placenta praevia including high blood loss.

Has anyone been told during the 2nd tri that they have a low lying placenta and what was the outcome? Did you have placenta praevia and how did you go with the birth?

Hi Lisa B
Your placenta has plenty of time to move away from your cervix. Also at 1.8 cm you should still be able to have a vaginal birth. I think your doctor was being a little conservative.

I agree with Alan. Mine was always low lying and i had a follow up ultrasound at 34 weeks and it had moved up. I was also told that it is very common at this stage.

Mine's low lying too, and have to have a scan at 32 weeks. To be honest, I'm not worried :)

I had this with DS. Mine didn't move and so I had a c/s. Try not to worry just yet, there is plenty of time. Hang out until the 32 week scan and if it's still low then request another scan around 37 weeks just to make sure.

I had this with DS2 and had several scans, it moved no worries and we had a normal speedy delivery.

Hi Lisa,

I'm just replying to let you know it will all be ok in the end for you, even if you do end up with placenta praevia. I had it with my first baby and my little man and I both came out ok! Here's the short version - at 19 wk scan, diagnosed with low lying placenta, anterior, and completely covering cervix. Told no chance of it moving up at all. It was basically like a cup covering the cervix, so i was told then and there that a caesarean would be the only option for us. Took me a while for me to get my head around it as i had planned my 'dream' natural drug-free birth, and this was going to be nothing like it!

Many many scans during the 20 - 35 week time period, all confirming the same thing. Started spotting at 32 wks, then 34 wks, then 36 wks, then told to stay in hospital till bub was going to be born. I gave birth caesarean-style (i refuse to think that it is not called "giving birth" - it is still birth - i had no choice as to how he was born as it was a medical problem). The doc gave me two choices - either at 37 wks 5 days, or 38 wks 5 days. I would have chosen the latter, but i started haemmorhaging again (bubby's head just kept pushing down on the placenta) so it had to be the earlier date to ensure my and the baby's safety. I had to have a general anaesthetic because the placenta was in the front and the doc had to cut through it to get to the baby. Bubby's lungs weren't quite developed when he was born, so he was in NICU for a week till he got stronger, but now he is an almost 5-yr-old very healthy and physical little fella and you would never know the entry to the world that he had just by looking at him.

I'm not telling you this to freak you out, but just to let you know that if you do find yourself in the same situation as i was in, that you will come out ok in the long run, and even if your bub needs help like mine did, he/she will come out ok in the end as well. Medical teams these days are absolutely amazing.

Then my next little bubba to enter the world came a few years later, and no placenta praevia with that one. (Still had another caesar as i was concerned that the scar may rupture - i know the rate of this happening is very very low, but for some reason in my family, we always seem to be in the less than 2% class of things that happen when things go wrong for us - eg. my Dad's cancer was so rare that his type happened in less than half a % of cases!!! So i guess i just wanted to be safe rather than sorry with my second birth as i had already had such a rare Grade 4 form of placenta praevia with birth no 1, and i just wanted a healthy baby in my arms again, i didn't care how she came out!!). So, baby 1 was grade 4 placenta previa, caesarean birth (under general anaesthetic), now a happy healthy almost 5 yr old boy. Baby 2 was normal pregnancy, no placenta pravia, caesarean birth (local anaesthetic) and now happy healthy almost 2 yr old girl. I feel completely and utterly blessed to have them both.

Happy to tell you anything you want to know if you need it, just PM me.

Loads of hugs and best wishes!

I will tell you my story too, not to scare you but it may just be handy to know. I was told at my 20 scan that mine was low but not covering the cervix. Ob said he would check at 32 weeks and I should still be able to vaginal birth. All was going ok until I had a haemorrhage at 30 weeks. I went into hospital that night and stayed in for observation, bleeding stopped and I was told to finish work and stay home on bed rest. A week later I had another bleed, not as much as the first and it was mainoy old brown looking blood. Another week went by and I can remember clear as day going to the loo late on the Sunday night and seeing the brightest rest blood I have ever seen. I immediately went to the bed to lay down flat which my Ob had instructed me to do. I put a pad on and called the hospital. The blood wasn't gushing so I was ok to get in the car and DH drove me 40mins to the hospital. I arrived and they immediately inserted a canula into my hand and gave me a steroid injection for baby's lungs. Ob arrived about 30 mins later and at first thought it was a caesar then and there but after an internal examination and thhe blood flow stopping he decided birth was not neccessary but I had to stay in hospital. During all 3 bleeds bub was monitored and was doing fine and his movements were as usual too. I managed to bake him for a further 2 weeks in hospital before I had a c/s at 34 weeks and 4 days. He arrived safely, was in a humidicrib for 2 days, BF well from day 1, went home with me on day 6 and is a healthy happy little man. So even when things get really scary it can still work out ok. Don't worry but just be aware and look Fter yourself. Take it easy, trust your body and how you feel. You will probably be fine, the sonographer who did my 20 week scan said in most cases the placenta will rise, I seem to just have alot of bad luck with pregnancy and my situation was not so common. Good luck, such a good feeling whe you get to that half way point.

So true, AJC, in most cases the placenta moves up and everything is fine. You and me were definitely in the minority/rare basket. I'm not that good at pregnancies myself. So glad that your bub and mine turned out fine.

Don't worry Lisa, you will be in the best of hands whatever the outcome as long as you keep having regular checkups and put yourself first, and definitely speak up and make your concerns heard. Hugs to you and anyone else reading this in the same situation. You're halfway there now and that is awesome, hun!

Mine was covering the cervix at the 20wk scan, so low grade placenta praevia, and anterior placenta. Scan at 33 weeks showed that it had moved up, and it's now 6cm clear, which is awesome. There's not a lot you can do about it, but one midwife did recommend that I visualise it moving up, so I did.

I read a stat somewhere that 19 in 20 move. Good luck :D

My sisters was very close, maybe 1.8 cm or something at about 37 weeks so she was booked in for C section at 38 weeks, but they did a last minute scan just to be sure and it had moved just that little bit! So she birthed her girl naturally a couple of weeks later. She was actually a bit disappointed as she had quite a long and distressing labour with her DS#1 and was hoping for an easier time of it with her next one :)

Mine was touching the cervix at 20 week scan - had my 32 week scan last week and it's not 4.5cm away from the cervix :) They do move, my midwife told me that if it was >2cm and less than 3 then there could be more bleeding during birth and the bub would need monitoring - so I'm really happy it's moved from touching the cervix to 4.5cm :)

Good luck - I'm sure you'll be fine, and it's good that you're prepared in case it doesn't move as far as "they" would like :)

I'm glad to hear that for many of you the placenta moved up. I really hope mine moves as well.

Allan - thanks for popping in and offering your professional opinion.

AJC - I'm glad it turned out alright for you and bubs in the end.

Littlescottishboy - I'm glad it turned out alright for you as well. I agree, a c-section is still giving birth. I wouldn't have thought it as anything other. Do all anterior c-sections have to be under a general?

Hi again Lisa,

Not sure if all anterior placenta praevia cases have to be under general. Mine was just completely covering the cervix, like a cup, but also completely in the front where the incision was going to be. Right at 'x-marks-the-spot' - just my luck! I remember the obstetrician/dr advising me that it was going to be more difficult and that they didn't want to place me under any more emotional strain should something go wrong, so they advised that it be a general ... so of course i agreed. I'd had enough trauma already with all the haemmorhaging, and just wanted my baby out and in the world with me, so i could put it all behind me. I remember getting foggy and falling into a deep sleep, then next thing i knew, i woke up with a nurse holding my hand, congratulating me on having a little boy. My hubby was off with the baby as he got all it's apgars and everything done. I won't lie, part of me was sad that i missed the entire birth, but afterwards, being told i now had a little boy was the best feeling in the whole universe! (Bub no. 2 was a local anaesthetic, so that was fabulous being awake for that one, with the docs murmuring quietly to each other, then yelling out happily "and what do we have here? A little ... girl!" I bawled and bawled like a baby myself!!!

Don't worry hun, however your bub enters the world, no one can tell further down the track looking at him/her how they arrived, nor should anyone judge you for what may be medically the only safe way to give birth. (if anyone does ever judge you, I'd love to see them put in the same position and have no choice as well). Before you know it, the birth will be a memory, and what remains is your gorgeous, beautiful bundle of joy.