Placenta Previa Causes, Signs, Symptoms, Treatment

Baby girl is wonderfully perfect and doing great. The ultrasound let us discover that I have an extremely rare complication called Vasa Previa along with a “pulsating” cervix that showed signs of wanting to open. Vasa Previa is when the placenta is covering part of the cervix AND fetal blood vessels are part of that overlay. So essentially a more dangerous version of placenta previa. With half way to go, this can absolutely resolve itself and just move up as my uterus grows as long as it doesn’t rupture any blood vessels in doing so. Worst case is CSection which I’m having more peace about as the days go.
The scary part is my throbbing cervix. I don’t feel anything, no pain, no bleeding since my LMP, and no cramps. Cervix is also 7cm long when average is around 4cm, so that’s a good sign.
I’m being transferred to a specialist team which makes me nervous because that just shows how serious it is. Hopeful though that when I go in for that appointment that my cervix will be totally fine and normal and placenta will already show signs of moving up.
I guess I just feel guilty that this is all my body’s fault and feeling like I’m failing my baby.
Does anyone have experience with either of these conditions? Just praying she’s in there long enough to be viable and join our family!

I found out I was pregnant on October 17, just before the 4-week mark (due June 29). I was absolutely devastated. I wasn’t ready for a baby, just started my junior year, I was preparing to write my medical school applications, my wedding was set for November 4, my husband (Marco) and I had just bought a trailer to go camping on weekends and travel the country over the summer, I am also a type 1 diabetic, I lost a baby almost exactly 2 years ago due to its complications. I immediately told my best friend since middle school, she was in a similar situation a few years ago, had her first when she was 17, but her and her boyfriend (who also happens to be my husband’s cousin) have become very successful and have had a second baby too. My husband was away for work and vacation until November 1, and I didn’t want to tell him on the phone, and I knew he’d be over the moon, so I put together a little surprise. I ordered a jersey from his favorite soccer team (Chivas Guadalajara), the number was “88” (his birth year) and the name on the top said “Daddy”. I also bought a baby size one with “18” and “Baby”. I put them in a box, and underneath them I put the pregnancy test. When Marco got back to New York, I gave him the gift, I put his shirt on top so he wouldn’t think much at first. He started crying and hugging me, he was so damn happy. As soon as I saw his face, that’s when I became just as excited, I was finally happy about having this baby!
I experienced morning sickness in the beginning, I was able to prevent vomiting by making sure I don’t get hungry, which meant I had to eat the second I woke up. Otherwise I had a pretty mild first trimester. I had to go to weekly appointments from 6 weeks, which meant I went to an OB twice during my honeymoon, but it also meant I got weekly ultrasound pictures which is so awesome to look back on baby’s development. I got my diabetes fully under control during the pregnancy, I started using new technology which helped with management so much. My blood sugars basically became that of a non-diabetic (most recent HbA1c was 5.0%).
We had our wedding day as planned, it was absolutely magical. Nobody but that best friend and Marco knew anything. We planned an amusement park honeymoon in Queensland, Australia, so I couldn’t enjoy as much as Marco did. We also spent a few days in Townsville which was very relaxing, but also a little boring as we like to be busy. We got home just before Thanksgiving, managed to keep it quiet there too. On Christmas we announced the pregnancy to family, we put a framed photo of my latest ultrasound in with Marco’s parent’s gift. There was a bunch of screaming and crying and hugging and jumping. We told our friend’s over the next week or so.
The second trimester was great physically, but my mental health suffered a lot. I almost rejected being pregnant for over a month, I just wasn’t ready to have a baby, and I didn’t want to give up the life I had planned. I didn’t neglect my health or anything, I just didn’t want the baby anymore. Because of my belly, I didn’t want to be close with my husband anymore, even just hugging him felt strange, so I wasn’t as close to him as I wanted to be, and it caused some issues. By mid-February I was excited about baby again and felt ready (thanks to therapy). At 22 weeks we moved to Utah to be with my husband’s family. I wasn’t happy about moving to Utah, I always pictured living in the suburbs above NYC, but my husband planned his whole life to stay in Utah to raise his family. I absolutely fell in love with Utah once we settled in though, apart from the guy at the DMV who tried to convert me lol (we’re both Catholic).
Over Easter weekend (27 weeks) we went to Mexico to visit Marco’s extended family, it was the first time I felt really fatigued from pregnancy, I spent most of the day in the pool as the resort we were staying at, and it was amazing. Swimming always made me feel better from day one. At 28 weeks we went to Wyoming for a week for a “Babymoon”, there we sorted out all the issues we’d been having the last couple months and we became closer than ever. After Wyoming, I had to start going to three-time weekly appointments, Monday and Wednesday appointments were only 15 or so minutes, and Fridays were the big ones where they did ultrasounds and stuff. Everything continued to be completely healthy, better than we could’ve expected. At the same time, we started slowly buying baby stuff, I didn’t want to go too fast because I was worried that having a baby room set up for months before baby comes would only torture me (I’ll never make that mistake again).
On Saturday, May 19, at nearly midnight, I started getting some cramping. It was similar to period pains, but it was lower (above my pubic bone) and sharper. Marco texted his dad, who’s a pediatrician, and said that it’s probably nothing to worry about, especially because I wasn’t experiencing any other symptoms, and my belly was still super high. We went to sleep, and when I woke up I decided that today was the day that I’d buy all the hospital necessities, a car seat, and a stroller (I didn’t realize at the time but I think it was a part of my subconscious instinct). We spent the day going from store to store, bought everything we’d need for hospital.
That night (Sunday, May 20), at about 7pm, we were eating dinner on the couch and watching the news, I needed to go to the bathroom, when I was walking there I felt something happen “down there”, I completely ignored it, didn’t process it until I saw the dime-sized blood clot on my pantyliner. When I wiped it was absolutely covered in blood, it was pure blood, I’d almost never seen so much blood come out of me. I put on a maternity pad, got up and the toilet was full of blood too, I almost didn’t look diluted by the toilet water. I called to Marco, he starts freaking out, I’m repeating “we’re going to the hospital”. We get in the car, he calls his parents, I call the maternity ward, they told me to go to emergency as they’re busy and it may not me labor. When we were driving I realized I had been getting painless contractions all day long, I don’t believe they were regular, but they happened once or twice an hour.
We arrive at the ER in about 30 minutes (thanks to evening traffic), they admit us straight away as maternity called them to expect us. They do all the normal ER stuff, like vitals. My heartrate was a little high, my blood pressure was 160/110, my blood sugar was over 300. The BP and sugar probably caused the bleeding. They did an ultrasound and confirmed no tears or previa, and an internal exam confirmed I was 2cm dilated and 80% effaced. The maternity pad only seemed to have residual blood on it, so the bleeding only lasted a couple minutes, and they never found the cause of the bleeding. We’re gonna do more investigating soon so it doesn’t happen again.
After a few hours in the ER there was a spot for me in labor and delivery, I went to sleep pretty soon after, and woke up at 8am with painful contractions. I labored all day long, going up a centimeter every few hours, medication-free, alternated between walking the halls, sitting on the ball, and sitting in the birthing pool all day. At 9cm my water broke, and just after 9pm I was 10cm and started pushing in the pool. I pushed for 50 minutes and my baby was born!
Isaiah Morales Cruz 05.21.2018 - 10:07 PM 4lbs 2oz - 16 1/4 inches
He was born screaming and bright red, coughed up everything he needed to, seemed very strong. I got out of the tub almost immediately, I never felt so energized and healthy. They laid me on the bed while they checked his vitals, and his oxygen and heart rate started going down, and his blood sugar was 44. They took him to the NICU, they didn’t let Marco go with at first. I delivered the placenta, and it was all healthy and intact. My blood sugar also started going down. They stopped my insulin but I kept dropping, I got to about 20 an hour later and had a seizure. They gave me glucagon which made me sick, but I went up after that, and they took me to the ICU. They didn’t let Marco come with me either, but at that point Isaiah was stabilized and he was able to be with him. They gave him a CPAP machine, feeding tube, IV, and all the wires and cords to monitor his vitals, as well as hourly blood glucose tests, more if they felt they needed to. He was in a little pod so Marco couldn’t hold him. His blood sugar kept dropping despite the basal dextrose he was receiving, so they kept blousing him every time he went under 50. At 2am he had a seizure from a low of 18, administered glucagon, and upped his dextrose basal.
I was in the ICU for 24 hours, so I wasn’t allowed to see Isaiah, Marco spent the day moving between the two of us. They had to give him another bolus of dextrose at 7am that morning but didn’t need one for the rest of the day. On Wednesday I got moved back to maternity but spent most of the day in NICU with Isaiah, I was able to breastfeed (which he did so well at), change diapers, sponge bath. He also graduated from CPAP to nasal cannula which means he can breathe on his own, his dextrose basal got moved back down to where it was originally (he needed a bolus 7 hours later). His heart rate was fine as long as his oxygen was, and he developed jaundice that evening too, so he has spent some time under the lights. On Thursday afternoon they lowered his dextrose basal even more, to the lowest whole dose, and he tolerated it perfectly. They were also lowering his oxygen when he stayed over 98% for 6 hours. On Thursday night they let him in our room for a few hours, we took photos, watched TV, and had such a good time, it’s when I really bonded with him and fell in love, but we had to take him back when we were going to sleep.
On Friday I got the news that I’m being released, but Isaiah has to stay. He has to meet these certain requirements that I wasn’t totally aware of for some reason: 35 weeks gestation age, birth weight, graduation to crib (temperature regulation), 7 days of consistent, steady breathing and heartrate (on or off oxygen), 48 hours of blood sugar over 70, parent skills, and a “room-in” (Marco and I will stay for 24 hours with Isaiah and they will test how we all go). He reached the 35 weeks that day, parent skills were assessed, but he was still losing weight, at the time 8 ounces so far, a big drop of 5oz between Wednesday and Thursday. We left in the evening, and we decided it’d be a great time to finish his room, I was so devastated when I found out I was in labor because his room wasn’t finished, so that was an upside to getting out before him. We bought preemie clothes and diapers, toys, blankets, sheets, changing table, baby monitor. We had a really good time, it was a good distraction. We stayed up until 3am working on his room and pretty much finished, we just needed to tidy up. We were back at the hospital at 9am, along with Marco’s parents where they met him for the first time (they had no idea what was going on for over a day because everything was so hectic, nobody even knew we had him until Wednesday).
He graduated to a crib on Saturday, managed to get off oxygen and dextrose on Sunday, and on the next Tuesday he reached his birthweight. Tuesday night and Wednesday, we did the room-in, and it went amazingly, it felt so good and right. On Wednesday evening he was discharged with a clean bill of health. I’ve checked his blood sugar a couple times since, and we have a foot brace that monitors his heartrate and oxygen, and we haven’t had a single issue. It’s now Friday night and everything is perfect. He’s sleeping when we want him to be awake and vice versa, but it’s still so fun.
When they were talking about the risks when I was in labor, nobody expected it to go like this. His lungs were just a little too young compared to the rest of him, and my diabetes made his blood sugars suffer. He’s breastfeeding and doing it so well, I never wanted to breastfeed until I tried it in the NICU. So glad he’s out now, I couldn’t be more in love with him. I never thought it’d be possible to love someone as much as I love Marco, but it happened and it makes me want to explode. Sorry this was so long, but it was a long process and I was excited to share because I love reading y’alls birth stories!

So after bleeding since sunday and being told everything was ok, finally saw a really kick ass OB today.
Placenta Previa and a subchorionic hemorrhage. The bleeding as slowed down a lot and blood work shows my iron levels are ok.
The placenta is VERY close to the cervix, but not totally on it. The tiny bit of space between the cervix and placenta is where the hemorrhage is. He thinks as a the placenta moves it makes the subchorionic hemorrhage worse. Double whammy.
Im not allowed to lift me toddler, drive, grocery shop, NOTHING. The only thing im allowed to lift is a water bottle. The only walking im allowed to do is to the bathroom or kitchen to make food. He said the only time i need to leave the house is for my appointment next week and any emergency.
Grandma is here and changed her work schedule to the weekends, that way my husband will be home to take care of the toddler and house work.
I am a VERY hyper person who use to do 3 mile runs every moring pushing the toddler in a stroller with both my dogs running next to me (large German Shepards.) After the morning run then i would start my day.
I feel horrible but they get walked sometimes and no longer go for their morning run. They spend a lot of time in the back yard with new toys, i just cant have 130 pounds of hyper dogs,a toddler, and a high risk pregnancy in the house. That's just an accident waiting to happen.
I have Grand theft auto and the hubs is going to pick me up some puzzle books and yarn to help me get through all this.
Any ideas are tips to keep myself busy? Or good strong dog toys for my bored puppers?

So my placenta and I have had a very strained relationship basically since conception. I've posted about this a bit here but this is the long story.
I had the baby rabies pretty hard for about a year prior to TTC. I got really into ina may and the business of being born and all that. Once I got a positive test, I found a midwife birth center and planned on a drug-free very granola birth.
12w NT scan-- radiologist review says placenta previa can't be ruled out (I suppose they didn't get a good view or maybe it was just to early to say)
20w anatomy scan-- placenta previa noted. I cried. A lot. The midwives were very upfront that if the previa persists I'd be forced to transfer to an OB and schedule a C Section, which was the exact opposite of my birth plan. But everyone kept telling me "90% of the time the placenta moves! It'll be fine!" But this wasn't just low-lying. This was full coverage of the cervix. I was put on full pelvic rest and told to call immediately if there was any spotting or bleeding.
28w follow-up scan-- we were sooo anxious leading up to this appointment. And yep, still complete previa. By this point I abandoned all hope of the birth center but everyone still tried to give me hope. I was still grieving the birth plan I originally wanted which might sound silly but it had become really important to me since before TTC. I was just ultra bummed. But they scheduled me for yet another follow-up ultrasound. Honestly the feeling of being in limbo was worst of all. I just felt totally out of control and like I couldn't trust my body at all.
32w-- another follow-up and you guessed it, cervix is still fully covered. Oh but the baby is head down and in perfect position for labor...cool. The midwives have been great and already transferred my records to my new ob at the best hospital in my area. I know I'll be in good hands.
I just felt so....cheated. I just kept thinking about all the benefits of vaginal birth over C Section (it's a surprise, you get to go through this experience of labor that has bonded women since the beginning of time, Baby gets important bacteria from the birth canal, quicker recovery time, etc). Unsupportive people who will remain nameless have told me there's no way I could've handled natural childbirth and I just wanted to scream at them two things: 1) I haven't had sex in 3 months and I'm super huge and i feel like shit all the time so get out of my fucking face and 2) I wish I was lucky enough even try to labor naturally!
But then I realized...the best part of me having a C Section? My baby and I are both really really really likely to come home alive! And thank goodness for modern medicine that they were able to identify the previa pre-labor. And also thank goodness that I've had no bleeding (knock on wood). If this were even 100 years ago this could've been bad news bears.
So I've already been told a C Section is recommended for 37 weeks which is only like a month away! SO SOON! I'm starting to freak out about it but at this point I've learned to just roll with the punches and basically have no expectations whatsoever.
My original birth plan just wasn't right for this pregnancy. But I can still be just as granola as I want after the baby's here and there's absolutely nothing I could've done to prevent this.
So for the ladies in limbo out there who don't know if theyll be forced into a C Section or not due to an asshole placenta, yes most of the time it will resolve and you can hopefully have the birth of your dreams. But it might not resolve. And that's ok too.

I haven't posted much, but I want to post an update, since this community has been very supportive, sharing their stories when I went through craziness in my own pregnancy! Also, in my most confusing medical moments, I hunted down posts of people who went through the same thing I was going through and found it empowering, so maybe this story can help someone else some day.
I had a crazy number of issues this pregnancy -- multiples pregnancy after IVF/ICSI. Bleeding from 8 weeks on and off. Hyperemesis gravidarum which was there until I gave birth. A CVS that almost became a miscarriage (I had regular contractions and tons of bleeding a few days after, but they went away). A fibroid that grew to the size of a grapefruit. A hemorrhage event in a public place with a trip to the hospital in an ambulance. Anemia afterwards. I was diagnosed with partial placenta previa. Two hospitalizations. And finally, insufficient cervix that wasn't diagnosed until I was 6 cm dilated at 29 weeks 1 day. Of course the placenta previa had resolved by then. Wheee!
The last time I posted in detail was with the 6 cm dilation, where I was hospitalized indefinitely. I went into L&D triage for a weird eye issue which resolved. I was having regular contractions which I only felt when I was being monitored (Schrodinger's Cat contractions?), which led them to doing an internal exam, which led them to finding that I was 6 cm dilated (I gasped), and that they could see one of the baby's heads (gahhh).
Baby A was acting as a cork. There were no bulging membranes. Just a membrane with a head in it. If he wasn't being a cork, I would have had a c-section that night.
They filled me up with magnesium sulfate (awful!) and steroid shots and another medicine to stop the contractions for long enough to let the steroids take effect. I was shocked that they were not interested in stopping contractions for a longer period of time. The resident explained that their practice was that at 29w, if the contractions started again, they would assume that my body could have an infection or otherwise it needed the babies out, and that they would be better off in the NICU. And that this would happen instantaneously, since I was so far along dilated, Baby A was so small, Baby B was so large and was also breech, that a c-section was the safest course of action for the babies, even though a couple of the doctors were comfortable with doing a breech extraction for Baby B (but not with the estimated size difference).
My goal was to keep the babies in me as long as possible. I held out for a week. Near the end of that week, I was experiencing intense pressure and back pain whenever I shifted my body in certain ways. I tried to suffer through it (I didn't want another false alarm and another night on magnesium sulfate -- I had one mid-week and was so miserable, I thought I was actually dead, because the heart monitoring machine crashed, my heart line stopped, and that seemed the most logical explanation to me). These weird back pains never showed up on the NST, and I kept quiet about them since they were in the realm of normal pregnancy, well, plausible deniability. But finally, after a couple of days with it, the pain was beginning to be so bad, it made me pace around the room as if I was trying to outrun it. I called the nurse.
I expected to be placed on monitoring on my bed, but the doctors were so nervous about my case, the staff rolled in a stretcher, and I was immediately placed on it and sent up to Labor and Delivery. They hooked me up to a monitor (no contractions), but when they checked for dilation, they found I was 8 cm along and had bulging membranes! I had just eaten lunch 15 mins ago, but I was being immediately prepped for c-section. At 30 weeks 2 days.
I find it amazing how quickly things happen in Labor and Delivery -- it's almost an inspiration to me, since I have trouble feeling cool and collected under pressure. I was moved to the operating room, prepped, and in surgery very quickly. They rushed because I was dilating, so they wanted to get both babies out of me before Baby A got too low in to force a vaginal delivery for him, and a c-section for his brother. The OR ran like a well oiled machine. I am so impressed with the staff at the hospital, I almost wish I could restart my life and go into medicine.
I was totally freaked out about having a c-section too, almost had a panic attack when I couldn't feel myself breathe anymore due to the spinal, but the anesthesiologist talked me down, and suddenly I had the courage and embraced where I was -- I was going to birth some babies!
From then on, the c-section was an amazing experience, and although it was so rushed, the experience was much calmer and more spiritual than the last five minutes of "natural childbirth" of our oldest, when my spouse started to bleed, and no one could tell where the blood was coming from or get stats from the baby, and a doctor we never met materialized from nowhere and threatened her with a vacuum to PUSH THAT BABY OUT NOW!
And I heard them cry! Both babies! As they took them from me! Which is something we never heard from our oldest. And I knew they were both okay, and I was so so so deeply happy.
Nurses carried both of them to me as I was being patched together, wrapped up in blankets and on CPAPs, and it was wonderful. And they were so mad to be out, and I loved them.
At the end of the surgery when I was lying in recovery, the resident told me that by the end of the surgery, I was 9 cm dilated. I really had waited to the last possible minute.
When I recovered enough from the c-section that I could move my legs, they wheeled my gurney up to the NICU, and encouraged me to touch each foot -- I was so afraid to, but it was wonderful. The next day, I could hold them -- I had no idea they would allow me given how fragile they were, but I was so thrilled.
Baby A was born at 3 pounds 4 ounces. Baby B was 3 pounds 9 ounces. Baby B was anemic and pale (I so hope it was from delivery, not the chronic anemia I was dealing with in the second half of my pregnancy) and needed a blood transfusion that night, which went well. So far, they've only had the typical issues one might expect for 30 weeks -- jaundice, apnea, needing to bottle feed. Although they were on CPAPs, they were able to avoid a ventilator, and were breathing room air from day 1.
It's been 3 weeks since their delivery. They continue to do great. They are off of CPAPs. They no longer need jaundice lights. They did their first bottle feeding yesterday. They are becoming more interactive, and Baby B is now a full pound heavier! Although everything is going smoothly, NICU life is still stressful. They are probably a month and a half from coming home, and it is a draining experience. My paid maternity leave is likely to run out before they get home from the NICU, but because I had twins, I can take up to 16 weeks of leave, so I will get some time with them when they come home.
The punch line of it all -- they were conceived by IVF/ICSI, but we think they might be identical twins! Either time or a DNA test will tell....

Hey pretty mamas, looking for some insight and advice from you.
I'm 19+1 and was diagnosed with a total placenta previa several weeks ago. My doctor said there's a good chance the placenta will move by the time Henry decides to make an appearance in February. However, I still had to wrap my mind around the possibility of having a C-Section.
I'm also dealing with Bipolar disorder, which is currently going untreated. (Very long story. TL;DR: Fired my psych for taking me off all of my meds haphazardly and going to a new one to ASAP.)
With my severe depression and anxiety, I think it might be better for me to have a planned C-Section. I think it would alleviate a lot of the stress of waiting and also help me cope with all of the changes I'll be going through by having some sort of control over the situation. And since there's also a chance that I'll have to have one anyway, I like the idea of going ahead and committing so it's one less thing I have to worry about. I understand that recovery would be hard, but I don't think it would be as hard as the mental strain and potential trauma of a traditional birth.
What do you ladies think? Have you or someone you know opted for an elective C-Section for similar reasons? And regrets? Thanks for reading. This sub helps keep me sane.

All the bloggers and "news" articles who mindlessly quote this "90% of placenta previas totally move!" statistic that goes around are making me insane. I am pretty sure, but can't tell for sure, that that statistic is relative to previas that are first noted in the first trimester, i.e. when they shouldn't even be telling you about it, and not ones where "placenta is completely covering your cervical os at 20 weeks gestation."
Then there are the threads on boards where someone asks if anyone's complete previa ever resolved and the responses are "mine did but I only had marginal previa lol!!"
Anyway, I trust you guys to understand the importance of facts and accuracy more than the Internet at large. Did anyone else have a complete previa at 20 weeks? What ended up happening?
(I haven't had any bleeding yet but I do NOT want to spend the next 4 months wondering if today will be the day I wake up in a pool of blood. Fuck fuck FUCK.)

After giving birth to my second baby a week ago, I've been saying that I need to write a book about my two very different stories. This is the closest I will ever get to that, but I think you all will enjoy it (as I enjoy all your stories!).
My first was born on her EDD two years ago at home. You can read the full story here. The short version is that it was an amazing experience. My prenatal and postnatal care was given by a midwife and her apprentice, and we also had a doula. Only had one ultrasound at 20 weeks. I labored in an inflatable pool in my dining room and other random places around the house for 12 hours, and then Arya was born on our mattress in the living room. No complications. No meds. Everything was perfect from my perspective! A very happy story.
My second baby was born a week ago (at 40+2) in a hospital. Initially we planned another home birth and started the prenatal care with the same midwife (no doula this time, though - we couldn't afford it). Everything was fine until we went in for the 20 week scan. The technician detected placenta previa and a low-lying placenta. This was the turning point for this pregnancy because now we had to find an OB and go in for regular checks. I was devastated, but we did what was best. Luckily, we were able to find an amazing OB that was willing to accommodate our "hands off" wishes (unless, of course, he felt me or the baby were in danger and required intervention). So now my prenatal care was switched from the midwife to the OB, but my midwife kept with us the whole time and we planned for her to be at the birth as our doula instead. Overall, I had about 7 scans, I think. I also had one cervical check, which was a new experience because my midwife does not perform cervical checks as they aren't necessary. I declined all other checks after that first one. Throughout the visits, the previa had cleared up by itself (as most do) by 35-36 weeks. At this point, my OB said it would be ok to do a home birth, but he suggested the hospital because the placenta was still low (and could potentially result in hemorrhaging). To be safe, we decided to do the hospital just in case. Fast forward to my post-due date appointment. Baby's heart beat was still strong, she had most definitely snuggled her way into the perfect birthing position, and there was talk of induction at 42 weeks or somewhere around there. I also had another scan to check the fluid levels, which were "borderline low." Because of this last little nugget, there was talk of induction sooner than 42 weeks. I was not happy about that. I went home, a little freaked out, and did some reading about inductions for low fluid on evidencebasedbirth.com (best website for solid knowledge, in my opinion). I was calmed by the information I read and just went about the rest of my day. Went for a long walk with my daughter. When we got home, contractions began. Yay! No induction! I had been told the whole time that the second babies usually come faster, so not to wait at home for too long, but I was supposed to wait until they were regular. I tracked them for about 4 hours and they were still irregular and tolerable. I was able to move around just fine and everything. Soon after the 4 hour mark, though, we decided to go up to the hospital to get checked. I really didn't want to have the baby at home or in the car. Turns out I was 4cm dilated when I arrived at the hospital at about 8:30pm. We were moved into the delivery room around 10pm and immediately the contractions were very real and getting so much stronger. The nurse was monitoring the baby and I told her "I need to push." She was so calm and said, "Ok. Do you want us to check you?" I nodded and she called a doctor. I pushed while waiting for the doctor. Couldn't hold it. He checked me and I was at 8cm. It took 2 hours to go a whole 4 cm. Wow. That doctor left and then another contraction came and I told the nurse again, more urgently, that I need to push. She frantically called the doctor while I pushed again. The doctor arrived and just barely got her gloves on in time to catch my daughter. I pushed a total of 3 times and this little peanut was out! I was so relieved that it was a quick and relatively easy birth. It was so quick that my midwife/doula and my OB were both in transit to the hospital as she was born. I didn't even get to use the rebozo I bought. :( But, there was no hemorrhaging! AND the hospital allowed my husband to take home my placenta (which is currently in the process of making a tincture). I was expecting the hospital to say it was against policy, but they were very willing as long as it was taken out of the hospital immediately.
Another difference between my stories has to do with breastfeeding. Breastfeeding with my first was a struggle from the beginning. We ended up having to supplement at day 4 or 5 and I gave up pumping and everything with breast milk at 5 months. But so far with my second, we have been going strong and exclusive for a week now! There's no sign of stopping either.
Overall, I recommend and prefer the home birth to the hospital for one main reason, in addition to several other small reasons: the stay after giving birth. This could very well have everything to do with which hospital is used, but where we were, we were not really able to get any rest or bonding time in our room because there was a nurse or some other hospital staff in there with us literally every 30 minutes. Everyone had to poke and prod at me and the baby, usually doing the same things over and over. There was only two times where we had a 3-4 hour stretch of private time. Ridiculous. And they didn't have the discharge papers ready when we requested to leave. I was very frustrated by the end.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Although, my husband and I do no plan to have any more kids, I am still going to lurk on /babybumps because I very much enjoy all of your stories!

My son is 19 months old now but since someone posted a birth center birth to encourage anyone wanting to go the natural route, I decided to share my experience and give a bit more encouragement. Our bodies are amazing and can do amazing things. We are expecting our 3rd child this September and were finally cleared for home birth again, I had partial previa and it has finally moved in the right direction. We have 9 weeks to prep for our birth and I couldn't be more excited.
Reference: J is my SO. A is my daughter. J-man is my son.
Extra info: I had been drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea for my entire 3rd trimester. I started taking Evening Primrose Oil capsules orally at 36 weeks and vaginally at 37 weeks. We took Hypnobirthing classes as well. We were originally going to have him at a birth center but after a traumatic emergency room visit for A at around 20 weeks, she became terrified of our birth center so we found a home birth midwife at 27 weeks. I didn't want her to think that birth was scary, I wanted her to know that it is normal and beautiful and nothing to be afraid of.
The day before I had J-man I was feeling very funky. I had a lot of back pain but I was mostly fine. It wasn't anything I was really worried about. Right before bedtime I stepped into the bedroom to check my email and set up the stuff for a birth announcement to be sent out to friends and family. I was only 37 weeks, 5 days at the time so I thought I had plenty of time. A is just under 2 months shy of her 3rd birthday and she comes running in and says, "Mom, I'm really sorry." I couldn't figure out what she did, I go into the living room and there is hair EVERYWHERE. She had cut some of her beautiful curls off (probably because people always point them out and she hates it). I clean up the hair and put it in a bowl to be saved, it is her first haircut after all. I get her ready for bed and play a game of League of Legends before J comes home from work. After he got home, we watched a movie and I went to bed around 12. I was so tired.
I woke up at 3am to pee, everything still felt normal. Woke up at 5:30am to pee again and because my back was really starting to hurt. I busted out my handy contraction timer and got to work. I watched a movie on HBO and labored in different positions while I timed. It wasn't hurting really, it was just uncomfortable. I didn't want to wake anyone but after timing and them being 7 minutes apart and 1.5 minutes long I called my midwife and she told me to time for another hour and call her again. An hour later, everyone was still asleep and they were 5 minutes apart and 2 minutes long. This was at 7:30 am. She lives roughly an hour away so I knew she wouldn't be here right away. I also called my doula who lived close to my midwife.
I hopped in the shower and then the bath and A wakes up and comes in and asked what I was doing. I said that the baby was coming and that I was taking a bath to help my back which hurt a little bit. She and I had been practicing "singing" the baby out. We had intended to have a support person there for her in case she wanted to leave or go in a different room but they didn't show up in time.
I woke up J once A was up. He ran to get himself some coffee and then we began prepping the bed and the dining room where the birth pool would be. I helped and would stop during contractions and then continue on. It still wasn't that bad. It did finally get to a point that I couldn't get on top of them, I couldn't focus so I went into our room and put on my hypnobirthing CD and laid on the bed. I stayed like that until our midwife showed up at 9:30 a.m.
She casually walked in and asked how I was doing, I said that things were good and that the CD was helping me focus. I had stopped timing after I called her because my phone kept freezing and I was tired of dealing with it. She asked if I wanted her to check me, I agreed quickly and we discovered I was at an 8-9. Okay then. My mom wasn't going to make it (she had been driving for 2 hours, still had another 3 ahead of her) so I began frantically calling my best friend to come and be with A. She helped me work through a contraction and had me vocalize during it which REALLY helped me focus. My doula showed up and took over the support.
My midwife was no longer casual, she was running between her car and my apartment to get the pool set up. I labored on the bed for bit while they did that. My doula had be drink some water and then I started to transition. I got incredibly hot. I seriously felt like I was in a sauna. I moved to the bathroom while they finished up filling the pool, she checked me again and I was complete but had a small cervical lip. I got in the pool and while I pushed I got... loud. A completely freaked out and because her support person wasn't there yet, my midwife handed her a baby blanket and said, "It is your job to hold this blanket, it is VERY important." A was completely fine after that. I pushed probably a total of 3 times before his head was out, the ring of fire is VERY TRUE. I started to say "I can't do this" to which my midwife just laughed at me and said "you ARE doing this."
I immediately pulled him up to my chest, he was amazing and wonderful. We checked to make sure he was indeed a boy and named him. His sister was so excited, she freaked a little bit at the bit of blood in the water but was too excited about J-man to really care. I handed him over to J so that he could officially introduce him to A. Someone knocked on the door and it was my best friend, 10 minutes late. He was born at 10:30 a.m. I got up and walked on my own to our bed where I was checked, I had minimal tearing and didn't require stitches thankfully. J-man was great, A was starving because in all the commotion she wasn't fed that morning... and was still in her nightgown so my best friend made everyone some breakfast.
I felt great, I walked to the living room on my own, I went outside while he got cuddles with J's mom who had just showed up. A's birth was nothing like that, I didn't "meet" her for the first time until she was 5 minutes old (induced hospital birth with epidural) and I was incredibly tired afterwards (only a 12 hour labor). I felt fine, great, could run a marathon. I was the first person to touch him, I birthed him all on my own, I was so proud of myself for trusting my body and the process and not being afraid.
Breastfeeding was rocky at first, I had one inverted nipple and one flat. We used a shield for longer than I would have liked and he self-weaned at 11 months to my devastation. 2 months later we found out we were pregnant again. It wasn't planned and was prevented in almost every way possible but oh well. I was going to get an IUD after J-man was born but was hospitalized to have my gall bladder removed for a week and couldn't make my appointment and when I got out of the hospital and done with recovery my insurance had gone out. It was a horrible week of pumping (mad props to pumping moms, that crap is hard) and my daughter wouldn't come see me without screaming. She missed me though and came anyway. She brought prizes too and she still plays with the stuffed turtle she gave me.
A remembers the entire birth. All of it. She is very excited about the next one, she wants to cut the cord. Some people would find it weird that we let her be present but it was her choice. She could have gone to her room if she wanted to, she didn't. She wanted to be there. She talks about how my midwife is going to catch her babies.
Oh and my doula was also working on getting certified for placenta encapsulation so she took mine and did her thing. I still have half a jar leftover but will be doing it again this time. I had horrible PPD with A (I also didn't breastfeed her from lack of support and education) and while I still had some PPD with J-man it wasn't nearly as severe.
Some pictures. http://imgur.com/a/Ztuca

This is extremely long, I am sorry, but if you have ever experienced any of this, I would love your insight...
So, I am now 18w4d pregnant, and it has been a journey like no other. I never thought I was going to survive this long, yet I have. I have seriously felt like I am the only one that has ever experienced HG, and my OB/GYN has been absolutely no help whatsoever.
Starting at Week 7, I had not been able to get in to see my OB and would not be able to get in until 10 weeks. I had an US at the ER because I had been bleeding for the entire 7 weeks. US showed that I had a small tear in my uterus where the placenta was attached, but was told 'you are probably having a miscarriage, just go home and continue your life like normal'. I was devastated, this is my first pregnancy, and was so excited to become a mamma. I go home and try to continue my life, and morning sickness kicks in over the next week. The nausea and the vomiting continued until my 11wk initial visit to my OB. I have lost about 13 lbs by this time, because the N/V has been 24/7, non-stop. I'd get up several times in the middle of the night to go throw up. I had tried every remedy everyone had thrown at me. Nothing seemed to help. Crackers, pretzels, toast, the BRAT diet, gingerale, ginger tea, ginger this, ginger that, Emetrol, anti-nausea meds from the pharmacy, nothing helped. Water would not stay down. I burst the blood vessels in my eyes from heaving so much.
I get in to see my OB at 11wks, and I had no idea what to expect at a visit. He did the normal initial tests, and I asked about the weight loss over the past 3 and a half weeks. He said "The weight loss is no concern, you were overweight to begin with," granted, I was 220lb, down to 207lbs, and know that I am overweight, but I felt humiliated by this comment (and this comment still hits me hard to this day). I asked about the severe morning sickness I was having. He threw this out saying "this is normal, it will go away by 14wks. I asked for something for the n/v because I told him it was so severe 24/7, he said to take Emetrol, it was over the counter, and worked really well. I asked about the bleeding, because by 11wks, the bleeding had not stopped, and was still at a light flow. "Oh this is normal, it will stop by 14wks also." I don't know any better, so I believe him. The next week, I go to the ER for dehydration and Zofran IV.
I am a nurse on skilled rehab unit (yes I am a nurse, but anything to do OB or babies, I am totally clueless), and it is highly difficult to continue going on with life, let alone life at work, when one suffers from HG. Working my 12hour shifts are no longer possible. I talked to my DON, she, thank god, is very understanding, and agrees to put me down to 8hr shifts, and to put me on an easier unit. This had been well needed, although, still not easy. I have such a severe lack of energy, am so fatigued that I feel like I have forgotten everything, and cannot remember anything, I want nothing more than to sleep, and to stop starving, and I feel I have lost all ability to function properly. It is hard to explain to a patients family that has just died, and needs consoled , that you will be back, and run for dear life to the nearest restroom or trashcan, hoping to make it out of the room, OR to be in the middle of a sterile treatment or wound dressing and have to run for dear life, and come back and apologize to the patient for leaving their 'coccyx' overly exposed, or leaving a patient naked sitting on the toilet awaiting my return to finish dressing.
My 14wk OB visit. My OB comes in, asks me to lie back and expose my tummy, we are going to listen for the heartbeat for the first time. I am all excited, the first time I am going to hear my baby's heart beating! Yay! 5 seconds later, the Dr, says 'heartbeat is 150. you can sit up, we will do an Ultrasound next visit to see if you are having a boy or girl" and he walks out of the room. I'm sitting there waiting on him to return so I could ask him some questions, and the nurse walks in 5 minutes later, "oh, why are you still here, you can go." I state "Uh, I have some questions, can the Dr come back please?" the nurse replied "Oh, he is very busy, ask me and I will call you later and let you know what he says." I reply "No, I want to talk to him. I have questions." reluctantly the Dr comes back in, and I ask "What were my labs? What about my bleeding, why am I still spotting? What of my weight loss? I have lost another couple pounds. What about my nausea and the vomiting? It is still 24/7, not able to eat hardly anything and keep nothing down." Dr replied "Oh, the labs were normal. The bleeding is normal, it will go away by 17wks. the weight loss is normal, you have nothing to worry about, you are still overwieght. The N/V will go away by 17wks, it is normal." I ask for zofran ODT for the N/V, and the Dr replied " I do not know what this Zofran is, I will give you phenergan." and he walked out. The appt ended. I was not happy.
I filled my phenergan suppository prescription and began taking it. The side effects about killed me. I could not walk right, could not focus, could barely get out of bed, and work was out of question, made me dizzy, light-headed and faint and made the n/v worse. I tried it for 3 days, thinking It would pass. It did not. I called my Dr and explained I was having severe side effects to the phenergan. The nurse on the line said, Oh, phenergan does not have any side effects. I still told her I wanted to speak to the Dr. He answered. I explained what was going on, and I wanted switched to the Zofran ODT. "Oh, I never heard of that, what is it?'' I explain it is a dissolving tablet that will dissolve under my tongue, and do not need to drink water with it, so I won't throw it up. He still does not believe me, so I give him my pharmacy number and demand he call and find out what it is, and he needs to give me a prescription for it ASAP since I had not kept anything down for 3 days. I called at noon. I had not recieved a call back by 3pm, so I called back, begging, PLEADING. The nurse said he had been too busy and would do it later. I begged and begged, and this was her answer over and over. Finally, the office closed at 5pm, still no call back. No script sent to the pharmacy. I call back and got ahold of the answering service, stating the Dr was out of the office. I was so sick and so angry. I called my mother to take me to the ER, where I knew they would give me some relief. Just as my mother had gotten to me, it was 7pm. I recieved a call from my Dr office stating he had just sent a script for Zofran ODT to the pharmacy. THANK GOD. So, no ER visit, mom shot me straight to the pharmacy, got the Zofran ODT, and 20 mins later, I was feeling so much better, and could finally eat, and it stayed down. Sweet HEAVEN. The Zofran has helped keep my foods down, with occasional vomiting, and still 24/7 nausea. I can deal with that, it's better than it was.
my 17wk OB visit. The nurse came in first to take a pee sample. I aske her what I am to expect this visit. she rattles off 4 things she says the Dr will do, that he has done at each prior visit, and will do at every visit there after. I stop her and tell her he has not done any of those things, that the only thing he has done is listen 5 seconds with the dopplar to the heartbeat. Nothing else. The nurse reassures me that he did these things last time. My husband speaks up and says No the Dr did none of those things. I then ask if he was still to do an ultrasound this visit. The nurse says there was no US scheduled, and they don't do them in the office, you have to go to the hospital for that, and the Dr does not do them until 18-20 weeks. I asked her why I wasted my time coming in for this visit, if the US was going to be next week instead. She replied because the r still does those 4 things she said he does. OK. Fine. Dr comes in and again, we listen to the heartbeat not even 5 seconds, and he says "the heartbeat is between 150-154" and walks out. I told the nurse to get him back in the room, I have questions. Again, it was a fight to get him to come in and talk to me. I ask him why no US was ordered. He called me a liar and said he never told us that. My husband tells him he did. Dr still denies this. I ask my same questions as before, how were my labs, why am I still bleeding, why am I still having severe N/V 24/7, and I have lost a couple more pounds, equaling a total of 20+lbs lost, and NO weight gain. Again, all of his answers are "This is normal. It will go away by 20 weeks. It never lasts longer than that." I told the Dr, since he did not ask, the N/V has still been bad, but definitely better with the Zofran ODT, can I get a new script with a refill. Dr replies," I did not know you are having bad morning sickness." No crap. why do you think I asked for the Zofran ODT, and you wouldn't give it to me. Dr denied ever saying that he did not know what Zofran ODT was, that I asked for something completely different. I asked about the tear the first US showed in my uterus, is this why I am still bleeding? Dr replied "I did not know you had a tear. where did you here this?'' from the ER US.
I called him an idiot and embarrassed my husband, walked out and told them to release all my records to me, I would not be back. I also demanded that Dr order an ultrasound so I could find out if I still have a tear, or if I have placenta previa, or whatever else might cause me to bleed. reluctantly, he did order it.
I had my ultrasound last Friday, at 18wks. I was highly relieved to find out that there is no longer a tear in my uterus, and the placenta is far enough away from the cervix I have nothing to worry about there. I found out the baby is measuring spot on for 18wks, and currently weighs 7oz. the baby looks healthy, and was moving around being uncooperative. Also, found out, We are having a little Girl! That made my day. All I wanted to know was, is there a tear and is the baby alright, the DR could have humored me sooner. I'm scared shitless and don't know what to expect. But this was all good news to me, and calmed my nerves A LOT.
I now have an Appt scheduled with a new OB, and will not get in to see her until Jan 6,2014. I hope she cares a lot more than this last Dr did.

So I went in today for a follow up ultrasound to monitor my partial placenta previa and to see the doctor. My office rotates doctors and this was my last new doctor to meet. The ultrasound tech was great and we got to see little girl's face for the first time (previously covered by hands). Unfortunately she said the placenta had moved but a small part was still covering the cervix. Bummer, but not totally unexpected. She said there was still a possibility for more moment and a small chance of avoiding a c-section. OK, so far not great news, but not horrible and - as usual- all the nurses were really nice.
Then I moved over to see the doctor. He was 45 minutes late (I was the first appointment of the day), and I listened while he wrapped up a personal call in the hall outside the room I was in. He walked in and said "So you're the complete previa. When is your due date? We will schedule your c-section today." A little abrupt (and in a heavy accent so a bit hard to take in at first), but he threw out some dates and said pick one and I did. He then got out the goo to listen to the heartbeat, but I had some questions and despite his rush I wanted them answered.
I asked about the discrepancy with what the tech told me and what he'd said and he started a diatribe about how I could bleed out and die or kill my baby if I went into preterm labor. Then launched into how he didn't "give a shit" if I had travel plans or other plan they would have to change or I was basically killing my child. This was a bit scary and I started to cry (dammit!).
I then asked about a whooping cough booster for myself several nurses in the office and at thr hospital had suggested I ask about. He snapped that all vaccines were done by the pediatrician and this was not the time. He then raced out of the room....this is where, still sniffling, I chased him down the hall for my last question about a prescription for a breast pump. I did get the prescription so that is something.
I am so pissed at that doctor, and mad that I cried, confused about the ultrasound and what I was told, and bummed because after all the IVF hoops to get here I really wanted to deliver naturally. I still cannot believe the doctor swore at me and treated me the way he did. I called the office and left a message for my regular doctor to call me back as I still need my questions answered and would like to never again have to see the doctor I was scheduled with today.
TLDR: Placenta previa=C-section 8/15. The doctor who told me was a dick. Feeling like a bit of a mothering failure because no stage of pregnancy can be accomplished without medical intervention (yes, stupid I know and I'll get over it).
Thank you all for reading my rant.

Hey guys, just had my 21 week scan yesterday and learned quite a bit. Kiddo has all the correct bits, heart has four chambers, and we're right on schedule for sizing. So that all's awesome. Kid, however, was determined to be just a stubborn as can be. It had its legs up by the head, ankles crossed, for the majority of the scan. It seemed like no amount of poking or proofing could goad the kid into moving. I got up, peed halfway through, stretched, all sorts of things. Nope, kid was content to stay put. Finally, an hour after the scan started (including checking the rest of the anatomy), we got a glimpse! Just barely long enough to take the picture. And we're having...well, unfortunately, I can't post it quite yet as I'm sure my sister will read this at some point. Can't risk any leaks. ;) Sorry! I'll post the team results after our big family reveal. With photos!
Now for the worrisome news. I might be dealing with placenta previa. It's not total, but it is very low lying. After I used the restroom, midscan, it did come up some and the radiology tech is confident it'll move on up as I get further along. What does this mean? Well, if it doesn't, automatic c-section. Not too big of a deal for me; I just want to make sure we come out healthy. The recovery process would be a bitch but a far better option than risking bleeding out during labor. And I could have my husband take pics of my organs! So that's cool. I also get another scan at 28 weeks to check on the location so that's nice, too.
We're also in breech position right now. Again, not too worrisome this early. Plenty of time to flip over.
Now I just need to go buy/make the appropriate colored fireworks to surprise our families with the gender! We're also doing burgers and cook out food and having some fun in my in-laws' pool. I'll report back after the holiday weekend with how that went!
Funny story, though, while I'm still here. My brother-in-law looked at the ultrasounds of the head and is certain it's a girl. Mother-in-law looked at the same ones and is calling boy. It'll be funny to see their reactions. Both are very outspoken, especially when they're sure.
Also, my 4 year old niece got to feel a kick last night and thought it was so cool. She's excited to be a "big cousin/sister". What she says her relation is depends on what gender we're talking about in each moment.
So, super excited and trying to figure out how I'll be able to stay quiet for the next 2 weeks.

Let's see how many more exclamation points I can type!
We are having a little boy!!! I couldn't believe it!!! The scan was amazing and so neat to see. Technology kicks ass! I've seen so many US and HD pics of your beautiful babes, but seeing my own and all of his little bones, his face, and his organs was SO surreal. DH and I were immediately in tears. The tech even measured his foot for us and it was an inch long! SO COOL! He has the TINIEST bones in his little body. AMAZING. He looked great!
Doc called me today to report that our boy looked great and is developing right on track! I'm measuring only 2 days ahead and he weighs 8 ounces. However, she diagnosed me with marginal previa. The tech said it looked pretty close together and I noticed it too, but doc confirmed it. No sex (WAH!), no working out, no crazy movement. I have to take it super easy! Thank goodness I'm not on bed rest though! I hope little boy is okay in there with this diagnosis...and whether I have to have a c-section or if my placenta moves...IT WILL BE OKAY, right? I literally have no expectations of labor and delivery...except to have a healthy baby and Momma.
Any shared experiences out there?
Following the scan, my SIL and DH surprised me with a gender reveal. Totally not my thing as I am super shy, but it was SO sweet! <3 Sweet Reveal
BONUS: We decided on a name the same day too! Sawyer Randall :) I sure do love my little family.

Hello! Long time lurker, finally decided to pen down my experience with pregnancy so far, hoping to help or hear back from anyone in remotely similar situation. *Warning - long post with a lot of complications... *
 
I'm 33, moderately obese to begin with. Had no issues with periods or regularity. We decided to ttc on and off since last year. Found out pregnant in June. All the tests, genetic tests, blood tests were normal and everything was going smoothly.
 
Week 10, 12 - Doctor detects few fibroids in cervical and uterus region. Nothing to worry about, let's see how it progresses.
 
Week 15- fibroids, 3 in total are growing. One near top of uterus about 8cm, one on the left about 7cm in diameter and another on the right of uterus wall, about 4cm. No pain.
 
Week 16- went in for extreme pain in lower abdomen, especially while peeing. Possible bladder infection, treated with antibiotics. I had mild discomfort/pain in the fibroid spots, but nothing major.
 
Week 18 - I was just hanging out, doing nothing strenous, out of nowhere I bled, as if a balloon of blood burst between my legs. There were many clots and lot of blood gushing (red, dark red, bright red). Rushed to the ER. Cervix looks closed, measuring 3cm. No explanation for the blood.. low lying placenta. Was given IV fluids and released after half a day of monitoring for blood loss. Was adviced to be on bed rest for 2 weeks. Monitor for placenta previa. I had mild spotting almost daily since then.
 
Week 19.0 - I had a lot of upper abdominal pain, was pretty sure it was because of what I ate. Very similar to gas, I tried water and walking a bit and eventually took gas x. The pain went off immediately.
 
Week 19.2 - went in for anatomy scan and cervix measurement. Placenta has moved back to regular position (yay! No previa) Anatomy scan took longer than planned, baby was not cooperative. They couldn't get all pictures of heart . Fibroids still present and growing steady. Was asked to come back to complete anatomy scan.The cervix measurement however is now 1.8cm. Doctor is quite concerned that something changed in 1 week. I'm immediately admitted to L&D for triage. They are observing periodic contractions, even though I don't feel much. I'm immediately put on indomethacin for 48hrs to stop possible fibroid inflammation which is causing contractions, and in turn cervix to shorten. Also bed rest and daily progesterone suppository.
 
Week 20.1 - Go back to anatomy scan and they are happy with heart pictures now.
 
Week 20.4 - once again, out of no where a balloon of blood bursts, all over my legs and on the floor within few seconds. I go back to hospital, they're seeing contractions and my cervix is now .9mm and 1cm dilated. I'm admitted for 2 days, put back on indomethacin and IV to stop fibroid inflammation for 48hrs. Contractions stop after a day, I'm monitored for another day without medications, all ok.
 
During a routine scan, they notice very high amniotic fluid, suddenly. Normal unit is 11-25, I have 34.. This is putting more pressure on my already delicate cervix situation.. Dr is hoping I have GD, which possibly explains high fluids. I'm in hospital for 2 more days, GD is negative.
 
Doctors suggest possible abnormalities in baby's stomach, kidneys or throat which is causing high fluids. Need Mri to conclude. I'm discharged with complete bed rest. Doctors asked us to be open minded about options and possible outcome..
 
Week 21.2 - Fetal Mri done... it's not conclusive. Kidneys look ok, baby is swallowing fine, but extra skin like tissues found around throat and neck.. doctors are unsure of its impact and what it means...
 
So to summarize I'm currently on bed rest, hoping fibroids don't inflame again and cause contractions for another 18 weeks at the least (!).. even if I hold up that long, nobody is sure if baby is going to turn up ok or will have some issue with breathing which they cannot help if there is extra tissue around neck. The possibility of survival is low, with long term health issues if the baby is born in next 4-10 weeks.
 
Doctors have given us the option to terminate, but we have only 2 weeks to decide as I'll be 24 week mark.
 
We don't feel we have enough information to decide that the chance of survival and decent life is low with current reports.. so continuing on bed rest and wait and watch..
 
Thanks for reading! !

I thought my 20 week scan went great as the technician told me that the baby looked great and a doctor didn't come in to see me after the appt. However, I had a follow up appt with my OB yesterday and she told me I have a low lying placenta (not previa, but almost) and that we will need to continue monitoring it to see if it migrates away from my cervix. She said there is a 90% chance it will move but that we will likely need to have a c-section if it doesn't. Okay, fine, I can deal with this.
However, she also told me that the umbilical cord isn't attached at the center of placenta. It's kind of frayed (not badly) and not quite centered. There's a word for this and I can't remember what it was and don't recognize any of the google hits I'm getting. She said that it's not common but also not rare and that it's often not discovered until labor but they were able to pick it up in my scan. She said about 1 in 60 of her patients have it. There are 2 risks: (i) it can impede fetal growth and (ii) it can make labor more stressful for the baby. She said it's not impeding my baby's growth because she is measuring at the 54th percentile and they are not concerned unless it's under the 10th percentile. I am going back for a 28 week scan to check the placenta and measure growth. As for the labor distress, she said if there is any indication the baby is under distress (change in heart rate, etc.) that she will recommend an emergency c-section, so I should be prepared for that possibility. I'm moving to DC in July and she told me that because of this issue I need to make sure I am delivering at a major hospital. Obviously not an issue in DC, but the fact that it's required makes me nervous!
My doctor didn't seem too concerned, but I'm super bummed about this. I was really hoping for an easy pregnancy and now I'm full of worry. I am totally fine doing a c-section if that's what's best for the baby, but knowing that she's more likely to be in distress during labor makes me super anxious.
Has anyone heard of this umbilical cord issue? I just want my baby to be okay!!

So I have marginal previa which means that my placenta is (literally) 1.06 centimeters closer to my cervix then is considered non-previa (dumb). Day to day it means I can't have sex or lift over 25 lbs which is all super lame.
I've had 2 checks so far to see if it's moved (I'm currently 28 weeks) and I have another check in 2 weeks. However I have a friend who is a NICU nurse and says it likely would have moved by now if it was going to move at all. So I'm operating under the assumption that I'm probably stuck with it, as is my doctor.
So 40 weeks for me is November 22 and I was generally planning on an induction at 39 weeks. My doctor told me that if I still had the previa it was pretty much a mandatory csection. I was like, well that's fine, I'm ok with that at 39 weeks. She's like nooo we would do it at 36 weeks. 36 WEEKS? Seriously? That would be around OCTOBER 25!!
I freaked out for a bit because

1. A csection at 36 weeks is a month earlier then I planned to have the baby and 3 weeks before my mom is schedule to come stay with me. She can't come earlier because my SIL is due 2 weeks before I was planning to induce. My DH mom is out too since my OTHER SIL is due mid October with twins! I get that scheduling is likely the worst reason to freak out about this but I hadn't considered any other issues.
   
2. Then my mom SO HELPFULLY pointed out that the baby will likely have to stay in the hospital and what about lung function and all this other stuff. And then I looked that up and started stressing about - how I'll have to have a conversation with the doctor asking her to monitor me until I need to give birth instead of just scheduling at 36 weeks because really that seems too early (ahhhh confrontations!).
   

So! I got back in touch with my NICU friend and asked her all these questions. She works at one of the best NICU units in the US and so she sees high risk situations like much worse then this all the time. She really set my mind at ease.

1. She says that they work to get the moms to 32 weeks and then 34 and that once they are past 34, no one is super worried. 36 weeks is not an awful time to deliver a baby.
   
2. C-sections at 36 weeks for previa are reasonable/normal and the babies lungs are usually totally fine by this time. I wasn't sure if my doctor was being too reactionary but she works at a hospital in the same network and says it's pretty regular procedure. She suggested that I negotiate with my doctor to get regular monitoring to push the birth a bit.
   
3. In her experience, babies born at this time with no other complications usually don't even need to stay in the NICU so I shouldn't assume that this means a long hospital stay.
   

So that's all pretty good and I'm ok with the situation now (except this lack of sex/orgasm is really starting to piss me off). I also have some recommendations for nannies coming in from a friend and I found out that nannies where I live are crazy affordable (I live outside of the US though I am having my baby there). Both recs worked for my friend and cared for infants while she recovered from csections. So hopefully that solves the postnatal help issue.
tl:dr - found out I might have a mandatory c-section at 36 weeks, freaked out but then NICU nurse friend set mind at ease.

Birth story! I loved reading people's birth stories and advice for both labor and postpartum life. So, here's mine.
I was due March 10 but ended up having my little guy on Thursday March 6th. tl;dr: birth didn't go exactly as planned but I ended up with a really positive birth experience.
I had placenta previa and thought most of the way through my pregnancy that I would need a c section. I was really bummed about it because I've been reading about the microbiome and that babies miss out on getting really beneficial gut bacteria if they don't come out through the birth canal. At some point I realized healthy baby is the goal, and that previa necessitates c section and made my peace with it. I thought I would need to have the c section around 37 weeks. However, at 37 weeks, I had another scan that showed the placenta had moved and I was cleared for vaginal delivery. Cue panic. I was now getting the birth I wanted all along but felt totally unprepared for, both mentally and emotionally. Terrified.
I spent 2 weeks thinking about what to do and trying to prepare for the birth, and then at 38+6 weeks (last Sunday!), hired a doula. For vaginal birth, my goal was to labor at home as long as possible to avoid any unnecessary hospital interventions. I was mostly concerned with pitocin, which I've read might be linked to autism (which runs in our fam).
On Tuesday (39+1), I was working from home. I had ordered Fresh Direct for the first time because I could no longer carry groceries. They were delivered around 5. As I squat down in front of the fridge to put them away, I felt something. I was on the phone with my husband at that point and said, I think my water just broke. Went downstairs to the bathroom and saw not water but blood. I then passed a huge (size of a small fist) blood clot. Sent pic to the doula thinking it was my bloody show and maybe normal. She calls: go to the hospital now!
I go to hospital and they hook me up to monitors; baby and I are doing fine. They are not sure what caused the blood or where the clot came from. Bleeding stops, and they decide it's ok for me to go home. Am exhausted. Go to bed.
Wake up at 6 am, bleeding again. Pass another clot. Go to hospital. They hook me up again and baby I and are doing fine. They still don't know what caused the bleeding, but now say: it's time. They think that I am at risk for an abrupted placenta. Either I can have a c section or they will try to induce me. If anything goes wrong with induction, I'll need an emergency c section. Induction includes foley balloon and then pitocin and maybe cytocic. Everything I wanted to avoid! But, I would rather all of that than the c section. I also talked to my doula who made me feel better that, like previa necessitates c section, risk of an abrupted placenta necessitates induction. So, around 11 am weds they start the induction and place the foley balloon (which hurt). They started the pitocin around 1 pm. By 5 pm, I was in serious pain, had not dilated enough to have the foley come out (so less than 3 cm). They turn down the pitocin and shortly after they take out the foley balloon because I dilated to 3 (that was one of the more painful parts of labor). After it came out, I had another blood clot, and then contractions felt much more manageable. By 11 pm, I was about 4 cm dilated and 60% effaced. The doc and nurse asked me if I wanted an epidural. I kept saying no until they explained that it wasn't just about pain: if I needed a c section, I would need an epidural or general anesthesia. If it was an emergency c, they wouldn't have time to place an epidural and I would be put under. So, I decided to was time to get the epidural. I was really super nervous about getting the epidural and the catheter but I just kept telling them and the nurse and my doula were awesome about talking me through it. The epidural rocked! I was able to sleep from midnight to 6 am and had dilated to 6 cm, 100% effaced. After a top off a 6:30, I went back to sleep til 9:30 AM and had progressed to 10 cm and the baby was at -3. Time to push!
I pushed from 10:15-11:41. Started on my left side, and then moved to a squatting position, and then on my back with legs on the squat bar. I had a mirror so I could see in the beginning. I felt SO powerful, like I was the bravest, most badass women ever. When he was crowning, I reached down and felt his head. It was so cool! When he came out, they out him right on my chest. (I had asked for skin to skin right away and for delayed cord clamping).
After delivering, they stitched me up (1st degree tear). I hardly noticed because I was holding my little guy.
Takeaways: - Epidurals rock!! It let me sleep overnight while I was still progressing. Labor pain was totally manageable and I still felt my contractions. - You can't control birth. I really wanted to avoid induction but it was medically necessary. If your birth doesn't go according to your plan, it can still be a really positive experience. - my doula was awesome even though I didn't work with her in the way I imagined. She also did one postpartum visit at home and gave me excellent advice about nursing and helping my little guy to sleep. - don't be afraid to be your own advocate - I was super nervous about some things and really pushed and pushed to make sure I understand why they were happening and what my options were. It made me feel like I was making an informed and considered decision.
Postpartum Life - you will be sore after the delivery! I have a small tear and crazy hemmorrhoids. They suck. Take your stool softener a and your pain meds, and use tucks or some other pads with witch hazel. - taking care of a newborn is hard. I'm a first time mom and didn't realize how often I needed to feed. It is really every 2-3 hours, around the clock, which means you will need wake your baby up to feed. - swaddling is hard to do right. Forget those blankets! I love the halo sleep sack swaddler (http://www.halosleep.com/halo-sleepsack-swaddle-100-cotton-pin-dot-navy/) and other Velcro swaddlers a friend gave me (not sure brand, but similar to this http://www.summerinfant.com/swaddlemeorganiccottonsmallmedium) - deep leg bends while gently gently swinging side to side are super soothing. The 5 S's are important to know (look it up if you haven't already) - there's a YouTube video for everything. We watch a lot if demos to see how to do things
That's it for now. Pics coming shortly!

like the title says, my troll brain will be the death of me... or i guess, worst case scenario, the death of my little one because of the risks that come with placenta previa... eugh. don't want to think about that. so because of the placenta thing I've been on pelvic rest since 16w, and right now I'm at 21w (7 more weeks to go. yuck). Once, a few weeks ago, i had a lapse in judgement and had some private time with my hand, and immediately felt guilty of course. a few days later i started feeling really intense baby movement so I was reassured to say the least. the last few nights in a row though, it's like all the work I do to keep my uterus totally contraction free is all being thrown out the window! several times, I have woken up after a sexy dream or even a not so sexy dream, knowing that I had just had an orgasm in my sleep. this will simply not do. Can anyone think of anything I can do without actually getting off somehow to release that urge? I feel that I'm so hard up lately without an outlet and I have no idea what to do. and it breaks my heart that if my placenta has not resolved itself yet (no way to know until at least a few weeks from now) and moved up my uterus a bit, away from the cervix, that i could actually be endangering my little one if it got bad. ideas?