Anteriour placenta club?? - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[GoofyInOK]

Hello ladies!  :)  I just wanted to check in and see how the other members of the Anterior Placenta Club are doing, lol.  Are you guys feeling any more movement or having any other concerns?

For me, movement is very steady these days (I'm one day shy of 23 weeks).  I feel lots of little kicks and punches all the time...  Seems like the anterior placenta really isn't making too much of a difference.  Also, hubby felt the baby kick him!    He/she had flipped head down and was kicking the top of my uterus, and he finally was able to feel it.  I was so happy.  He also saw the baby kicking me yesterday when he/she was head down - it was funny, my whole belly shook!

Can you believe that we're this far along already?  This seems crazy fast!

[onemomma]

Today is 20 weeks for me, and in the last few days I have been feeling a lot more movement. I've still only felt it on the outside once, but it's just so reassuring to be feeling anything at all after waiting so long!

But yeah, you're right, as soon as this little one's bones start to harden up that placenta will do nothing to protect me from his or her wild baby dance parties in there.

Speaking of which, I love when you see their little newborn movements and stretches and you just know that's exactly what they were doing on the inside because their little hands and feet did the exact same thing on your belly. Amazing.

[Nicole730]

I'm 24 weeks and have been feeling a lot of movement, it's still all down really low, where my placenta isn't.  I am still hoping this baby is strong enough to kick hard enough for my ribs to feel it!  Haha.

[ms.shell]

I am feeling movements a lot stronger now.  I am thinking my placenta may be fundal rather than anterior now, but am not sure.  Anyway, my baby was lying transverse for a long time and then I thought I felt him shift to head down.  But then I started feeling kicks down low and suspected he was breech- and when I went to the doctor last week, he confirmed this.  I would think it is too early to worry about him staying breech, but what the doc said was this: "...and he's breech.  But that's okay, I can turn him."  Which made me think the doc is not expecting that he will turn on his own.  I have read that babies like to cuddle with their placentas, so this has been a worry of mine, that he won't settle in head down.  And I had been thinking I would still like to deliver vaginally if he is breech at labor, but now I am worried about that because of the cord.... 

[modestmothering]

Last week -- week 22 -- was a big movement week.  DH still can't really feel anything yet.  Tiny has been emerging much more on the left side, away from the placental shelter.

[scowgirl]

I'm feeling more differentiated movements, I guess (22w3d). I feel little twitches and taps that I think are kicks, though I'm still not sure. Other than that it's the same pressure and squirming that I had been feeling for a while. It's always a relief when I am able to feel that.

[XanaduMama]

Originally Posted by ms.shell 

I am feeling movements a lot stronger now.  I am thinking my placenta may be fundal rather than anterior now, but am not sure.  Anyway, my baby was lying transverse for a long time and then I thought I felt him shift to head down.  But then I started feeling kicks down low and suspected he was breech- and when I went to the doctor last week, he confirmed this.  I would think it is too early to worry about him staying breech, but what the doc said was this: "...and he's breech.  But that's okay, I can turn him."  Which made me think the doc is not expecting that he will turn on his own.  I have read that babies like to cuddle with their placentas, so this has been a worry of mine, that he won't settle in head down.  And I had been thinking I would still like to deliver vaginally if he is breech at labor, but now I am worried about that because of the cord.... 

It's WAY too early to be worried about positioning. They don't settle into a position until around the third trimester, when their heads are heavy enough for gravity to play a part (and even then, they can move around). Doctor doesn't know what he's talking about--there's nothing he could know that would lead him to believe that baby's going to stay breech. I've done a bit of reading about anterior placenta and positioning, and I think the anxiety is overblown--there doesn't seem to be much evidence that they're more likely to be posterior or breech.

[lbkw]

Originally Posted by XanaduMama 

It's WAY too early to be worried about positioning. They don't settle into a position until around the third trimester, when their heads are heavy enough for gravity to play a part (and even then, they can move around). Doctor doesn't know what he's talking about--there's nothing he could know that would lead him to believe that baby's going to stay breech. I've done a bit of reading about anterior placenta and positioning, and I think the anxiety is overblown--there doesn't seem to be much evidence that they're more likely to be posterior or breech.

I know that's what's written about the placenta, but having had the experience of placenta in a weird place and a breech baby who was entangled makes me very nervous. I have been feeling movement everywhere so I'm not really sure where placenta is since u/s. At least it was high so I don't think it will end up anywhere near my c-section scar. My breech baby had been head down at 20 week u/s and DS was head down every time he was checked (show-off).

I am trying to do my head stands. DD saw me this morning and said I was exercising.
 

[Shinyredstar]

Seems I should start watching the mail for my club membership card found out today that I'm also anterior, which I guess shouldn't have come as much of a surprise- most movements I've felt have been at the lower left and lower center, but I've also felt some near the top. She was head down at the u/s today, so either she's still turning top to bottom a lot or she's going to be the next Mike Tyson because I feel a lot of strong, regular jabs.

[ms.shell]

that's scary, lbkw!  was your baby who was entangled okay?

[lbkw]

Originally Posted by ms.shell 

that's scary, lbkw!  was your baby who was entangled okay?

We had no idea she was all wrapped up until she was born by c-section. We had tried an external cephalic version and she did not budge or have any change in heart rate. I was too nervous to attempt a vaginal breech not knowing why she was breech and I would have had to travel for a vaginal breech attendant.

I'm sure it was just a fluke, but they said after she was delivered, if I had tried to labor she would have been pulled tighter as she tried to descend.
 

[fruitfulmomma]

I'm in...was told yesterday the placenta was up front, she didn't say high or low but I'm guessing high since I am feeling most movement low and on the right side. I've had a couple of scares when she has moved up high and I don't feel much. We were trying to get spinal pics yesterday but she is sitting breech and posterior and didn't want to budge. 

[scowgirl]

Hi guys... I am wondering when I should worry about fetal movement? My last MW appointment was at 21w (this is my first pregnancy) and we heard the heartbeat and movement at that time, MW said all seemed well. I'm 23w now. I've kind of run the gamut of feeling great vs. nervous about movement over the past week. In the middle of the night last Friday, I believe baby had turned head down because I was feeling these flicks and twitches near my belly button on the right side, much more dramatic and noticeable than it usually is for me. I think I even felt a couple of them from the outside. It was really cool. So I naively assumed the movement would get stronger and easier to feel from there (my best friend is about 6 weeks ahead of me and has been feeling strong movement for months now, which is great for her but adds to my worry a little).

But last night and the night before, I really haven't felt much when I've lain down in bed, which is when I feel like I should be able to feel a lot of movement. Yesterday my mind was put at ease a bit because I felt some of the usual pressure/squirming/flutters on the way to work, and periodically throughout the day while I was at my desk. But this morning, I ate my breakfast (which includes orange juice) and so far really nothing except one twitch/kick and some pressure. I'm starting to freak out but I'm not sure if that's really warranted... I mean, with my anterior placenta and big belly, it could just be that she has moved to a position where I can't feel movement as well. I am not sure when it's to the point where you are supposed to call your provider about this type of thing.

Of course I had to freak myself out by googling how to do kick counts, which apparently I'm not supposed to even be doing yet, and the movements are not that differentiated so I drive myself crazy trying to decide what is a "movement."  Any perspective from those of you who have gone through this before?

[sjdragonfly]

I wouldn't worry about it, yet, This is my first pregnancy, too, but I've asked my midwife a ton of questions about this very thing. She said that our placentas are really thick, so it's like the baby moving with a pillow between you and the baby. I still don't feel things all of the time unless it's really hard movements. I think the baby turned to face my back a few days ago because I haven't felt much of anything for a few days except here and there and the occasional punch to my bladder. (I'm 23 weeks right now)

Once the baby's bones start to harden a bit more, you'll feel things more often. With an anterior placenta, it's just harder to feel the movements, but it doesn't mean they aren't happening! When we had our ultrasound at 20 weeks, the baby was moving all over the place, but I couldn't feel a thing.

[fruitfulmomma]

I made my husband call the nurses hotline Sunday night because she had gotten real quiet and even with walking and eating something sweet, I couldn't get her to move. As soon as he called and we were waiting for a call back, she started to move. Gave me a good 12 kicks and then got quiet again till about 4 hours later. She was up under my ribs at that point. Nurse thought she was fine, but said if we were really worried we could go to l&d and have her checked, but I decided to go to sleep since I had gotten some movement and by morning she had moved back down and was quite lively. Ultrasound Monday revealed the anterior placenta, and that along with the padding from 5 other kids, is probably what is keeping me able to feel her if she is up high. The lady at ultrasound said at this point we are probably only feeling about 1/2 the movement anyway since she is still small.

[scowgirl]

Thanks to both of you--that set my mind at ease quite a bit. I have felt some twinges near my cervix that I'm pretty sure were kicks today, plus some of the normal pressure/squirming, so I'm feeling better. Plus I am reminded that it's just kind of early, and I can't expect to feel it all the time anyway. That is a great point about the sensation of movement increasing as the bones harden. I will look forward to that!

[Shinyredstar]

I know that with one of my sons, I really didn't feel a whole lot of movement through the pregnancy- and with this one, I feel her very regularly and all over the place, even with an anterior placenta (and I also have puh-lennnty of padding!) so sometimes I think it's just the baby, too. I know it stinks. With the pregnancy that I didn't feel a lot of movement, I was constantly concerned about there being a problem and I was also a little sad that I felt somehow cheated out of what I saw as the fun parts of the pregnancy. Then again, I've also had a pregnancy where I got lots of kicking and moving mid pregnancy but it took a long time to start and dwindled as the pregnancy neared an end and he was too cramped to move - so don't give up on it yet. It's still pretty early, especially for a first baby!

[LeaPea]

I, too, have an anterior placenta. With my daughter, I didn't really feel her move until 21 weeks. After that, it was sporadic until about 26/27 weeks, then I felt constant movement. It was always more of a rolling motion though, not really strong kicks. I went to the L&D once because I couldn't feel her move for several hours. They put on the fetal monitor, and she was moving constantly, but I still couldn't feel it!!!

With this pregnancy, I have felt baby boy move since about 15 weeks. There are days when I feel him move frequently, and days where I feel little to no movement.

[mrs_mandolini]

I'm 21 + 4 and sometimes go days without feeling movement. DAYS . This is so different from my 1st child, I totally blame the anterior placenta.

[modestmothering]

Originally Posted by mrs_mandolini 

I'm 21 + 4 and sometimes go days without feeling movement. DAYS . This is so different from my 1st child, I totally blame the anterior placenta.

At 21 weeks I also was only feeling movement every couple of days and it was very small movement. 

I am now at 24 weeks and I feel a lot more going on.