Marginal Placenta Previa, great now I’m on bedrest.
So today I left the hospital after spending the night there. My 12 hour adventure at Touro Hospital in New Orleans began yesterday when I was admitted for vaginal bleeding. I woke up and felt like I had to urinate but began my freak out episode when bright, red blood began running down my leg. I hadn’t seen blood that red since my last period in March. Horrible thoughts ran through my head all at once. The worst one being every pregnant woman’s nightmare, that the baby could be harmed! I called the Dr’s office and they told me to go to the hospital immediately.
After getting there I was at once placed at on a baby monitor and we heard the baby’s heartbeat. Those first couple of seconds when the nurse couldn’t find the heartbeat, seemed like an eternity and I literally held my breath as they searched. Then THERE it was, going strong at 139 beats, whew… I could finally breath! The important part was determined, that the baby was alive & kicking. To me everything else was just extra as long as I heard that heartbeat.
The next part of my hospital stay consisted of various ultrasounds and a couple of residents in my examination room with me asking me questions. As all this was going on, I was scanning my brain for what could possibly be causing the bleeding. I ran through all the various options which I’ve been reading about in my many hours I spend pouring over baby websites & books and I remembered my girlfriend being diagnosed with Placenta Previa last year. I mentioned this to my boyfriend as a possibility and within less than an hour this was confirmed.
I had a lazy placenta, one that hung too low for a “normal” pregnancy. I had a marginal placenta previa which means that my placenta is not quite under the baby, covering the cervix but it is not where it’s supposed to be on the upper part of the uterus. In a marginal placenta previa, the placenta extends to the edge of the cervix but does not cover it. This can also be called low placental implantation. This was the cause of my bleeding and it can make me bleed again. Every time I have a bleeding episode I have to go the hospital to be monitored, something I am NOT looking forward to. The good news is that at this point in my pregnancy (21 weeks), there is a chance the placenta will position itself in it’s correct spot. The bad news is what my Dr. told me this morning, “I am not going to lie to you, there is a minimal risk of losing the baby but it’s very rare we just have to monitor it”
I was already scheduled for a C-section so that was not anything new when the chief resident explained that to me when she confirmed the marginal placenta previa. One possible cause for the Previa is any type of uterine surgery which makes sense since I had a myomectomy for fibroid tumors 2 years ago, the same reason why I am due to have C-section.
So with this new development, I will have more ultrasounds and more Dr. visits to monitor the progress of my placenta. I was put on bedrest until my next appointment in 2 weeks. This consists of no lifting, straining, sex or standing for longer than an hour. I can only pray for the health of my baby and take care of myself to the best of my abilities. Although I shouldn’t be stressing myself out, I can’t stop thinking about all of this. Will it get better, will the baby get all the nutrients it needs from the placenta, do I really have to be on bedrest, will this affect my baby once its born, etc, etc. As if pregnancy alone wasn’t nervewrecking now I got THIS to think about.
In the midst of all my ultrasounds, I asked the nurses/doctors about the sex and they were pretty sure it was a girl. I was sure it was a boy but there seemed to be no boy parts in the ultrasound. I’m still not convinced though, my many future ultrasounds will surely confirm the sex. I just want the baby to be healthy & know that he/she is loved.
This entry was posted on Saturday, August 13th, 2011 at 5:17 pm and is filed under House of the Rising Belly.
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Tags: bedrest, placenta previa, pregnancy
hang in there! I have been put on bed rest before and it really is a hard thing to do…the good think though is that you can relax as best as possible. try splitting your time during the day from the bed to the couch. (if allowed) have lots of snacks and plenty of things nearby do keep yourself occupied.
Thanks, the dance between the bed & the couch is what I’ve been doing. I wasn’t working even before this episode so I had not been straining myself. The day before this happened I noticed cramping all day and as I took a 5 block walk to my local church on Wednesday I also noticed it hurt while I was walking. While in church, I basically stood for about 45 minutes as we had worship & felt cramping this entire time but just thought it was another pregnancy side effect. I normally take lots of walks in my neighborhood trying to get exercise & because I live in an area with lots of restaurants & stores nearby. Two of my best friends also live within 4 blocks of me & I visit them often. I thought I was doing the right thing by just getting exercise but now I can’t do that. I was also reading ,but need to confirm with my Dr., that not only can’t I not have sex but any kind of orgasm is highly discouraged to because they cause abdominal contractions. Oh well, I certainly do not want to be put on bedrest in the hospital which is a possible scenario if things go wrong.
They said I have a marginal previa but this is my first kid and I have no bleeding and I’m not on bed rest … so what does it mean? I’m 20 yrs old and I’m 16 weeks…. I don’t understand
Hi,
Hope everything goes fine.
I can completely relate with you. I’m 29 weeks preg n was admitted to the hospital on Friday morning. I experienced vaginal bleeding & contractions on early friday morn. US revealed it’s a marginal previa. Reasons not known. Thankfully the bleeding has stopped & there no contractions. I’m waiting for the doc. I hope he says I can go home now. All I want is for my baby to be healthy & to go as far along as possible in the pregnancy. Wishing you Good Luck.