Placenta Previa... 20 weeks & beyond

My "mystery" 20 weeks photo!

At my 20 week ultrasound, the tech found that the placenta was completely covering my cervix which means I have placenta previa.  I was called by my Dr the following day and told to go on pelvic rest and that we would discuss it that Friday at my appointment.  I was devastated.  The shock of being diagnosed with this condition, that was unknown to me up until this point, was extremely hard to deal with and I spent most of the week either crying or worrying about what it might mean for the pregnancy, Leo, and me.

Let me go back a little and explain a bit about placenta previa.  There are three degrees of severity: complete, marginal, and low-lying.  None of these are good and, if carried to the end of the pregnancy, would demand a c-section.  Each can also cause bleeding and/or preterm labor... scary propositions.

The good news is that as the uterus grows the placenta can move. I have a complete placenta previa (CPP) which can be considered the worst as it has a less likely chance of moving. The tech recommended that we check for movement at around 30-33 weeks.  

Now let me preface this next paragraph with a few points: I am thrilled/blessed to be pregnant and I know that, my ultimate goal is to have a healthy baby at the end of all this, and I know there are worse things than a CPP diagnosis.  All of these things do not change that CPP scares me, disappoints me, and ultimately leads to a "Why me?" mentality.  The last of which is due in part to the fact that CPP is very rare for first time mothers... I read somewhere that the statistics were about .5% of pregnant women are diagnosed and .05% of those are first time mothers.  I wish I could carry those odds over to the lottery...

  I am not sure if these numbers refer to those that are only diagnosed or if it refers to those that carry it through the entire pregnancy (i.e the placenta never moves) as the number of women significantly drop (about 50% or maybe more) of those dx compared to those that carry it throughout.  I have since come to accept the diagnosis although I am praying for the placenta to move.  I am preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. 

 My original birth plan would have consisted of a natural birth. I am terrified of needles and one entering my spine does not appeal to me AT ALL.  We were also able to find a hospital that does water birth and has been doing them since 1998 and is covered by our insurance!  For a hospital clinic that is a really long time for water births so we felt like we would be in good hands. As water birth is really just another option for pain management, without the needles, it really appeals to me.  If the placenta does not move it will mean a c-section, without any natural laboring (could cause hemorrhaging) and Leo would be taken early. How early would depend on if I was dilating and to what degree.  It could mean we would be adding to the multitude of December babies in my family.   Did I mention I am really hoping that the placenta moves?  

I wanted to share this because I have now read a ton of stories about placenta previa and while some are scary, many are not. Whether or not this continues throughout my pregnancy... I found it comforting to read about personal experiences with placenta previa so I am hoping my story will do the same for someone else.

As of 27 weeks, no bleeding so far and still doing okay!

Much love to all!