So I am not sure if I have shared this with you before, but during my 2nd trimester I was told that I had
marginal placenta previa. This means, the placenta sits underneath your fetus and not above. Not a problem for the baby, but decides for me that a c-section will be the only way to give birth to my child.
placenta previa in which the placenta is implanted in the lower uterine segment, with its margin touching or spreading to some degree over the internal os of the uterine cervix. During labor as the cervix dilates, bleeding may occur from the separation of the edge of the placenta from the uterus beneath it. Bleeding may be so scant as to pose no clinical problem. In some cases, frank severe hemorrhage may occur, but the pressure of the presenting part of the baby is often sufficient to act as a tamponade, arresting the hemorrhage. Diagnosis of marginal placenta previa may be suggested by the apparent location of the placenta on ultrasonic visualization. Cesarean section is not usually necessary.
Thankfully, in August I was told by a ultrasound specialist that the placenta was moving North because as my fetus moves he is pushing the placenta upwards. Which meant I had now had a choice between c-section or natural child birth. Until today, I went back for a monthly ultrasound check (Kaiser now likes to check the length of my fetus to make sure there's nothing wrong with him, since I am a high risk pregnancy). As the radiologist was pointing out everything to me on the screen, she took the doppler pretty low on my bump (almost at my hip bone) and said "
and here's the placenta". I should mention that nothing is set in stone until I meet with my doctor around my last month of pregnancy, but I feel like I'm back at square one. I'm not afraid to do either a natural or c-section birth, but I was just settling into the full vaginal birth until today. I will say that I am thankfully my son's doing very well. He did have a lot of water in his kidneys back in July, but luckily he's a fighter (like me) and he was able to have the liquid in his kidneys stay the same while the rest of him grew.
I'll have an update Wednesday afternoon, after my appointment.
P.S. I should mention that while a lot of websites which talk about Placenta Previa claim that you can only get it if you've smoked during pregnancy, you can actually get it without having any problems all together. I have always had a healthy OBGYN appointment. My doctor explained to me that it's just something that can happen during anyone's pregnancy. The best thing to do is to avoid intercourse, this will protect the placenta from disconnecting to to sack.
Posts
