Possible haemolytic disease of the foetus

[Stuntman]

I'm ten weeks pregnant with my fourth child and I've just found out that due to placental abruption with my third child, this baby is at risk of haemolytic disease of the foetus. It's early days and the test results aren't back yet so at the moment I'm looking at a 75% chance that the baby's blood type won't be compatible with my own and I may produce antibodies that will destroy the baby's red blood cells so that he or she requires multiple blood transfusions before birth.

I didn't have many issues during my previous three pregnancies and I'm finding it difficult to come to terms with the idea that I may need intensive medical management with a relatively high risk (15%) that the baby will not survive to term. My DH is quite dismissive at the moment as he is taking the optimistic view that there's still a good chance that the baby's blood type will be compatible and we won't have any issues. I suppose I feel that having got past the risky stage of pregnancy when miscarriage is most likely then I'm suddenly faced with a new threat to the baby's life. I also feel resentful that the abruption wasn't managed properly and that maybe this situation could have been avoided if only the hospital had taken me seriously when I started bleeding at 40+6 weeks with my last pregnancy, especially as I had had a previous abruption in my first pregnancy.

Does anyone have any experience with the kind of tests and procedures that are involved with haemolytic disease of the foetus? I don't see my consultant again for another four weeks as they didn't have my previous notes at my last appointment so there wasn't a lot they could do without knowing which alloantibodies were present in my blood. I just know I'm going to spend the next four weeks fretting about it. Sometimes it's definitely better not to consult Dr Google!

[OwlCapone]

This is essentially what happens when a RH-ve mother is carrying a RH+ve baby isn't it?

I was one of those babies many many years ago and I imagine I would have been one of the 15% who would not survive to term - the statistic was probably higher then too. However, due to monitoring, my mother was induced 4 weeks early, I received exchange transfusions and all turned out fine despite my rocky start. I imagine that monitoring etc has moved on a long long way since I was born and also babies of far earlier gestations are now able to survive should induction be necessary.

[OwlCapone]

Whatever anyone says, you're going to spend the next 4 weeks fretting about it though :) In fact, you'll probably spend up to 30 weeks fretting about it. Dr Google won't help!

[Stuntman]

Thanks Owl, I would probably have worried all the way through anyway, now I have something real to worry about!