Placenta previa - is c sec absolutely necessary?

[gotmilkmama]

My friend who is due with #2 in early July has a small portion of her placenta covering her cervix. Can someone educate me on this? Is c sec the only way to go here? Please give me info and options on this topic.

Thank you!

[AugustLia23]

As long as the placenta is covering the cervix, I do believe a c-section is necessary for a safe delivery. It would be dangerous for the mom to push out the placenta before the baby, KWIM? I am definitely anti-cesearean in most cases, but in this situation, it is the safest way to get baby delivered.

When was her last ultrasound? Maybe the placenta has or will move by the time she is due. Many women have their placentas covering their cervix's at the ~20 weeks U/S and most of the time they will move up and out of the way by full term. Good luck to her.

[MidnightCafe]

If the placenta is over the cervical opening, then, yes, a cesarean is necessary.

However, it would be wise for your friend to have the location of the placenta re-evaluated closer to the time of delivery. Placentas generally move up & out of the way of the cervix as the uterus continues to grow. Most women with a placenta previa early or even more than halfway through pregnancy will no longer have placenta previa at the time of birth.

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

Just echoing what was already said; my SIL had some placenta over the cervix at 20 weeks but was fine by her due date. If it *is* covering the cervix at birth I think there's a pretty big risk in delivering vaginally...but I'm no expert.

[mamadawg]

You've gotten the answers already. Yes, it's necessary if the placenta is still covering the cervix. However, she should get an ultrasound closer to her due date & see if it has moved up. I had placenta previa & mine resolved itself before my due date (still had a c-section tho, but that's a different story. )