Complete Placenta Previa and C-Section

Irishsapphire

So I felt a gush of blood on Thursday morning.  We dropped my 22 month old son at daycare.  And I went to Triage at the hospital.  They did an ultrasound, and my partial placenta previa was actually complete placenta previa.  They told me that my cervix was closed,  and it was 3.5.  They said I had a irritable uterus, and I was having contractions.  They gave me a pill to stop  the contractions.  And I got 2 steriod shots 24 hours apart.  I was going crazy on hospital bedrest, so I asked to be released.  And I am now on bed rest at home. 

For those women who had a complete placenta previa,  how far along in your pregnancy were you when you were able to have a c-seciton?  Was it scheduled c-section or was it an emergency c-section? 

I feel like I am either waiting to bleed a lot or to have more contractions, and it is like this crazy waiting game.  It is not easy to walk, to sleep, and to breathe.   When I was in the hospital,  they put this ivory and pink band around my belly to hold in the monitors for the baby's heartbeat and for my contractions.  I told the nurses and obgyn that I felt like an Easter egg.  

I will be 31 weeks on Tuesday.   

pinay976

I had a complete placenta previa. I had several bleeding episodes starting at 21 weeks. At 33 weeks, 5 days, I hemorraged and had to have an emergency c-section. Luckily, DS was already 4lbs, 14oz and only spent 18 days in NICU.

aandg

I also had complete previa with DD. I had a bleed at 31 weeks and was in the hospital for 3 days. While there I was given steroid shots in case the bleeding didn't stop and she had to be delivered then. It did stop so I was sent home on bedrest. My c section was scheduled for 39w3d(my dr likes to wait as long as possible-the dr I saw in the hospital said he would do an amnio at 36w and deliver then if her lungs were mature) but I actually delivered at exactly 36 weeks. We were in the hospital for an NST and they found that I was having regular contractions. The on call dr gave me a couple doses of Procardia to try and stop them but it didn't work.

She was 5lbs6oz and perfectly healthy. We didn't need any NICU time and she got to come home with me when I was discharged.

I know it's scary, but you will most likely have a good outcome. It's definitly hard to follow bedrest orders when you have a toddler, but just remember that it's not forever and it really is the best thing for your baby. Good luck!

3boys=love

I had complete placenta previa with my second.  I had my first bleed at 30 weeks, I went to the hospital and the bleeding stopped shortly after I got there.  They kept me overnight and the next day I was sent home on strict bed rest.  My oldest was almost 9 months at the time and instead of going home we went to my parents house (otherwise I would have been on hospital bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy).

Before we left the hospital I was told if I bleed again to call 911.  Well on March 12th about 2 in the morning I woke up with a massive bleed.  My mom called for the ambulance and I was rushed to my local hospital.  My doctor came in and told me I would be staying at the hospital until my scheduled c-section on March 27th, when I would be 37 weeks (my oldest was born at 37 weeks 6 days so they wanted to get number 2 out before I went into labour).

At supper time that night I had another huge bleed and passed a big clot.  The nurse came in and told me to not eat my supper and got me an iv all set up.  When she finished my doctor came in and told me I would be going by ambulance to a larger hospital with a NICU.  The nurse looked at my family and said "DO NOT follow".  We were going to head down as fast as we could including lights and sirens.

On the way the nurse (I had a nurse and a paramedic that was taking neonatal courses in the back with me) that each bleed will get worse so they wanted to get me to a hospital that was better equiped in case they needed to do a c/s.  Well she was right I had 2 more massive bleeds with huge clots (sorry if it is tmi but when I passed the clots they were big enough to feel). 

The next day I had no bleeding so I was hoping that was the end of the bleeding and we would make it to 37 weeks.  Well no such luck.  I woke up at about 8 am on the 14th to yet another bleed.  I called the nurse and they said I would be heading down to l&d very soon.  By 9 I was in l&d and they started prepping me for an emergancy c/s.  And at 12:16 pm my baby boy was born at 35 weeks 1 day.  He ended up being in the NICU for 11 days and is now home and doing wonderful.

Sorry that was so long.  Hopefully you can make it to your c/s.  I don't mean to scare you but I always find it best to know good AND bad stories so you can be prepared for both cases.  I think what I experienced is less common most people make it to there c/s date.

Also my doctor suggested I take iron because with placenta previa you lose mor blood than normal so taking iron should help decrease your risk of a transfusion.   Good luck with everything.

Raineth

I just had a c/s due to what was thought to be a marginal previa but turned out to be complete. On Feb 14th I had an ultrasound that revealed the marginal previa. On the 19th I got home from work, went to bed but couldn't sleep so I took a bath. After getting out I felt a pop and a gush of blood. This was pregnancy number 4 and I had never had any bleeding so this was a concern. I went in to l &d and ended up staying until the 24th because I had bleeding off and on for three days(had to be episode free for 48 hours before being released). I woke up that 2nd night at around midnight to use the bathroom and when I sat up, I could feel the clots rushing out. That was scary and there must have been at least 4 baseball sized ones. The doc said that it was the blood that had pooled and just came out when I sat up (I was sleeping hard because I had vistaril to help me sleep) so he said wait until am to see if there was more bleeding. There wasn't a lot from then on so when I was episode free for 48 hours I was sent home. That was on the 24th. The next day I started bleeding again and "knew" I was going to have baby then. That was 34 weeks, 5 days. I had him that night, 2 1/2 hours after going in. They realized I was having contractions on the monitor, but not painful to me, so they gave two doses of terbutaline. The first worked magically, and the second, not so much. I got up to use the bathroom and basically started "peeing" blood. That's when I called the nurse and they got me prepped for surgery. 

My little guy was 6lb 8oz and in the NICU for 6 days. He's home now and will be 6 weeks on Sat and weighs over 9lbs! That's what happens when you breastfeed every two hours 'round the clock! 

vtmomin12

I have a complete placenta previa. I'm 26 weeks. I have not had a bleed. My OB has put me on limited activity (I can work and am supposed to rest other than that), pelvic rest, etc.  My question to you ladies...were you on some form of limited activity when your bleed started or were you going about life per normal? I've found it interesting when I read because it seems each doctor prescribes or recommends something different. Right now the goal is to keep me from bleeding or prolong it as long as possible, and then deliver between 36-37 weeks.  I am willing to do anything to not bleed (and be able to continue to work) and hopefully get as far along as possible, but scared to death at the same time of the "unknown" as to what will really happen!

cahillmk

I also have a complete placenta previa. I am currently home on complete bed rest after a  bleed at 33 weeks 2 days. I am now 35 weeks 1 day. My bleed happened in the middle of the night- I woke up thinking I had to pee and when I stood up felt a sudden gush, followed by 2 more. I have never been so scared in my life! My husband raced me to the hospital. The bleeding stopped pretty quickly, but they kept me in for 3 days and gave me the 2 steroid shots, just in case. I was having contractions every 2 minutes for a while, but they have eased up after the last few weeks. I am taking Procardia (nifedipine) for an irritable uterus and will still have mild contractions every now and again. I am starting to relax a little but for the first few days home, I was afraid to even go to sleep and had trouble eating- I had been up an hour before my bleed and had PB and toast and they were worried at the hospital because I had eaten and might have to have an emergency c-section. No bleeding since. We have optimistically scheduled my c-section for May 1st. Only 2 weeks to go!

My advice would be to just try and relax as much as you can and take it easy. If you don't have a job where you are on your feet a lot, your MD will probably let you keep working ( I worked the day I had the bleed). Unfortunately, these things are pretty hard to predict, but resting as much as possible should help. 

Good luck!!