I am so sorry about your bittersweet ultrasound. I, too, have recently gone through the same thing. We discovered at our 20 week u/s that my placenta is low-lying. If it moves, that’s great. If not, C-Section. Total bummer. But I could handle that.

We also found out that our baby has an ompholocele. A defect with the umbilical cord that will require surgery immediately after he’s born. And he’ll have to stay in the hospital for several weeks. I’ve been struggling (unsuccessfully) with this news for the last week. I feel like I’ve almost made it worse by reading tons and tons of birth stories from women who may have complicated labor/delivery situations but who ALWAYS get to take their baby home from the hospital. Suddenly, everything has changed for us. If I can avoid a C, I will try to deliver vaginally without an epidural. That way I can get out of the hospital faster.

It feels like a crushing weight to have to deal with these huge concerns when our hormones are out of whack to begin with. Just know that you’re not alone. It’s okay to be upset or scared about previa. Give yourself time to digest this before you launch in to “how do I fix it? how do I control it?” I wish all the best for you as you face this potential complication. Please keep us posted.

Ali—I was also diagnosed with complete placenta previa at my 20 week ultrasound. I consulted Dr. Google and quickly became terrified by all of it. My doctor was sure that while it may move a little out of the way, it would not move entirely and I would be doing the mandatory c-section as well as avoiding lots of activities during the last four months of my pregnancy. Fortunately, it moved completely out of the way and all my restrictions were lifted.

If you want to read a little bit about my experience with placenta previa I wrote about it a couple of times here on Babble. And if you want to chat about it privately feel free to shoot me an email.

http://blogs.babble.com/being-pregnant/2011/06/16/forbidden-activities-during-pregnancy/

http://blogs.babble.com/being-pregnant/2011/06/22/we-can-have-sex%E2%80%94but-will-we/

I had partial previa at 20 weeks but for my 28 week ultrasound, it had moved out of the way too. I know its not the same as completly blocked, but there is still a chance it can move. My best friends mom is an ultrasound tech and she said that it is VERY common at the 20 week appointment and that as you’re uterus expands and grows, the placenta usually moves up and away from the cervix. It is what it is. If it doesn’t move and you deliver by c-section, you still end up with a healthy baby girl. Don’t stress yourself too much about this ‘spider in the room’, deep breaths, relaxation, and rest are what your body needs now.

I hope y’all deliever a safe and healthy baby. I had been in the hopsital b/c that I had placenta previa. I was scared and didn’t greatly understand it. I was spoting alot. But now im almost 38 weeks, I wish the best for all of y’all. God Bless You.

I keep getting bad news at my ultrasound visits only to have those issues be nothing or resolve themselves. I am high risk and at my last ultrasound (a few days ago) they advised me that I have partial placenta previa and that my placenta attached low. YAY ME. So for now I have my feet up and am not doing much of anything but trying to, like the blogger, will my uterus to move. :) I spoke to my midwife and she is pretty hopeful that it will move. Until then I am taking it easy. In four weeks I will know one way or the other. I am crossing my fingers and twos that I don’t go on bedrest. I am not a good patient and that would be so hard for me. All the nurses and such seem pretty convinced that with a few weeks of taking it easy and more growth that it will be corrected and all will be right with the world. So relax out there in the universe.. I know I am. :)

I’ll chime in with another “it turned out OK” story. I was told I had a low-lying placenta at my 20 week ultrasound. (During my second pregnancy.) At first I was kind of freaked about it, but when I talked to my midwife a few days later she was very nonchalant about the whole thing. She explained the risks, but followed that by stressing that it’s super common and usually fixes itself. She was so reassuring, in fact, that I barely thought about it much after I talked to her. (I found a bunch of other things to worry about and obsess over instead.) At a follow-up ultrasound several weeks later, my placenta was just fine. I had absolutely no complications during birth.