A Rhesus Negative Mums!

[Expectantmum]

Wondered if could give me some advice/set my mind at rest. I am 30, 22 weeks pg and have just found out that my blood group in A Rhesus Negative, which means I have to have the Anti D (I think thats what the midwife called it) jabs over the next few months. Can I hear from any other women who experienced the same and just set my mind at rest and maybe put into some terminology I might understand .

Thank you!

Regardless of your partner being Rh+ it's still unneccessary in my view to get Routine jabs while your baby is in the womb - it's a recent decision to do this and unchartered territory in my eyes. Nature has designed us so that the bloods do not mix during pregnancy,(unless of trauma etc = get shots then) but often do at the delivery. So my point is rather than chasing up ante natal jabs - run away! No seriously, of course I want anti-d if I give birth to a Rh+ baby to protect my next babies but I definitely do not want shots while the baby is in my body, unless totally unavoidable. The reasons the hospitals do this is to improve their statistics by a fraction of a percent but who knows the long term effects? The long standing procedure of gettin a shot after the birth (if baby pos+) is 98.8% safeguard as opposed to 99.2% by addin routine shots during pregnancy - this to me does not outweigh the risks of what effect it could have to the baby in the womb.

admin.safescript.com/drugcgic.cgi/INGR?67387713+0#pregnancy

www.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=31697

(part 4.3.5) And that's an official document, if they admit there's even speculation - well you wonder what could materialise.

Well, I am even more confused than I was before! The "parentage" of my unborn child is of no doubt to me at all, I am guessing that the MW only wants me to have the anti-D because my DP does not know what his blood group is, not because she doubts whether he is the father or not!! How confusing though, whether to have or not?!!

Well, I am even more confused than I was before! The "parentage" of my unborn child is of no doubt to me at all, I am guessing that the MW only wants me to have the anti-D because my DP does not know what his blood group is, not because she doubts whether he is the father or not!! How confusing though, whether to have or not?!!

I think the choice is simple. If you give birth to a Rh+ baby have anti-d then. The way they have always done it.

Hi there, I'm a 31yr old mum, onto Baby Number 5!!
I am also rhesus Neg, with ANTIBODIES. so as you can all imagine I'm scared silly!!!
I live in New Zealand.
all My other children where born fit and healthy however my youngest now 5 was born and suffered from bad jaudice, and needed a full blood transfusion at just 6hrs old,
My Antibody levels are remaining very steady, I am 28 weeks pregnant, and I try to read as much as i can about this disease,
Is there anyone out there that has been through this situation that can help me from the worry!!!!
or just anyone with any information would be fantastic!!
Cheers

Expectant Mum, Just send your DH to a local blood doning session. Within a couple of weeks, he'll have a nice credit card sized thing with his blood group displayed on it, and get some squash and chocolate biscuits too. Then you'll know whether you can refuse the jabs whilst pregnant.
I am O neg, DH is A pos. DS1 is A neg and DS2 is O neg.
On the positive side, we are/will be a very popular family with the blood banks. O neg is the universal blood, which they give to anyone who needs blood in casualty with an unknown blood group, as it doesn't cause any reaction. It is always needed, for obvious reasons. A neg is quite rare and I was asked to donate DS1's cord blood at birth (which I did).
Oh yes and I have never had an Anti d injection, as both children neg like me, so sorry Bek4art, I can't help you there. I hope someone can.

I have tested both negative and positive as an adult. My mother recently told me when I was born I was negative and then they retested me in the hospital and I was positive. She is AB negative and my father is positive. Has anyone heard of this happening? How do I know if I am really positive or negative?

that happened to me, was always A- but last pg tested + retest came back -ve again.

I'm also A -ve, and my DH is A +, and as I understand it, injections are only needed for a 2nd pregnancy (which also includes any miscarriages) or where tests have been done on a foetus (such as amniocenteses), and then only if Rhesus antibodies develop.

One of the things about hospitals is that it is easier for them to do the 'routine' things, but as the mother to be, you have a right to say yes or no. They cannot insist that you have anything.

If you have not developed any Rhesus antibodies, then there is no need for the injections. Just tell them you don't want them.

However, if you have developed Rhesus antibodies, then you do run the risk of an ill child if it is +ve, so it would be silly not to have the injection.

Thought I'd just mention, that I am A neg and had anti-d injections with all 4 of my pregnancies, just to be on the safe side. Huge tip: have the jab in our thigh, it doesn't hurt at all, having the jab in your upper arm stings like hell!

Chitchat07, you've got it a bit the wrong way round with antibodies and the jabs. The jabs prevent antibodies forming - once you have antibodies there is no way of reversing it and the consequences can be very grim indeed - before there was treatment 40% of babies died. Even now babies born to sensitised mothers are often very ill indeed, many of them having to be delivered very early in order to save their lives. Where the confusion comes in is that the pregnancy in which sensitisation happens is usually fine - its the next one that has problems.

That said, the jabs are not compulsory. There is some evidence that its just as effective to only give the jab if something happens that could cause a bleed (so a bump to the bump, or amnio, for example) or if an actual bleed occurs. That's what I did with my two pregnancies - the second one I ended up having anti-D at 30 weeks after a bad fall. They can then test the baby and see if you need it after the baby's birth (I opted to have it both times).

If you don't intend to have any more pregnancies or your partner is also Rh negative, you don't need it at all, of course.

Megan

Buzzybeam - sorry, I hadn't realised that. I haven't had an interview with a midwife yet. Not until the end of the month. Something I need to grill them on as I am -ve and my husband is most definitely +ve, so good chance that I am facing this risk!

I had the jab after having LO - all I can't really remember what they told me about it I'm afraid.

Am I likely to have problems in future pregnancies then or is that only if I didn't have the jab last time or don't have the jab again? I know I can ask all of these questions when the time comes but would like to know!

Also... how do you know if you have antibodies?

This link seems to be good (found the answer to my question as well).

If the link doesn't work the site is www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/complications/rhesus-negativeexpert/?_requestid=1104983

You shouldn't get any probs, I am A Rh-, and pg with no 2. Have had one dose of Anti D, and will need one after the birth if baby is Rh+ (DS was RH-) They take blood before the anti D injection to check for antibodies, and if there's a prob, they will let you know.

Haven't managed to read the whole thread, but I am Rh- too. DH is RH+. I didn't have any prophylactic jabs when pg with DS1 (not offered then), and he (unusually apparently) turned out to be RH- too, so I didn't have any after the birth either - they checked the blood group rather than automatically giving the jab.

With pg 2 I declined the prophylactic jabs whilst pg as I read up on them and realised they were a blood product. I would have had them if I'd had an accident / bleeding, but didn't have any problems during the pg. It turned out that DS2 is also Rh-, so again, no need for it.

My MW was fine about me declining the jabs, but apparently some get a bit funny about it. I'm not planning any more after DS2, so it wasn't a major issue for us (if antibodies do develop, it's generally the next pg that is affected).

In most cases you will be find having only had the jab afterwards - that was what happened with my first pregnancy. Some areas now give one or two jabs during pregnancy prophylactically (just in case), otherwise you should be told that you should ask for it if you have a bump or bleed but this does not always happen. If you don't have it senstisation is not a given, but its a significant risk. So we all need to decide what level of risk we're willing to take. I was willing to not have the prophylactic anti-d but did have it postnatally even with a negative kleihauer test (the test that shows how much of the babies blood the mother was exposed to.

Megan

We dont get prophylactic anti-d jabs here (North Lanarkshire in Scotland) so I dont need to make the choice of whether to have them or not. I did get a jab in my first pregnancy after a fall and again after the birth when dd's blood was tested - dh is A+ and I am B- so she must have +ve blood too. I will just get a jab after this lo's birth if it turns out it has +ve blood too.

Hi just thought I would add.

I am D Rh neg (only 2% of the population can claim that). I have had so many anti-d's I have lost count, but I dont mind as DD had DH blood which is A Pos (so common )

I have miscarried 3 times and had anti d first and last time as I bled heavily and past a certain point in the pregnancy. I am just about to get to 28wks PG with baby no.2 and will have my latest anti-d on Monday. My MW is very nice and odes it in the bum, as it can sting - horror story of having it in arm - demand a rump jab!

I am am o rhesus negative, I am 28 weeks and I have asked for an Anti D injection as this is recommended. I have been told by my midwife that my hospital does not administer the anti d injection at 28 weeks or 34 weeks. (only if there is bleeding).

I find this extreemly upsetting as my freind who lives in the same street decided to have her baby at a different hospital, she is also 28 weeks and has been given her anti d and has been told she will need another one at 34 weeks.

What do I need to do to be given the anti D can I pay ?

LucyLucy, I dont know if you can pay for the jab, but your bloods should be taken at 28 and 34 weeks to check for antibodies. If any are picked up you would be given the anti-d injection. I also dont get them as standard but have had the blood tests to check if any antibodies are present.

LucyLucy, ask your GP or ask your midwife for the injection directly - rather than ask if you'll get it. It's common practice in a lot of places so I dont know why your hospital is not providing it.

I haven't read all this thread, but thought as Rh -ve Mums (I'm B neg myself)you might find it interesting what an aunt who works for the blood tranfusion service told me. Apparently, about 5 or more years ago the government had this bright idea that they'd stop giving routine anti-D to Rh neg women because the national average of number of children per women was near 2, therefore (they decided) they were "wasting" money on anti-D! Thankfully, they never followed that one through!

HEY ALL.HOWS EVERYONE DOIN..OK SO I HAVE A QUESTION AND IM HOPIN SOMEONE CAN HELP ME..WELL MY COUSIN IS 6 1/2 MONTHS PREGNANT AND JUST GOT A BLOOD TEST.HER DOCTOR TOLD HER HE FOUND AN ANTIBODIE IN HER BLOODSTREAM.NOW HE TOLD HER IN 12 DAYS SHE'LL KNOW WHAT ANTIBODIE IT IS BUT THERE ARE 2.HE SAID 2 ARE HARMFUL AND 1 IS COMMON.NOW MY QUESTION TO ANYONE WHO CAN HELP IS..WHAT MAY THESE ANTIBIDIES BE?IF U CAN GIVE ME ANY INFORMATION AT ALL ABOUT THESSE PLEASE DO SO.U CAN REAACH ME AT [email protected] APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH..THANK U!!