Anterior placenta?

[Mopey]

I found out at my check up yesterday that the placenta is in the front, like a pillow between me and the baby. So it will apparently take longer to feel the kicks - another month or two - but does that mean just from the outside or from the inside as well? Has anyone had this? Would love to understand what to expect. TIA!

[Mrs.Skeeter]

I had an anterior placenta with both of my pregnancies so I don't have anything to compare to, but here is my experience. In terms of movement my first I felt around 16 weeks and my second 22-23 weeks. From the outside we were never able to feel more than gentle kicks. From the inside I felt my baby kicking and moving but I was never kicked so hard that it hurt and no feet or knees ever got wedged under my ribs. With my second child, my midwife was very kind and let me come in for a heart beat check when I was concerned. Our big ultrasound was at 23 weeks and showed the baby was just fine, but I didn't really feel much movement before that and I was worried something was wrong, especially since I felt my first moving at 16 weeks.

I was all worried about the position of the placenta if I were to need a C-section (which I did not) but it isn't an issue, they just cut right through it.

Congratulations!

[georgiegirl]

I had an anterior placenta with my boys (but not my oldest child), and yes it took longer to feel movement. But once you get past a certain point, you can't really feel anything different. I have heard that if your placenta is in front, then your child is more likely to be sunny side up during delivery. But I have no idea if that's true or not.

[MommyAllison]

I had an anterior placenta with one of my kids, but still felt movement very early on the inside. It may have taken longer for DH to feel kicks on the outside, I can't really remember. My midwife told me that babies like to face their placentas, and my DC did keep turning towards the placenta as I neared 40 weeks, but it wasn't a problem during labor or delivery so I think Dc must have turned the right way in the end (delivery was crazy and a blur for other reasons).

[essnce629]

I had an anterior placenta with DS1 and didn't feel any movement from the inside till I was 21 weeks I think.

[flashy09]

Well, both my pregnancies had anterior placentas and I certainly felt their kicks to the point of being painful! Both started around 18 weeks. The kicks were also felt easily from the outside. I could feel feet/hands/elbows in places I did not think babies had access to! I am 5'3 and 97 lbs so not a lot of room or extra padding and made big babies so maybe that played a role, but I don't think that anterior placenta muffled a thing. However, both kids were posterior ....apparently babies often face the placenta. That did make delivery a little harder and I needed a vacuum with DD1. Both were overdue as well, which can be due to less pressure put on the cervix with posterior babies.

[Liziz]

I had anterior placenta w/ DD. I first felt her right around 20 weeks, so it's definitely later than some people feel, but not crazy amount later. I don't know when it's considered "normal" to be able to feel from the outside, so I don't know if that was delayed at all, but we could definitely feel her from the outside through plenty of the pregnancy. I had an normal on-time delivery (3 days early) and DD's nose was down.

I don't know placenta placement this pregnancy, I haven't had an ultrasound since 10 weeks -- but I started feeling the baby within the past week, so around 18 weeks.