To be slightly freaked out about Anti-D Jab?

[Verbena37]

I've only just thought about it having read another post about anti-D injections. My children are 14 and 1 and I had to have Anti-D injections with both due to a bleed in pregnancy and the second after having a rH + first baby when I'm rH A Neg.

However, at the time, I had absolutely no idea that Anti-D injections were a blood product.....blood plasma. Call me thick but I didn't even ask what it was. I now feel a bit weird knowing someone else's blood is in me! I know blood plasma doesn't contain white blood cells so no DNA belonging to someone else but even so, nobody even told me what to contained. Should they have told me it was a blood product and asked to consent. I might have signed something but I don't remember and I would have had more of a think about it had I known. I know they screen when they have donated blood but online, it says it's imported blood and a few years back, there was a scare about imported, contaminated blood.

At the end of the day, obviously I had the injections because I wanted my babies to be healthy but I feel there was a big time lack of information given to me.

I also refused a recommended blood transfusion after I had a haemorrhage where I lost 1000mls of blood because when they tested my HB level was still 12. Some people would have needed one but I didn't.

haemolytic disease of the foetus and newborn (HDFN) is a disease, and it can kill. That is disease and death.

The reason I had it the second time was because it wasn't until yesterday (11 years after the second birth) that I realised it was a blood product. Why would I have questioned it if I had been told?

Thanks Lottie. Yes, we weren't sure if we were going to have another baby so I had it.

I never knew it was a blood based product doesn't bother me though, think I had it about 3-4 times in one pregnancy.
It does sort of make a point that we should question anything that may be prescribed to us.

Someone further up the thread mentioned whether I'd feel the same about a blood transfusion and tbh, yes, it does make me feel weird. I'm not a Jehova Witness but there is something I find not natural about transfusing blood with that of someone else's and there is a lot of research into how it isn't necessarily the best option.

There are other ways of transfusing blood, such as cleaning your own blood and putting it back in etc.
That's said, obviously I wouldn't stop my children having a transfusion in an emergency. Just that if there was time to decid, I might look at other options.

So you had it twice, signed 2 consent forms, never asked what it was, never thought about it in between, never read anything about anti-D but are so bothered that you're freaked out now?

So what if is a blood based product? What difference does it make to you?

There is nothing at all wrong with questioning whether you need a procedure that is applied in a blanket way to everyone to stop people falling through the net.

Blood products do carry a risk - it's a fact. Otherwise why are you it allowed to give blood if you've ever had a transfusion?

Not allowed *

You should have been told it was blood product yanbu about that. However apart from that I think you're freaking out a bit. And blood transfusions are very safe now. They can't remove and clean your own blood if you need a top up because your Hb is low. They do it if you lose blood during surgery.

Janetoftheapes that is a little harsh. I'm only guessing I signed the consent forms...I don't remember them even giving me consent forms. DH and I are certainly stupid people. I guess Im trying to say how easy it was to receive a blood product without realising it even was one.

In my mind, until yesterday, I had always just assumed anti-D was just a pharmaceutical drug. I hadn't even considered it was a blood product ....as neither did others posting on this thread.

Heehee obviously, and ironically, that should have read dh and I are NOT stupid people

I'm rhesus B-ve and I've had two +ve babies so I've had two jabs post birth. To be honest, I didn't know the vaccination was a blood product and don't remember being told, either. With DC2, who was born in the US, I was given a little card with the details of my 'during pregnancy' vaccine on and told to carry it throughout the pregnancy. This wasn't the case in the UK. On balance, blood matter or not, I think it's best to have the vaccines.

I don't rememebr signing a consent and I gave birth a year and a half ago. I got a leaflet explaining it and the nurse chatted about it. That was enough.

I was told I shpuld have it by my midwife so I went home and researched it. When the time came for me to have it the midwife administering it gave me a booklet to read before I had it, and I signed a form. I felt well informed, but I had informed myself. Sometimes I think people need to take some responsibility to find out things for themselves- the NHS are providing it as it is your best interest in the main, obviously sometimes things go wrong but I feel it is my responsibility to find out information about what people are doing to me so that I can give informed consent.

Junosmum this was 2001. People weren't googling online information like they do today. As a 23 yr old in her first pregnancy with a DH who had only just got back from Iraq war fighting, I just listened to them say I had to have the injection and had it.

I'm not saying I wouldn't have had the injections......just that I now feel I wasn't properly informed and also I was slightly freaked out knowing its a blood product.

My mum was one of the first people in the world to have the anti-D. A friend of hers whose second child was two years older than my younger sister did not have the anti-D - it wasn't around for her. Her second son was born with major learning and physical disabilities. My Dsis was born absolutely fine.

It sounds as if you were not properly briefed and consented and that is poor treatment, but when you get down to it you really do need to be grateful that this jab was available to you.

Yes you're right pointy.
I've thought as well that it wasn't until I was pregnant that I even knew my blood group and certainly didn't understand much about the rH- thing until then.