Labour and Low Lying Placenta

I just got back from a scan to cheeck my placenta and the news isn't very good. I was kind of expecting it because I haven't felt anything down low from the baby this pregnacy. My placents was low lying at 20 weeks and hasn't moved up much. It isn't over the cervix but nor is it very far away from it. The Dr who came in to double check the result and talk with me said that its on the borderline of safe so I will have to discuss my options with the Ob and midwives and deccided what to do. My first instinct was to think that I would go ahead with trying for a vaginal delivery and they can do an emergency c-section if nessescary but now I'm not so sure. I have a midwives appointment next week and I'm trying to find out as much as possible before then so that I can make the right desicion. Soooo...... does anyone know what the risks are with labour and a low lying placenta? If anything goes wrong is it obvious straight away or not until things go really wrong? I know that a placenta that is near the cervix can stop a baby from getting into a favourable birth position but how likely is this?

We have a storm arriving so I'm off to disconnect everything but I'll be back with more questions later.

I wouldn't worry Dach - now in the last tri is the time the lower part of your uterus grows and stretches most and is more likely to make a bigger move now. I wouldn't worry at all and just ask for another scan in a few weeks - I am sure your Ob would recommend that though if he had you best interests at heart for a normal birth and not his.

My SIL had the same thing and was told she would need a caesarian but she had a final scan at about 37 weeks and was told the placenta was just clear enough of the cervix to have a vaginal birth. It had actually moved from partially covering the cervix to not covering it at all. Her labour and birth went fine and there were no dramas. Like Kelly said don't worry too much about it until you have another scan further down the track.

Bon

Thanks for your replies. After a bit of discussion DH and I have decided to tell the hospital that we won't be making any desicion until 37 weeks. We'll get a scan then and then we'll decide. If the hospital doen't want to do the scan we'll just get it done privately.

I just got back from seeing my midwife and Dr. They're doing another scan at 36 weeks and we'll decide what to do then. Bless 'em - they suggested exactly what I wanted!! :)
At the moment bubs is in a really bad position for labour - oblique and posterior but its got oodles of time to wriggle round.

Dach - google optimal foetal positioning - there are some links for breech and posterior babies stickied to this forum that will help. Sit with your hips above your knees - i.e. put pillows under your bum or sit on the edge of seats. Do 20 mins on your hands and knees, more suggestions can be found in the links! :)

Thanks for the ideas Kelly. DH got himself a bit excited when I said that 20 minutes a day on my hands and knees might encourage bubs to move.

dachlostar ,Hi I had a low lying placenta with my first pregnancy, my placenta was just a millametre off my OS. I have also carried all 5 of my babies (including this one) O P and have delivered vaginally with no tears and minimal probs. I did bleed alot throughout my 1st pregnancy and lost a bit after birth but only needed a couple of bags of fluids.
Ta Dee

ROFL Dach do you mean what I think you mean?! I can't do that either and I am not even pregnant ;)

Hi girls

As I've discussed with a couple of you, I've had the same issue and unlike most placentas (my ob says he hasn't seen one move far enough in almost a decade) mine didn't get a wriggle on at all and is barely over 2 cm away from the cervix. It's hardly moved since it was diagnosed at 12 wks. Given that the uterus has grown by oodles seems unfair that the placenta couldn't manage another cm, but there you have it...

I asked him a few qns like does that mean it's more 'embedded' into the uterus, which means other complications, etc, but he told me he doesn't think so. Part of my problem might be my uterus hasn't been stretched as much 'cause neither I nor the baby are very big, it's posterior, rather than anterior and they are less likely to move and it's also 'long', whatever that means in medical speak. Really, there's no explanation and I'm just odd. So I'm booked in for a c/s next Friday 10 March. There's no way my ob thinks the 10 cm dilation of the cervix could happen without tearing away a longish portion of the placenta from the wall of the uterus and Lucy's head isn't down further than the placenta either so it would probably be coming out first = emergency c/s.

If someone medical is around or someone who has some more info, how have you seen other cases like this handled?

Cheers
Jennifer