Anterior Placenta

Hi J.

My second son was born last October and he was a normal healthy baby with no complications at all during the pregnancy. I remember being surprised when I learned I had an anterior placenta(in fact it came up when they explained why I wasn't feeling much of the baby;s movement even though he was moving plenty and we could see the movement on ultrasounds!). It sounded weird to me - but they said it was very normal and they keep an eye on it like they do a placenta in any position. Everything was fine. It seems like it is fairly normal. My son came out without any complications in a vaginal birth ( He was induced at 36 almost 37 weeks but not because of his placenta.) So I don't think you have to worry because of the placenta - but make sure to talk with your doctor about it... Good luck. Many blessings.

I had two babies that presented face forwards, my second and third children, with no problems whatsoever. I delivered naturally, using Bradley method. The first time, I was shocked to find the baby crowning face up! The next time, I new he was posterior, but could actually feel him turining in the canal - wierd, and a bit unpleasant (I was used to pushing being a huge relef, and this time it just felt different!). No worries, no problems in delivery, just a slightly different experience. Good luck!

Hi J.,

I didn't have the anterior placenta, but I did have two boys in posterior presentation. Even so, they were two very different labors! I had to be induced with both pregnancies. In each case, I had started dilating, but never got into a good pattern of contractions on my own.

In both labors/deliveries, my boys were "sunny side up" - but it was only in the first case that I had back labor. I truly believe that positioning can make a big difference (try hands & knees w/back labor). In addition, having a little oxygen helped me breathe through the contractions better. It's hard to truly know what you're going to want until you're there. Your body's and your baby's reaction to all of it may steer your intentions in a different direction, too.

Best of luck for you and your little one!

Hi,
I also had an anterior placenta. The babies movements got stronger the more he grew! And he was in the "right" position when it came time for delivery. I did deliver vaginally (but with drugs). And neither my mid-wife or doctor were the least bit concerned about the placenta.
Good luck!

I didn't have an anterior placenta but my baby was face up, and delivery was tough. With a baby who's "sunny side up," you'll have back labor, which is supposed to be excruciating. Even with the epidural, I was in a lot of pain and could feel the back of my baby's head pressing against my internal organs as I pushed for 2 hours. My advice would be to think about the things you'll need to do for pain management since you're brave enough to want to go through this naturally. Also, when your baby comes out, his head will be strange looking because the cone will be on top of his head as opposed to the back - this is from being face up - but it'll become normal within a couple of days. Good luck!

Hi J.,
I used to work in labor and delivery as a technician and I assisted with deliveries. I worked there for 5 years. I have seen alot of deliveries where the baby has been face up and actually my first daughter was face up. It happens and it is possible to have a natural delivery. I actually cant really recall having to do many c-sections just because of the fact that the baby was face up. Sometimes it takes a little longer to push them out but I know that usually in most cases as long as the baby can tolerate it they will let you push for 3 hours before they do a c-section. I pushed for about 45 minutes with my first one. My cousin also had a little boy that was face up and she pushed for about 1 hour. Hopefully you wont have to push that long. I dont want to scare you by saying 3 hours. The majority of deliveries, the pushing is done between 10 minutes and 1 1/2 hours. So I hope this helps. Just keep a positive attitude about it because it is very well possible. Also since you have a midwife, they try to make it as natural as possible for you with the least amount of intervention. Good Luck!!!
-A.

Hi there
I had an anterior placenta with my second baby. The only effect of it was that I could feel less movement throughout the pregnancy as the kicks were muffled by the placenta being there. But I had a totally normal and VERY easy birth (2 hours total, only 10 mins to push her out) so it had no impact at all on her presentation or my labour. So don't worry about it at all!

I had anterior placenta with both my children. It's true you do not feel the kicks as much but you do at the very end. There were no complications at delivery, my doc said it was in the normal range and both my labors were very quick. The first was induced because my water was leaking - 4 hr labor. My second came naturally - 6 hr labor - 3 hrs in hospital. I think that's a big plus. All the best to you.

I had an anterior placenta and also did not feel my baby kicking until fairly far along (but don't worry, as the baby gets bigger, you will feel the movements!). I did not have painful back labor (with baby facing front) and gave birth without any complication vaginally. I suspect my baby was facing sideways until the very end (maybe a week or two before delivery). You can spend a lot of time on your hands and knees during the last few weeks so that gravity will help your baby pivot so that his/her spine will be down (facing back) in this position...but it's not really worth spending a lot of time in the position too early because the baby can still flip around a lot until the end. Good luck!!

hi J., i had it too, it was no big deal. its normal, a little less common but totally normal. i delivered vaginally, it was actually my best delivery of the 3, and he was the biggest at over 9 lbs 4 oz! he came out facing back/down too. you will feel the baby move later and a bit less, but thats about it. sometimes they had a harder time getting as good a picture for the sonogram. plus as your belly grows, there will be more room around it, if you can picture what i mean. dont worry about it, and enjoy your pregnancy :)

I personally don't have any experience with this. I did however have placenta previa which is a whole different story. I just have one suggestion. Do a bit more research on the subject. You may be able to find other suggestions about different positions you can do to help the baby move. Also I would speak to a Medical Doctor. Mid wives are great but I would want a 2nd or 3rd opinion. Good luck

mom of 2 children 2 1/2 & 1 1/2 and one on the way :)

Congrats of the baby boy! Our third, born in October was our first boy, they're wonderful!! With my first daughter I had an anterior placenta. I did not feel her kick that much which made me very concerned throughout the entire pregnancy. Needless to say, I was very nervous/excited every doctors appointment. I was induced at 41 weeks and after 25 hours of back labor, b/c she was facing sunny side up, they performed a cesarean. I had only dilated to six centimeters and my daughter was trying to push out and going into distress. While this was not what I ever dreamed my delivery would be you will get through it if need be. The most important thing to remember is the health of your baby, she was born happy (will be six in August) and healthy and I've had two c-sections since, it's not that horrible. The most important thing to remember is not to feel guilty about the way you birthed the baby, I felt lots of guilt the first time, but when push came to shove nineteen months later I opted for the c-section. I didn't want to go through all of that labor again and end up with the cesarean. Hope this helped some.