During pregnancy, every scan and test that you undergo brings along with it anxiety and hope that everything should turn out okay.
Imagine if in such a situation your radiologist were to inform you that you have a posterior placenta. Wouldn't this jargon leave you more anxious about what could it possibly entail?
Do not fret, as we give you a low down on things that you need to know about this condition. Having some beginner's information about a condition gives you a chance to ask important and relevant questions from your doctor. To begin with, let's understand what is a placenta.
What is a placenta?
A placenta is an organ that is connected to the uterus of the mother during pregnancy. It plays the most important role of delivering nutrients and oxygen from the blood of the mother to the blood of the baby. An umbilical cord connects the placenta to the baby.
What is a posterior position?
If the placenta of a pregnant woman attaches itself to the uterus towards the back wall it is called posterior placenta.
Powerful Photo Of Baby With Placenta Encapsulates Beauty Of Mother-Baby Connection
While most women would understand that in simple words anterior means the front and posterior means the back, the problem arises when they do not understand what harm could possibly be done with the posterior position.
Normal or not?
What may serve as a relief to many mums is that both the anterior and the posterior positions are considered normal in pregnancy.
In fact, if the placenta is in the posterior towards the upper position of the uterus, it may be considered an ideal position. This position allows the baby to move towards the anterior position just before it is born.
What positions may be worrisome
A placenta can change positions during pregnancy and it is normal if that happens. However, you need to worry if the placenta is towards the cervix as this could result in premature labour or excessive bleeding.
In the initial stages of pregnancy, you may not worry about the positioning. The doctors carefully monitor the positioning of the placenta during pregnancy as it determines whether a normal or a C-section birth is possible.
But for all you mums-to-be out there unless your doctor tells you to, do not get alarmed by the medical terminology you do not understand. After all, it may not mean anything and you could be wasting your time and energy over it.
Read: Everything you need to know about Placenta Previa during pregnancy
