Rh.neg mums - has anyone refused anti-D and regretted it?

[pacinofan]

Hi, am 36 weeks pregnant, currently trying to decide whether to accept/decline anti-d following the birth of dd2, assuming of course she is rh. postitive.

DH and me are 100% positive that we do not want any more children so feel that giving anti-d is unneccessary. My midwife feels uneasy about me declining it, but this may be because it is a blanket hospital policy to give it to all rh.neg mums, regardless of their wishes.

My main concern is having what is after all a blood product which may be totally unneccessary. I know that blood products are screened nowadays, but mistakes happen (big case in Ireland a few years ago) and I really don't want it if it isn't necessary.

Has anybody else declined it and lived to regret it? Any advice gratefully received.

I am rh negative, and so far haven't had the anti-d injections. They weren't given during pg with DS, and he was rh- as well, so no need after the birth.

This pg they do routinely give anti-D during the pg, but I have declined it. However, I will probably have it after the birth if the baby is rh+. I don't imagine we'll have any more children, but mistakes/miracles do happen, and I'd hate to compromise the health of a future child.

I have declined it during this pg partly because of the blood products worry, and partly because I've heard it hurts! :)

I needed to have it during my last pregnancy because of bleeding in 2nd trimester, and also my dd was rh+. I'm with Laura032004 - a miracle/mistake could happen and miscarrage would not be the way I would want to deal with it. Could compromise your health as well.
Doesn't hurt that much - but boy do I hate getting jags in my bum - so undignified!!

I think you have to do what you feel is right. Plenty of rh negative people decline the injection after birth with no problems for future pregnancies. I had the injections after birth and when I was pregnant with dd2 it became routine to give the injections in pregnancy as well. I did have them but now regret that as I feel it was unnecessary. It is definitely a blanket policy.

Just to say that I had the anti-D injections, my two daughters are rh+ and my two sons rh -, it was routinely given in by my health authority in Merseyside. I would just like to offer a tip though - ask for the injection in your thigh, I hardly felt it at all, unlike when I had the injections in my arm which stung like hell!

I had the anti-d and didn't feel a thing. Possibly my perception of pain had altered slightly 2 days after giving birth.

I hadn't realised it was a blood product and would have a long think about it if offered again.

DD is Rh+ and I am Rh- & they wouldn't discharge me until I'd had the jab tho.

it doesn't hurt

Well it didnt' in my lardy arse

and as to concern about blood products, as far as the Australians are concerned they wont take any blood or organ donation from us Poms if we lived in the UK since 1990 for fear of CJD, I mean taking injections of blood products notwithstanding we're all potentially doomed if you see what I mean

I'm RH- too. I had the injections (and I DID think they hurt but not excruciatingly so). I did worry about them - but then I thought that I'd worry if I had to have transfusion after any of the births, too. And sometimes you just have to accept an unknown risk to avert a known one, if you see what I mean
Must tell you about this, though. When I was first told about the injections, I asked the midwives if they could just wait while I rang dh. Because if he was Rh- too, there would be no need for any injection (we couldn't have a Rh+ baby). They said there was no point: it was hospital policy to inject everyone because there were so many cases where the baby wasn't the husband's!

I had my anti D jabs on the arm , the top bit where it is really painful!! but it never occurred to me to refuse them.I'm glad I had them though as we have two dds now.

It doesn't usually hurt that much (although it depends on the skill of the person administering it). I thought long and hard about having it antenatally with ds2 (was not offered it antenatally with ds1) and decided to in the end (couldn't have forgiven my self if something had happened to the baby because I hadn't had it). Didn't consider refusing it postnatally either time (both dses were rh+) (after ds1 I was fairly certain we would like another; after ds2 I was fairly sure we wouldn't have any more but there is always the possibility of getting pg again).

WharfRat, I've wondered that too. I hope somebody can tell us.
I vaguely remember being told something about anti-D being a less risky blood product because it's just plasma or something (can you tell i'm not a medic?!) Will try to find out...

Having had anti-D doesn't exclude you from giving blood, check \link{http://www.blood.co.uk/pages/flash_questions.html\here} to see if you can (there are lots of other exclusions). I have just gone through it and it says I can now (since ds2 older than 9 months).

that's good news, WharfRat - thank you.
And you, gingernut (just got to get up the nerve to donate again now - always hated it!)

I haven't had anti-D injections but I did have to have VZIG (another blood plasma product) during pregnancy due to exposure to chickenpox. I was extremely worried about it at the time, but I haven't been barred from giving blood - and as our blood service seems to have very stringent rules over who can and can't donate, then I can only assume that the risks are minimal.

As far as I know blood products like this now come from donors in the US (apparently) because of the theoretical CJD risk.

has anyone refused routine anti-d at 28 weeks? if so did the midwives give you hell for it?
i have my 28 week appointment friday and feel like its not really my choice.

It's routine in my area, and the MW wasn't at all worried when I didn't opt to have it. Mind you, she seems like a fairly easy going MW all round. She just asked me if I had made a decision about it, and I said I wasn't going to have it (didn't with ds as not routine then).

Slinkstah -
there were no routine Anti-D injections when I was pg with ds1 and ds2 (now 5yrs & 3yrs). Both were Rh+ like dh and so I just had the injection after the birth(s). With dd there was a policy of injections during pregnancy. I went ahead but there was definitely no pressure. Even at the actual appointment the MW double-checked that I was happy to go ahead. She also said that even if you refused the routine ones you would still be offered Anti-D if you were exposed to risks later, eg bleeding, accidents etc.

I found after giving birth, nothing, (stubbing of toes, smears) seemed to hurt half as much. And it was ditto to the anti d.

coppertop, I missed your news!!! How fab, congratulations :)

Thanks, Tamum. :)