anti-d injections, vaginal discharge, breathlessness and other joys :)

[rainbowgirl]

just a few questions that some of you wise MNers might be able to help with..

i'm rhesus negative and on my 2nd pregnancy, 28 weeks. my midwife told me at an appointment yesterday that they only do one anti-D injection here, between 28 and 34 weeks, rather than the standard 2 injections. this seems strange and probably has to do with money. so next week when i'll be 29+, i'm going for the anti-D and that will be it. last pregnancy i had at LEAST 2 of these prophylactic (sp?) jabs.

has anyone had similar experience, or does anyone know if i should be pushing for a 2nd jab?

secondly about vaginal discharge.. this might be a bit TMI but does anyone share the experience of increased discharge as pregnancy goes on? i've been tested for STDs at start of pregnancy and also had a lower vaginal swab done, keep being told it is normal, and although it doesn't smell bad it certainly does smell different from when i'm not pregnant (this has been the case since week 5 by the way, the slightly different smell, so i'm assuming it is just 'normal' for me). it continues to worry me and despite reassurance from the m/w and doctor.

finally i have in past few days found it really uncomfortable to sleep on my right hand side. it feels now like the ONLY position i can sleep in is on my left, with several pillows jammed between my knees. is this normal? i know that you are meant to sleep on your left but i basically ignored this advice in my last pg and slept on both; however this time i can't actually seem to breathe properly in any other position. !!

thank you all in advance, any shared experience v welcome xx

The Anti-D policy seems to change. During my first 2 pregnancies I only had Anti-D after the birth, when it was discovered that ds1 and ds2 were both Rh-pos. In my 3rd pregnancy 2 Anti-D injections were given during pregnancy and another one after the birth.

The advice given was that if there was any bleeding or you had a fall or accident that you would be offered yet another Anti-D injection anyway. Personally I would say that the one jab was fine but I'm certainly no expert on these things.

not being gross, but i did get increased discharge when pg. think its hormones. as long as youve had no further risk of catching an sti.

if it continues to worry,keep mentioning it and maybe have another swab?

good luck

oh and try a pregnancy pillow

I'm rhesus negative too. With first pregnancy I had Anti-D after a fall and then after she was born. Second pregnancy, had one jab at 28 weeks, one at 34 weeks and one after she was born. This time I've just had one at 30 weeks. I assumed that I would have to go for another but the midwife tells me they only give one now and of a higher dose. I'll need another one after the birth if baby is rhesus positive.

Yes to increased discharge and mine smells different from normal too. Not horrible or anything but definitely different.

I also find it far more comfortable to sleep on my left. Have to roll over (usually only once at night) but can't stay that way for long. For a while I was only comfortable on my back but apparently it's not good to sleep on your back because the baby can press on a large vein/artery that's in there somewhere and it can make you faint. It's alright if you have plenty of cushions to prop you up though but I'm now finding that I can't sleep on my back even with lots of pillows because I feel I can't breathe properly - similar to when you sleep on your right I guess.

Hope that helps - seems to be all perfectly normal !

thanx ladies that is really reassuring. i just had a lower vaginal swab done; it should show up if anything is wrong.. and i definitely need a pg pillow

NICE guidelines say you should have an anti-d at 28 and one at 34.

I had never ever heard or read the advice of only sleeping on your left and I have been to a physio ante-natal class run by a maternity hospital where they gave lots of advice on sleeping postions. I was just told that on your back could be uncomfortable and cause breathlessness. The pillow between the legs thing was s something the physios recommended.

im also Rhesus negative and had the Anti-D injection at 28 weeks and was told i wouldnt need another one perhaps until after the birth once baby's blood had been checked. i did read somewhere that you are supposed to have another injection at 34 weeks and asked my midwife about this, im sure she said that now u have a larger dose at 28 weeks so 34 week Anti-D not needed!!x

I don't know anything about the anti-D injections I'm afraid as I'm not rhesus negative.

I can say though that my vaginal discharge has definitely increased since I've been pregnant. In the last week or so (I'm 33+3) I have found that first thing in the morning it leaks and dribbles down my leg as though it has been storing up during the night. It doesn't smell any different but I find it gross. I've had to wear pantyliners since getting pregnant otherwise I get really uncomfortable. Sorry if TMI!

I find it uncomfortable sleeping on my left and can only sleep on my right. To be honest I don't think it really matters - surely actuaklly getting some sleep is the main thing? How comfortable you are in any position I think depends on what position the baby's in. Mine seems to favour lying mostly on my right side which is why I find it uncomfortable to lie on my right side - baby gets squashed!

Message withdrawn

hi am rheses neg too and during my first pregancy i had the two injections and one after the birth as he was positive
during my second pregancy they only gave me one injection when i asked was just told that they had changed it so you only needed one and would only need more if you had a fall or if your baby was positive after th ebirth

my second child was pos sop had one after the birth too