Anterior placenta: what it means for feeling movements and your pregnancy

Pregnancy · Updated July 2026 · All articles

Being told at your scan that you have an anterior placenta can sound more dramatic than it is. An anterior placenta is simply one that has attached to the front wall of the uterus. It is extremely common, affects roughly half of all pregnancies, and in the vast majority of cases it has no meaningful impact on your health or your baby's. The main practical difference is that you will likely feel your baby's movements later and they may feel more muffled. Here is what you need to know.

What an anterior placenta is

The placenta can implant on any surface of the uterine wall. When it implants on the back wall (the wall closest to your spine), it is called a posterior placenta. When it implants on the front wall (the wall closest to your abdomen), it is called an anterior placenta. There is no hierarchy of preference between these positions: both are normal variations of where an embryo happens to implant.

The placenta can also be described as fundal (at the top of the uterus), lateral (on one side), or low-lying (near the cervix). An anterior placenta simply tells you the side it is on, not how high or low it sits. A low-lying anterior placenta (where the lower edge approaches or covers the cervix) is a separate consideration called placenta praevia, which is discussed below. An anterior placenta that sits high and away from the cervix is not a cause for concern.

How common is an anterior placenta?

Very common. Studies estimate that anterior placentation occurs in approximately 45 to 50 percent of pregnancies, making it as likely as not. If you are in a group of ten pregnant people, roughly half will have an anterior placenta. It is not a rare finding or a complication; it is one of two normal variations in a coin-flip scenario.

The placenta's position is determined at implantation and does not move in the sense of sliding to a different position. However, as the uterus grows during pregnancy, a placenta that appears low at the 20-week scan will often appear to have "moved" upward by a later check. What is actually happening is that the lower uterine segment grows and stretches, pulling the placenta edge further away from the cervix. This is why a low-lying placenta at 20 weeks is reviewed again at 32 to 34 weeks before any conclusions are drawn about birth planning.

Why you feel movements later and differently

The most significant practical effect of an anterior placenta is that it sits between your baby and your hand when you place it on your bump. The placenta is a dense, cushioning structure, and it absorbs and dampens the force of the baby's kicks and movements before they reach your abdominal wall. The result is that movements feel less sharp and can be harder to distinguish from general pregnancy sensations, particularly in the early weeks when movements are small anyway.

The timing effect is also real. In a first pregnancy with a posterior placenta, the first movements (quickening) are typically noticed around 18 to 20 weeks. With an anterior placenta in a first pregnancy, many people do not notice clear movements until 20 to 24 weeks, and some not until as late as 26 weeks. This delay is normal and does not indicate anything wrong with the baby. In a second or subsequent pregnancy with an anterior placenta, you will usually notice movements earlier than a first-timer because you know what to feel for, but still perhaps later than the 16 to 18 weeks that some people with posterior placentas report for a second pregnancy.

What movements feel like with an anterior placenta

The quality of the movement sensation is different with an anterior placenta, not just the timing. Instead of sharp kicks directly against the abdominal wall, you may notice movement more in the sides and lower abdomen first, where the placenta does not sit. Kicks that land directly against the front may feel softer, more rolling or swishing, rather than the sharp jolts that people with posterior placentas often describe.

As the baby grows in the second and third trimester and movements become stronger, many people with an anterior placenta begin to feel them clearly regardless, because a strong kick from a larger baby can push through the placental cushion effectively. By 28 to 30 weeks, many people with anterior placentas are feeling regular, recognisable movements even if they were harder to detect earlier.

You may also notice that visible kicks on the surface of the bump are less common with an anterior placenta, since the movement is absorbed before it reaches the skin. This is a cosmetic difference only and does not reflect anything about the frequency or strength of your baby's actual activity.

Movement counting: the same rules apply

Having an anterior placenta does not change the movement monitoring guidelines. From 28 weeks, you should know your baby's individual pattern and contact your midwife or maternity triage immediately if there is any reduction or change from that pattern.

The key point is that "knowing your pattern" means knowing what normal feels like for you specifically, with your placenta position. Some people with anterior placentas will have a pattern that feels quite clear and strong; others will have a baseline that is more subtle. Both are acceptable as long as you are comparing against your own consistent baseline, not against someone else's experience or a generic expected number of kicks.

Do not assume that not feeling movements is automatically explained by your anterior placenta. If you have been feeling regular movements for several weeks and they suddenly become less noticeable or absent, that is a change from your baseline and needs to be reported regardless of placental position. The placenta's position affects the timing of when you first feel movements, but it does not mean you should feel fewer movements once they are established.

Does an anterior placenta affect birth?

In the vast majority of cases, no. An anterior placenta that is not low-lying has no bearing on whether you can have a vaginal birth, how quickly labour progresses, or what birth options are available to you. Most people with anterior placentas have entirely straightforward labours and births.

The one scenario where the anterior position can become relevant is if the placenta is also low-lying and covering or very close to the cervix (placenta praevia). In this situation, delivery through the cervix is not possible because the placenta is blocking the exit, and a caesarean section is planned. Placenta praevia is detected and monitored through scans and affects a small minority of pregnancies. If this applies to you, your care team will discuss what it means for your birth plan in detail.

An anterior placenta can occasionally make it slightly harder for a midwife to determine the baby's exact position by palpation (hands-on abdominal assessment) because the placenta adds a layer between the midwife's hands and the baby. An ultrasound scan resolves any uncertainty easily.

Pain and other effects

Some people with anterior placentas report feeling a different kind of dragging or pressure sensation in the front of the abdomen, distinct from the sharp round ligament pain that is common in the second trimester. This is thought to be related to the weight and position of the placenta pulling forward on the ligaments. It is not dangerous and can usually be managed with a maternity support band and the same gentle movement strategies used for round ligament pain.

There is no evidence that an anterior placenta causes more or less pain during amniocentesis (if carried out), though the positioning of the needle may differ slightly to avoid the placenta if possible.

Frequently asked questions

What is an anterior placenta?

An anterior placenta is one that has implanted on the front wall of the uterus (the wall closest to your abdomen). It is very common, affecting roughly half of all pregnancies, and in most cases is not a cause for concern.

When will I feel my baby move with an anterior placenta?

With an anterior placenta you may feel movements later than average, typically around 20 to 24 weeks for a first pregnancy. This is because the placenta acts as a cushion between the baby and your abdominal wall. In a second or subsequent pregnancy you may still feel movement from around 20 weeks but it will likely be more muffled than it would be otherwise.

Does an anterior placenta increase my risk of complications?

An anterior placenta in isolation does not significantly increase the risk of complications. In rare cases where it grows very low and covers the cervix (placenta praevia) there are implications for how birth is planned, but this is identified at the anomaly scan. The position of the placenta on the front wall itself is not a risk factor for poor outcomes.

Does an anterior placenta affect birth?

In most cases an anterior placenta does not affect birth. If the placenta has grown unusually low and is covering or near the cervix (low-lying placenta or placenta praevia), this may affect whether a vaginal birth is possible and will be discussed by your care team. An anterior placenta that is high and away from the cervix has no bearing on how you give birth.

Do I still need to count kicks with an anterior placenta?

Yes, absolutely. Movement counting guidelines apply regardless of placental position. You should know your baby's individual pattern and report any reduction or change to your midwife immediately. Having an anterior placenta may mean your baseline pattern feels different (more muffled or less frequent to your touch), but you still need to learn that pattern and monitor for changes from it.

Can a health professional feel the baby through an anterior placenta at appointments?

Your midwife can still palpate the baby's position through an anterior placenta, though it may be slightly harder to determine the exact position. Fundal height measurement is also unaffected. The main practical difference is that listening to the heartbeat with a Doppler may take a moment longer as the signal passes through the placenta.

This article is for general information only. Always consult your midwife, obstetrician, or GP for advice specific to your pregnancy.