How does one find out their own blood group?

[DangerQuakeRhinoSnake]

Presumably it's on file somewhere, I've just never known.

Unless it was mentioned on your Mother and Baby hospital discharge letter it won't be in your GP records.

I didnt know it wasnt standard, my mum is RH- so ive known since I was a kid. I completely missed that i dont know my kids' 🤣

I was told mine on each pregnancy and also each child’s when they were born

It doesn't really matter, beyond curiosity value, anyway. Rules on sampling and matching for blood transfusion in the UK are so strict that nobody would ever transfuse just on a patient's report of their blood group. The lab wouldn't issue anything unless they had appropriate samples. In an emergency where you can't wait for cross-matching results, we would just give O negative.

I know mine because I donate blood. I'm Rh+ve, so my kids were not tested at birth.

I know I'm O+ from giving blood. I know both children are O+ because they've both had operations where they've given a sample to be checked.

By process of elimination, I presume DH is also O+ although I guess he could be AO or BO - he's got a vague memory of being O+ when he gave blood years ago though.

I know mine (from giving blood) but have no idea of my children's. If they needed blood it would be checked anyway

Can I ask the people who were told their child’s blood group, how was that identified? Were they doing a blood test for something else? Did they do a blood test just to check the blood group? Or did they ascertain it some other way, maybe via blood from the cord?

I know one of my children’s blood group, because they had to have transfusions immediately after birth. I don’t know the blood group of my other child because no transfusions were needed that time.

I bought a test kit from Amazon. https://amzn.eu/d/edQokeF I’m sure you can buy them from other places too. It was a bit of fun for the kids and I confirmed it was accurate by doing mine.

You would only have had it checked if there was a reason to have checked it, pregnancy, donating blood, requiring blood. Otherwise it is not something that is tested. It’s a specific test.

And if you needed blood we test every time and don’t take your word for it. The wrong blood can kill you.

I don’t know my kids blood type, only that I was given the anti-D when pregnant as I’m -ve and they’re +ve.

No, it isn't routine to check a baby's blood group at birth in the UK.

@Greybeardy I was offered anti d does that mean I'm rhesus negative

Donate blood or they check it when you’re pregnant, or if you ever needed a blood transfusion.
I don’t think they do check it at birth, I only know my DDs are O+ because DH and I both are

I wonder why mines were checked ?

Sometimes a little information is dangerous.

It would be pretty much inevitable that some men - a significant number, too - would decide the baby wasn't theirs if the blood group didn't match their Mum's. The general public as a whole dont need to know and quite frankly, can't be trusted with the information - it's not needed until emergency surgery, when there will be proper testing carried out, donating various portions of oneself (same) or when pregnant.

Yes

yup

Ive asked for my post to be removed because i gave false information.

I found out when I gave blood. I’m o neg, DD is o pos, she was tested when she was born.

If you’ve had children, it will have been tested. Same if you’ve ever had a surgery. As they need to know your blood type for both. It will be on your NHS records somewhere.

With DS1 he spent time in SCBU so was tested. With DS2 I said I would only have Anti-d if needed, so he was tested (from his cord)

Neither of the buggers are any good to me as they are both RH +

I can’t remember why now, but I needed to know mine and my son’s. I called my GP and the receptionist told me over the phone.

I found out from giving blood, and I had my children in the 1990s before anti-D was given during pregnancy so all my children had cord blood tested and their blood groups are in their Red Books.

I only know from when I was pregnant

I didn't know until I got pregnant

actually for an awful lot of surgery we don't routinely do group and saves - only if significant blood loss is anticipated/ if a patient would tolerate blood loss less well than usual or is known to have antibodies that'd result in a real delay in providing blood in a hurry.