I was planning to have a midwife-attended home birth (my 3yo was also born at home). Now I'm looking at a 36-37 week c-section. A high-risk c-section since it is an anterior placenta.

At my 21 week ultrasound, I was told my "placenta is a little bit low" by both the sonographer and the physician reviewing the images. I wasn't watching that part of the scan as baby was breech then and we don't want to know the sex.

I got worried when my midwife reviewed the report with me last week. It said total previa, not low lying. I know that the overwhelming majority of low-lying placentas resolve (90+%) -- so I hadn't thought anything at all of being told mine was low. I also know it is quite rare for true previas to resolve.

I went for my follow-up ultrasound yesterday (30w3d) and I have a marginal previa. The sonographer also pulled the images from the last study -- it was also a marginal previa then (NOT "a little bit low" as I was told verbally, nor a "complete previa" as was in the written report). So there's been no change at all.

I have a repeat scan at 33w3d, but, I'm not feeling hopeful at all. I have (of course) read every study I could access about 3rd-trimester resolution rates of marginal and partial previas. The best numbers are about 30% resolve adequately to allow vaginal delivery. The worst study numbers are less than 10%.

I'm really upset that I spent the last 2+ months thinking I was on track for a home birth when I could have had that time to adjust to the strong possibility of a very different birth. Why didn't the sonographer or the OB at the maternal-fetal medicine practice where I got my scan tell me? Why did my midwifery practice have a report that said "complete previa" for 6+ weeks without talking to me about it??

I should be grateful that I have access to appropriate care and that I can get a c-section rather than face down a high risk of a deadly hemorrhage before or during birth. I should be grateful that I had access to ultrasound at all and the previa wasn't diagnosed because I died delivering. I should be grateful that a scheduled section addresses the fact that we've don't have good backup care for LO and I've been super stressed about what we'll do with him while I'm laboring/birthing. I'm trying to see the silver lining that even the worst case scenario of hysterectomy with the cesarean would cure my adenomyosis and unwanted future fertility.

But right now I'm just really upset. I do not want a hospital birth. I do not want a c-section. I do not want a heightened risk of preterm delivery. I do not want a heightened risk of hemorrhage. I don't want a possible hysterectomy with cesearean. And I'm mad that two of the risk factors for previa are prior miscarriage and advanced maternal age. I would have delivered at a year+ younger and I would already have an 11-month-old if I hadn't had 4 losses before this pregnancy.