What does it mean for me if I have a low-lying placenta (placenta praevia)?

With placenta praevia, there is a chance of bleeding in the second half of pregnancy. That’s because this is when the placenta lies in the lower part of the womb, which is stretching as your baby grows. The stretching puts the connection between the placenta and the wall of the uterus under strain. The bleeding can be heavy and in rare cases risky for your baby. The chance of bleeding is higher if the placenta is on the front wall of the uterus. When the placenta is blocking the baby’s way out, you’ll be advised to have a caesarean birth. This will make sure the baby is born safely. There is also a higher chance of the baby being born prematurely (before 37 weeks) and poorly, as a result of placenta praevia.