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Blood group O Rh Negative

15 replies

BINNI72 · 12/03/2008 18:27

Help, I am in early pregnancy and I have just been informed that I am blood group O rhesus negative and that this can be complicated if my baby is O - positive - Something akin to us being allergic to each other - can anyone tell me more about this...

OP posts:
Boco · 12/03/2008 18:29

Is this your first baby? If so, there shouldn't be any problems, - you'll have an injection later in pg, and after the birth - of anti-d, which will hopefully mean that you don't have any problems with subsequent pgs.

I'm r-neg, and first pg was fine, only problems with second.

Sam100 · 12/03/2008 18:35

Rh neg is usually only an issue for subsequent babies - should not affect this one if it is your first and no previous pregnancies. But you will probably have Anti D injections during your pregnancy from about 24 weeks (if I remember right) to prevent you developing any antibodies which could affect future pregnancies. When the baby is born they will check the baby's blood type and if baby is Rh +ve you will be given a final Anti D injection. If -ve then no injection. The midwife should give you a leaflet all about this and explain it to you and I was given a card to carry in case went to hospital during pregnancy without notes. I am A Rh neg and dh is A Rh +ve - so far have had 2 Rh Neg and 1 Rh +ve dc! No problems! Congratulations on being pregnant by the way!

BINNI72 · 12/03/2008 18:35

Thanks Boco, yes first baby - midwife said something about calling hosp to remind them (they are a bit disorganised)did they call you in for injection and was it at hosp?

OP posts:
sweetgrapes · 12/03/2008 18:36

I'm -ve too and my 2 are both +ve.

After first was born (within 24 hrs) had an anti-d injection. For second had one during term and one after delivery.

It's so that you don't develop antibodies to rh +ve blood and so subsequent +ve babies are born fine.

I think it's fairly routine and if you have your jabs at the right time there shouldn't be any problem.

Threadworm · 12/03/2008 18:36

I'm o neg and had no problems with first or second child.

Congrats on pregnancy [smil]

sweetgrapes · 12/03/2008 18:38

But yes, I did have to ring up and ask for the appointment as the hospital 'forgot'.
So make sure you ask your gp and midwife.

BINNI72 · 12/03/2008 18:39

Thanks Sam100 - first time on Mumsnet and first time on a talkboard, ever! - Slightly wierd and wonderful :0

OP posts:
Yorkiegirl · 12/03/2008 18:42

Message withdrawn

mustsleep · 12/03/2008 18:45

hi i am r neg too and have two kids already and am 13 weeks preg with my third

you will have an anti d injection in weeks 28 and 36 i believe and that coats any blood cells that have been passed over from your baby to protect you from them

if your blood and your babies blood mixed and you hadn't had the injections of anti d, the your baby could be born aneamic (sp?) as your body would attack rthe red blood cells (i think) and any future pregnancis where the baby is positive your body would try to attack the baby as it would think it was a disease

but if you have the anti d this stops this from happening (i have had 2 dcs and they have both been positive and have been fine o don;t worry as long as you have the anti d you wil be fine)

after you have had your baby they will take some blood from your placenta to see what blood type your baby is and if it is rhesus pos the they willgive you a further anti d injection within 72 hours of the birth

hth

BINNI72 · 12/03/2008 18:46

thanks for all messages - feel much better now, am a talkboard convert thanks to you all!!

OP posts:
emma1977 · 12/03/2008 18:59

As you say, the only way you can run into problems is if your baby is rhesus positive. With you being negative, the only way your baby can be positive is if the baby's father is also positive.

Does your partner know his blood group? If he does, and its also negative then you won't need Anti-D injections.

mustsleep · 12/03/2008 19:08

that's not strictly true i am neg but both mum and dad are pos so googled it and founf this (i have copied and pasted cos i'm crap at doing links )

There are four possible blood groups: A, B, AB and O. Everyone belongs to one of these four groups and except in very rare instances, it doesn't matter if you are a different blood group to the father of your baby. What does matter is the rhesus factor - whether or not you are rhesus-positive (RhD-positive) or rhesus-negative (RhD-negative). People who are RhD-positive have a protein on their red blood cells called D antigen, RhD-negative people do not have this. If you are RhD-negative and are carrying a RhD-positive baby, there is a risk that if yours and the baby's blood mix (which could happen during pregnancy or the birth) your immune system will produce antibodies against your baby's blood, which will cause anaemia and other problems in this baby or in future pregnancies.

We inherit the rhesus factor from our parents, and approximately 85% of the Caucasian population has RhD- positive blood, 94% of Africans and 90% of Asians. The reason most people are RhD-positive is due to the fact that we each have two copies of the rhesus gene (one inherited from each parent) and these genes are either positive or negative, with the positive one being dominant and the negative one recessive. This means that if you have one positive gene and one negative, the positive one always wins and you will be RHD-positive. If you have two positive genes you will also be positive. Only if both genes are negative will you have RhD-negative blood.

If both parents are RhD-negative, then there is no chance that any of their babies could be RhD-positive, since neither parent possesses a positive gene to pass on. If both parents have a positive and a negative gene (so they will both be RhD-positive), the chances are that one or both parent will pass on a positive gene to their baby, so the baby will also be rhesus-positive. It is possible for two rhesus-positive parents to produce a RhD-negative baby, so if your parents are both positive and you are wondering how you can possibly be negative, here is the answer! If both your parents carry a positive and a negative gene, they will both be RhD-positive because the positive one is the dominant one. But if both parents pass on the negative gene to the baby, the baby is bound to be RhD-negative as it has not received any RhD-positive genes from either parent.

Blood tests to find out your blood group and rhesus status are offered early in pregnancy because complications arising from the rhesus factor are preventable. Your midwife will give you more information about this. Your partner may not know his blood group and rhesus status unless he is a blood donor or has had this tested for some medical reason in the past. It is not usual to offer partners routine testing to find out this information, though you might consider asking if this could be done.

emma1977 · 12/03/2008 19:55

Erm, that proves exactly what it said, doesn't it?

PuppyMonkey · 12/03/2008 20:02

Nowt to worry about as long as they keep any eye on you!!

littlepinkpixie · 12/03/2008 20:07

As Emma1977 says, if you and babies father are rhesus negative, then the baby will be too. My hospital refused to test my husband though (I'm rhesus negative) as they said that they didnt test fathers in case the women werent sure who the dad was
I had an anti D injection twice during pregnancy and then when the baby is born they test the babies blood group and give you more anti D if you need it. The blood to test the babies blood comes from the cord so they dont actually need to take it directly from the baby.

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