A Placental Tear

Infections and bleeding. See your doctor immediately.

Needs an ultrasound to determine size of tear and area. How much blood loss and what gestation baby is at determines this. If she's not already in hospital after this diagnooses, it must not be a major tear???

It sounds like a placental abruption, though a mild one. Do some googling of placental abruption for a wealth of information. Probably the course of action will depend on several factors including how far along she is, and how severe the tear or abruption is.

"Reading between the lines," it sounds like the doctor hasn't done a very good job explaining things to the mom (or else that that information hasn't filtered down to you). It is always wise to seek second opinions and to truly understand what is going on. If the mom doesn't feel like she understands, or hasn't been told the information in an understandable or thorough way, then it might be wise to get another doctor or a midwife who *will* explain these things to her, or at least to call the doctor back and request more and fuller information.

My guess about the situation is that she had some spotting or bleeding which sent her to the doctor, and/or at an ultrasound, the doctor noted the tear or abruption. Most likely, if the tear was a problem, or the mom needed to go on bedrest or stay in the hospital, the doctor would have recommended that. If the mom was not told to curb her activity or go to the hospital, you can probably rest assured that that is not needed nor is it beneficial. It can be frustrating not to know, and also to feel like you ought to do *something*, but many times there is nothing to do. Still, if the mom is worried about it, she should double-check with her doctor and raise her concerns with him, or find someone else.

Here is a link you might find helpful (http://bit.ly/6ALV4Q) -- many women noted that they had been told that they had placental tears or small abruptions early in pregnancy, and it was no big deal. Nothing they did caused it, and there was nothing they could do to cure it; most of the time it doesn't cause a problem. Is the mom early in pregnancy, or is she nearly due? I'm guessing she's probably still in the first half of her pregnancy (20 weeks or less). The placenta grows in size along with the baby. At the time of the birth, the placenta will be about the size of a dinner plate with the baby weighing about 7-8 pounds and being 19-21" long; earlier in pregnancy, the baby weighs less than a pound and is only a few inches long, with the placenta being similarly small. So you can see that as the baby grows, the placenta grows, and a small tear in a small placenta will become a tiny tear in a big placenta. And, just like cuts on your skin scab over and stop bleeding, so placental tears can heal and stop bleeding.

Since the doctor didn't recommend hospital admission nor bedrest, I'm going to say that probably neither of those is necessary or beneficial. But if the mother is worried, she has the right to seek a second opinion.

Call your OBGYN and ask them this question.

E.,
She should be in the hospital. A placental tear can lead to all kinds of problems with the baby and mother.