Placenta Previa – My Story

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Today I share my Placenta Previa Story to help raise awareness.

“You will need to come back for another scan at 32 weeks to check the placenta has moved, go to the front desk and they will book it in for you” the lady reassured me “9 out of 10 low lying placentas move by week 32 – you should be fine” she added.

I was so thankful that everything else was fine and I headed back to work with my scan picture to show my colleagues. I had just had my 20-week scan.

What is Placenta Previa?

Placenta previa is when your placenta is covering your cervix, usually as your pregnancy progresses your placenta moves out the way of your cervix so you can safely deliver your baby. It the placenta does not move you may end up having a c section and in very rare occasions it can result in a big bleed and a emergency C-section. I must be honest a natural birth terrified me so the thought of a C-section didn’t bother me too much.

Please note that MOST placentas do move out of the way before birth but in extremely rare occasions this doesn’t happen.

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A High Risk Pregnancy

When I got home from work, I started looking in to what a low lying placenta was and what it entails (just in case it didn’t move). I read that a low lying placenta that doesn’t move means that labour is not an option and a c section will be booked for week 39.

A low lying placenta is also known as placenta previa and in very rare cases ladies with placenta previa can end up having one big bleed which if not treated quick enough it can result in death for both mum and baby.

I didn’t have time to be worried

This wasn’t something I wanted to think too much in to with my hen do and wedding coming up and the chances of this causing complications very rare I decided to just focus on my 32 week scan when I would find out more, by then I would be married and then we can make a plan.

24 weeks Pregnant and Bleeding

A week after my hen do I went to the bathroom and saw some blood, I instantly went to the hospital where I had to stay for a further 2 days to be closely monitored. They said it is likely that my low lying placenta is still low and it is now unlikely to move and I should not be doing anything including working in case I had a big bleed. I was signed off work on maternity leave and the next day my bed rest began.

I was due to get married at 29 weeks pregnant

A week later I had more blood and had to be admitted to hospital again. This happened each weekend for the next 2 weeks. “I’m getting married next week!” I said to the nurse ” I don’t think you will be” she replied. My eyes started watering… in reality she was right… I mean I have been in here for 4 weekends in a row now, it’s not likely that it is going to just stop. I was given steroid injections for my baby’s lungs.

33 weeks 5 days pregnant

After the wedding I continued to have bleeds and there seemed to be more blood each time. They finally decided to book me in for a c section at 37 weeks (4 weeks away) I had another bleed that weekend and was staying in hospital.. I knew all the nurses by this point and they put me in a side room for my final night before home time the next morning.. I woke up at 2am and felt a trickle of blood… I stood up and turned the light on to check and as I did.. in the corner of my eye I just saw red… my bed was covered in blood.

I started to walk down the corridor and the blood was just pouring out of me… I would quickly lose litres. I pressed the buzzer. The first midwife came in and was so shocked she buzzed for others before I knew it I had 8 nurses round my bed. The inserted a spectrum and when they pulled it out the blood continued to pour out – I knew blood transfusions were imminent.

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I knew death could be the outcome for both my boy and I

By now the blood loss was extreme and I found myself getting light headed. I was wheeled on the bed straight to a c section, they quickly explained that with a low placenta there is also a chance of a hysterectomy if they can’t stop the bleeding but before they do that they will try putting in a balloon inside me to help put pressure on the walls of the uterus and then pack me with material.

It all happened so quickly – I said no to General Anaesthetic

I quickly signed to say I accepted the risks involved and they explained because of the amount of blood they wanted to put me to sleep, I begged them not to, I was terrified I wouldn’t wake up they had to act quickly and agreed to my request. My blood pressure was very low and I felt very sick.

I had my spinal block and I was instantly numb. It was strange because I could feel touch but I couldn’t feel pain. They moved me on to the correct bed and there were 12 doctors and nurses in the room and then my husband Danny walked in with his surgery gear, I was so pleased to see him, I instantly felt safer.

A Premature Baby – The Birth of my baby boy

The C-section was in process and I was waiting for the nurses to dangle my son over the screen (my friends told me this is what they do) but it didn’t seem to happen. I turned my head at one point and I saw George being worked on in the corner of the room.. a few minutes later Danny was then asked to go over and he cut the cord.

They quickly showed George to me but before I could focus properly he was taken to the neonatal unit, he has lost too much blood and both George and I needed blood transfusions. I heard the nurses say that they were going to give the balloon a try to see if it would stop the bleeding, once I was sewed up they wheeled me to be monitored for a few hours.

I ended up being wheeled to the delivery ward with mums who had there babies with them, it was really difficult as I had a premature baby and he was no where to be seen.

A few days later I met my baby.