The Previa Thread

[studentmomma]

In searching the forum, I found that there were other women who were or are dealing with placenta previa. I thought it might be useful to share successes and what we're doing to "treat" it.

Here's my brief: I'm currently 18 weeks and diagnosed with complete previa. I'm on partial bedrest, complete pelvic rest and am not supposed to lift anything heavier than 10 lbs ie my 17 month old DD. I figured that positive thinking includes gaining some knowledge on what works for others and hearing some optimism.

Here's what I'm doing:

I'm visualizing and communicating with my LO. "Hey baby, hear mommy's heart? Mommy wants you close to her heart. Move that way." Things like that.

I'm also taking some herbs - red raspberry, red clover, stinging nettle, alfalfa and a few others - from searching through Aviva Jill Romm's The Natural Pregnancy Book. I also extrapolated what I could take based on this article in Midwifery Today explaining some of the causes http://www.midwiferytoday.com/enews/enews0110.asp

Finally, I'm going to see an acupuncturist next week who has had success treating previa - and seems fairly optimistic that even though mine is complete previa they caught it early enough that she might be able to resolve it.

I may consult with a homeopath or herbalist as well.

Please hop on in with what you're doing/ what worked for you in the past.

[JudiAU]

I had complete previa that cleared up in a few weeks. It was diagnosed by structural ultrasound (I think around 24w) and cleared up within 2. I'd like to say that the 13 pounds I gained within that time frame helped but according to my midwife, that had nothing to do with it. At the time, my midwife said not to worry about it so of course I did. I had no other symptoms and didn't need to take special precautions.

I assume you've had heavy bleeding and hence the bedrest? It isn't standard to be on bedrest if you haven't...

[studentmomma]

I had bleeding but I wouldn't call it "heavy". It was after a long few days out with DD - street fairs and dances. I'm on "partial bedrest" - ie getting my feet up as much as possible to try and avoid more bleeding, etc.

JudiAU - thank you so much for sharing! Just hearing positive stories puts me more at ease and able to focus on the visualization/positive thinking of moving this placenta up.

It's funny because I've had a bit of trouble gaining weight this time around... last time I gained 65+... and was wondering if it was somehow related to the previa. Maybe I should be drinking more milkshakes. He, he, he.

[studentmomma]

So, had an ultrasound Monday - and the placenta moved. Ok, it only moved a tiny amount - they couldn't really even measure it - but it moved so here's to positive thinking.

I'm curious - I'd like to talk to my midwives about *not* scheduling a section. I know it's early (and I'm optimistic that it will move) but I like to be prepared (as prepared as possible) does anyone have any links that I could read up on...

I'd prefer to go into labor on my own and if a section is necessary at that point then they can take it from there. To me, 3 weeks early seems too early - the LO needs more time in the oven. Ideas?

[Pookietooth]

I think it depends on the veins -- if you have vasa previa, which is associated with complete previas, where the veins are over the cervix, it can be dangerous to go into labor on your own -- otherwise I think it's ok although I'm no expert.
I'm doing acupunture and Chinese herbs, and also a homeopathic remedy prescribed by my midwife, sabina (she told me to do 30C three times per day, but I haven't been great about it).
I gained a lot at the beginning, but haven't gained any for several weeks. I haven't had much appetite and get kind of queasy when I eat. Sigh.

[jazcat]

Hi there Pookie and Studentmomma, I have complete previa still at 33 weeks. I'm not doing anything to get it to move - I guess I've given up hope. My placenta is very centered over the uterus and would have to move A LOT. I am trying to take it easy with not so much running around or difficult house work. No bleeding yet (fingers crossed). No c-section scheduled yet, but I'm guessing one will be scheduled for 38/39 weeks, very end of September.

FYI, someone recommended prenatal yoga to me - yes, to get the placenta to move. She recommended a particular girl, who apparently is also a midwife. But due to schedules, I never did make it.

Good luck to you!

[studentmomma]

Yoga sounds promising... now to get my energy/motivation up. I began this pregnancy in great shape and especially now I've really let it slip. Perhaps this is the push I need to get on top of it.

Best of luck to you ladies - please keep in touch about what's going on.

[studentmomma]

Originally Posted by Pookietooth

I think it depends on the veins -- if you have vasa previa, which is associated with complete previas, where the veins are over the cervix, it can be dangerous to go into labor on your own -- otherwise I think it's ok although I'm no expert.
I'm doing acupunture and Chinese herbs, and also a homeopathic remedy prescribed by my midwife, sabina (she told me to do 30C three times per day, but I haven't been great about it).
I gained a lot at the beginning, but haven't gained any for several weeks. I haven't had much appetite and get kind of queasy when I eat. Sigh.

That's what I was afraid of - thank you for the info. Hope you are feeling better soon - it's funny because I'm having a lot more trouble gaining weight this time, too... related? Also, I had a poster respond to one of my posts that her complete previa had resolved itself when she gained 14 lbs in two weeks - which her MW insisted wasn't related... Just wondering.


Here's something I found while Googling yoga and previa:

Wide-Angle Child’s Pose ~ Kneel and open your knees approx. 18”. Have plenty of pillows for use under
your tummy, front of shoulders and/or forehead as you bow forward and slide your arms along your sides, palms up. Direct your breath
to massage and relax your back, hips and kidneys, especially.

Squat Often! ~ Externally rotate the hips and slide down a wall with a nice, straight spine. Feed your calves, strengthen your ankles, nourish
your lymphatic system along the way. You may not need a wall for support, so practice balance. Either way, gently draw in and up on your sphincter and anal muscles (inhale) and release (exhale). Do this as long as you COMFORTABLY can -- without straining.

Hope that's helpful.

[jazcat]

I would just say be careful with the squatting, depending on how far along you are. I'm at 34 weeks now and I avoid squatting at all costs, because it feels like it puts more pressure on my cervix, which could cause bleeding. Probably when the baby is not so big, it wouldn't be as worrisome.

[studentmomma]

Very true jazcat - even at only 22 weeks I can certainly feel some pressure and I've heard that squats past 35 weeks are forbidden. I think it can bring on labor if you're at a certain stage.

Also, I've started taking sabina in addition to the acupuncture. I've started having some nightmares about a section...

[studentmomma]

We had an appointment with the MW yesterday... she explained what happens when previa improves a bit more satisfactorily. Instead of 'moving up' or creeping up it rather grows up. Blood supply to the lower placenta (what becomes the 'lower uterine quadrant' - where they make the c-section incision) is low to begin with and over time (usually) that section becomes dormant as an area of placental development.

Also, I'm measuring right at my dates now! Hurray! - I'm taking it as good news because I had been measuring 2-3 weeks ahead - which I've read is a sign of previa.

I think that's it for updates... I did some talking about what would happen in a section - how much they can do as far as a "natural section" and am feeling a bit better.

Hope you other ladies are doing well and hopefully seeing some improvement. Sending you all good thoughts.

[jazcat]

Studentmomma, interesting about what your MW said about the placenta - I had never heard of that. But I did read that the placenta is a very nutrient hungry organ and can pretty much wrap itself around anything, even outside the uterus.

Can you share any of your links about previa? I've done google search after search, but I seem to not be reading anything new. Or are there any other message boards with more "previa" activity? I find the MBs to be a rich source of info, especially birth stories of those who had CPP.

AFM, I'll be 36 weeks in a few days - yay! I feel like I'm out of the woods to some degree, but still a bit frightened of the delivery. Not so much of the c/s itself, but that something will go wrong. My doc is being weird about scheduling the c/s. At first she said her doctor/expert colleague recommended 36.5 weeks, not agreeing with that but just letting me know. She knows I prefer to push it out further due to development and esp since my son was a 41 week baby. So then I suggested a date around 38 weeks. She called back with a 39 week date. I think I'm ok with that. Am going to try to stay on my butt as much as possible next few weeks!

[studentmomma]

Unfortunately, I don't really have any links to share... it seems that there is just basically a consensus that "there's nothing you can do, hang tight." The internet, which I can usually depend on for an outlandish treatment plan, an alternative one, or at least a bit of entertainment has failed me... Sorry I don't really have anything to offer. My google searches aren't turning up anything new either.

It is awesome that your OB is letting you go to 39 weeks - and congrats on making it so long and taking good care of yourself.

So, I have a possible new "symptom" - a possible vaginal prolapse. Have any of you ladies heard of previa being associated with pregnancy-related prolapse? For now, I'm just Kegeling-away and thinking happy thoughts.

If I come across any new good links, I'll be sure to share.

[jazcat]

How do you know you might have vaginal prolapse? I've never heard of it. Just googled it tho. I do feel everything is different down there - pressure, puffy, etc. I just figured it's because I'm an enormous watermelon right now. But now that I think of it, at the beginning of this pregnancy, my OB said I might have some lapsed pelvic floor, or something like that, due to my first pregnancy (hard labor).

Mixed feelings about the 39 weeks. On the one hand, I'm thrilled she's letting me go that far as well. Just feels right. But then the risks of going into labor...scary. I keep telling myself, even if I do go into labor, one contraction is not going to hurt. We live about 10 min from the hospital. Ultrasound today showed everything looks good, placenta healthy and totally attached. What do you think?

[Lillitu]

thanks you, studentmama, for this thread. i just got my news about my complete previa yesterday, and my midwife wasn't very encouraging about my hopes for a VBAC.

this gives me some hope, and some tools. i will post here as i know more as well.

[studentmomma]

Well, jazcat - I had that full/pressure sensation (which I've been having for a while and thought was b/c of the previa) and (possible TMI alert) I decided to look while on the potty the other day - it felt like there was something in my vagina - and I saw a "something" protruding. Called my MWs and they don't want to do a pelvic exam, obviously, but they said what I'd already suspected about the prolapse. It seems to be fairly minor but I guess not when you're the one experiencing it. There is a Pelvic Organ Prolapse Support thread on here: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...agina+pressure

And they recommend http://www.wholewoman.com

I do agree with you jazcat that it's quite scary to consider going into possible labor - although it's great that you're only 10 mins from the hospital. Unless you labor really quickly, I think you're right - one contraction isn't going to hurt. I know second babies come a lot faster but I think you said your DS was 41 weeks? You can get in there before any progress is made, KWIM?

We're about 40 mins from the hospital, so I'm not really comfortable with that.

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, Lillitu . It's so disappointing to want a natural birth and be denied because of this...

This is a silly/hard admission to make but I have a few friends who take the scheduled c-section route... and I just wonder why this isn't happening to them. Why would it matter anyway? (That's horrible, right?) But to want this for yourself and your baby and then be told that you must have a c-section... I suppose many women have that sort of feeling. Just frustrated, I guess.

Sending good thoughts your way, ladies.

[Pookietooth]

I have a 36 week ultrasound scheduled for two weeks from today, that's the day I will find out if my placenta has moved. Got to take more sabina and Chinese herbs! Also, I need to be better about doing the moxabustion my acupunturist recommended for the previa (in Chinese medicine, it's caused by sinking chi).

[jazcat]

Great links StudentMomma, thank you. I don't know if I have any prolapse or not. I'll wait till after the delivery to see how things feel and explore if I need to. Part of me is kinda glad I won't be doing another vaginal delivery. I was in labor for 3 days with my son - this is what probably cause my pelvic floor issues. I think if I was given a choice - incontinence/vaginal prolapse/etc OR c-section, I would probably choose the c-section! But I guess noone knows who's suseptable ahead of time.

So it looks like I'll have my c-section Oct 2, at 39 weeks. I'm still not sure if I'll make it that far - I just feel so huge! But then again, my son was a 41 weeker, so hopefully this one will hang on. I'll be so happy if they deliver a healthy fully developed baby girl. My doc yesterday made the c-section sound like no big deal - 10 minutes and she's out. I'm a little concerned about the surgeon on schedule that day. I looked at her bio online and she looks YOUNG. I might make a request that the perinatologist on-call also be in the OR.

Oh, and my iron levels have barely budged and I've been taking Blood Builder 52mg a day! Now I'm upping it to 4 a day.

Pookie - when was your last u/s?

Lillitu - how many weeks are you?

[Pookietooth]

I have had four ultrasounds, but one was at six weeks and another at 8 weeks, due to being treated at a fertility clinic. The other two were at 13 weeks or so for the nuchal fold scan, then at 20 weeks. The 20 week one was where they dx'd the previa.
My iron levels are still low too, and I'm taking 25mg three times per day in addition to the 18 mg from the prenatal. My dentist noticed and said I should take the iron with spirulina and chlorella to help with absorption.
I have a weak pelvic floor, but that was the case before ds as well. I think mine is just genetic, as I starting having symptoms in college. It was right around the time I started using a diaphragm and had gotten multiple bladder infections though so who knows. Definitely not childbirth related. They say that nuns have the same rates of bladder incontinence as women who've had children, so I'm guessing it's more about being female than having babies.

[Lillitu]

i talked to the midwife a bit more, and she was still not very reassuring. she said my previa was complete and near the front, likely to implant in my scar tissue. i keep having thoughts of "up and back, up and back" and am going to seek out acupuncture and herbs to assist. i wanna do everything i can to try for a VABAC.

Originally Posted by jazcat

Lillitu - how many weeks are you?

on Friday, i will be 22 weeks.