Anti D injection?

[Parent19876]

What does this mean? I just got letter through from the hospital but I'm confused.
Does this mean i have a different blood type from the baby?

"If you're rhesus positive (RhD positive), it means that a protein (D antigen) is found on the surface of your red blood cells. If you do not have the D antigen, you will be rhesus negative (RhD negative). Most people are rhesus positive"

This means you're Rhesus D negative for example I am A-

I got the Anti-D injection during my first pregnancy. You normally get another after the birth but DS has negative blood type too so I didn't need it. I got the injection again this pregnancy. Some trusts are now able to check if the baby's blood type is positive or negative however not many are doing it yet. Do you know if they were testing for baby's blood type?

"To prevent rhesus negative women producing antibodies against their baby's blood during pregnancy they can be given an injection with anti-D immunoglobulin. This treatment is called anti-D prophylaxis. ... Rhophylac injection is given as a single dose between 28 and 30 weeks of pregnancy"

I panicked when I got the letter in my first pregnancy no health professional discussed it with me but quite I few women I know turned out to have negative blood type. Did they check your DP/DH blood type too? If he's negative you wouldn't need the injection my DH is positive.

Be careful if you have any bleeds or falls, contact your maternity assessment unit as you may need another anti D injection as a preventative measure.

I have to have these. Just means you are rhesus negative doesn't mean your baby is positive they just do it as precaution it's safe and just an injection to stop your body from creating antibodies more for the next pregnancy x

I don't know my blood type, I've left a message for my midwife.
Nor do i know my ex's blood type or if he's negative or positive. If i asked him I'm sure he wouldn't respond.

Why do they wait until 28 weeks to give you the shot?
Does your blood type (A, O, etc) affect that? Is it genetic (ie apparently my father is R negative)?
Sorry, this letter really threw me and I'm still really confused by it.
This is my first pregnancy, I'm 13.5 today. Is there a way for them to test baby's blood (besides an amnio) during pregnancy?

I'm B- and they offered me a blood test to find out my baby's blood type. A midwife came and got me from my 12 week scan to take my blood. I got a letter through a couple of days ago saying baby is Rh+, so I have been booked in for anti-D.

I'm not sure if all hospitals do the test, you could ask your midwife, otherwise I think they will just give you anti-D as a precaution and test for the baby's blood type after birth.

I'm not sure about the 28 days thing as in my first pregnancy it was 30 weeks and in my second (only 7 months after the first) it was 28 weeks.

I was told that it's effective for 12 weeks so should cover you up until the birth and then you get one after the birth as well if your baby has + blood just in case. However I had quite a few minor bleeds during both pregnancies and had to have the jab after each one, even when one was within a few days of a previous one so no sure where the 12 week thing comes from.

My general experience was that the medical staff often had no idea what the actual true purpose of it was and how it worked exactly.

It's nothing to worry about though in your first pregnancy, it's only if it gets missed and your body creates the antibiotics which means it might impact on future pregnancies. I think.

Also if you are given the choice it's a lot more comfortable to have it in your bum or somewhere quite fleshy rather than anywhere a bit more bony like your shoulder....

Your ex will have a positive blood type and yours will be a negative. They give the jab before 28 weeks if you have any knocks to the stomach or any bleeding, but otherwise it's one at 28 weeks and then when the baby is born they'll test the baby's blood and if positive blood type give you another jab, it prevents you producing antibodies for future pregnancies . In my case I'm rhesus negative and my mum is positive, so it's my dad who I got the negative blood type from. I'm an A-

I can offer some personal historical perspective.
1950s - my grandmother gave birth to my father. She was RH negative, he was RH positive, her body created antibodies that attacked him while in the womb, and he nearly died at birth. He developed Cerebral Palsy and Deafness as a result, although his life was saved.
1960s my uncles were born, all RH positive. Due to the previous experience with my father, my grandmother gave birth in a big city hospital, where they were ready to intervene with blood transfusions, thereby reducing the damage. One of my uncles is fine, the other still sustained blindness in one eye and mild tremors.
Come the 1980s, my mother (RH negative) is pregnant with me (RH positive, because Positive blood is dominant over Negative). She is offered Anti-D injections. I am born without complications.
Medicine sure has come a long way. A problem that once caused death and disability can now be prevented with a simple course of injections.

RH positive means you have a D antigen attached to your cells RH negative means you don't have a D antigen. When antigens enter the blood that aren't normally there, the body produces antibodies against the antigens.

If you are RH negative and baby is RH positive, your body will produce antibodies against the RH positive blood that can cause harm to the baby (this is an immune response). It can affect any future pregnancies as the antibodies stay in your blood once produced. It doesn't matter whether you are A, B, AB, or O. It's only your RH status that matters. So for example you can be O RH pos or O RH neg.

The anti D injection is made up of antibodies that won't harm your baby. Because you have these antibodies in your blood, your body doesn't feel the need to produce more so it won't produce the ones that can cause harm.

Early in pregnancy your baby doesn't have enough blood for this to be a problem, so you have the abti-D injection later when the baby is producing more of its own blood. You may need a jab slightly early if you have a sensitising event e.g. a blow to the stomach or an extra one after 28 weeks for the same reason. You must always let your midwife know if you have any kind of fall or bump yo the stomach.

In some areas you can have additional tests that test baby's blood group while pregnant. If baby is RH negative you don't need the jab. I don't know if all areas provide this testing just yet.

Hope that helps

It just means you're R- that's all. They'll want to give you the anti d in case baby's dad is +. It's not a big deal. If you knock yourself on bump or have a bleed later on you'll need to have it.

I refused it me because I knew the exs blood group. They said they can't take my word for it that he was the father and got annoyed with me when I said no thankyou.

“Did they check your DP/DH blood type too? If he's negative you wouldn't need the injection my DH is positive. ”

My husband’s blood type is negative too and I declined the anti-D injection. The medical professionals were VERY unhappy about this though and raised it at every medical appointment. Lots of women are mistaken about the father or can’t admit with the ‘father’ there that he isn’t really. As expected our son’s blood is rhesus negative too.

They also put a MASSIVE sticker on my yellow folder saying RHESUS NEGATIVE.

It's nothing to stress about, it's perhaps a bit frightening because this has come out of the blue for you and hasn't yet been explained by your midwife. I'm sure she/he will cover it at your next appointment.

Your blood has been tested and as others have said, you are RH positive. You are therefore offered this injection to stop your body producing anti-bodies against this pregnancy and future pregnancies. It doesn't really matter what bloody type your ex has because they will probably still want you to have the jab to be on the safe side.

I had to have seven in my first pregnancy (I had a fall and then post-birth).

There are no ill affects from the injection other than some localised discomfort - which doesn't last long.

It's nothing to worry about, honestly.

She's not Rh positive, she's Rh negative. The danger is if the baby is Rh +. As they don't know the blood type of the father they will offer the anti D injection as standard.

I had it for both my pregnancies and after birth as they test the cord blood to see if the baby is Rh+. Both mine must be as I got the anti D after both births

I am B- and dh is A+ so I knew that it was probable the kids would be Rh + too

I am O- and will be getting the injection at 28 weeks :) My husband is + and we found out the baby is + after a blood test I agreed to when I was 12 weeks.

There is nothing to worry about. It's important we get the Anti D, particularly for any future pregnancies we may have.

Thank goodness for the advances in medicine!

Don’t stress about it. I’m rhesus negative. You just go for an anti d injection a couple of times when they tell you to- you have to have a blood test first then your anti d. The injections are a little painful but its fine. Just be wary of any bleeding or bumps to your bump- contact the hospital straight away and get a shot of anti d if you have any bleeding or knocks. I panicked in my first pregnancy and read anything I could find on it- it’s really not a big deal. Congratulations on your pregnancy! X

Yes it is important. In the past lots of subsequent babies died or were left disabled from rhesus disease. Thank goodness the anti-d injection exists.

Honestly it's nothi g to worry about. You just get your injections as recommended. You do need to let them know if you have any bleeding as you may need an extra injection.

It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the baby or you. Its just your blood type.

I've had two babies and had all the injections as scheduled and everything went fine.

There are various times during pregnancy, particularly your first, when you realise you barely knew your body! It's a strange realisation. Your midwife will be happy to answer questions though and if in doubt/unable to contact midwife ring your local maternity unit it's full of midwives and they are more then happy to help. Don't sit worrying when a quick call can really help.

Good luck

You can't presume the ex had RH positive blood type as someone above suggested. When my mum (RH neg) had me (also RH neg) a medical student asked why they didn't check my dad's blood type, and the consultant made it clear (as someone else said above) that they can't risk that a mother is lying about who the father is (or may not be sure but won't say).

My mum had four children - two of us are RH neg, two of us are RH pos. she had the injections with all four of us.

Where I live they don't test the baby's blood or give the injection at all, unless the mother has a bump etc which makes it possible mother and baby's blood get combined (causing the reaction). So they said if I have a caesarean they would offer the injection. They said it's likely this approach will be adopted by the whole NHS before long. Interesting I thought!

For my first pregnancy they didn’t test the baby’s blood until after the baby was born and I had the injections despite the baby being negative. This time round they checked the baby’s DNA at 16 weeks and it’s negative so I don’t need the injections. I thought it was standard that all areas should be offering the test now as so many women like me in my first pregnancy were getting unnecessary treatment if their babies were negative too.

You also need to call for extra injections
If you have any bleeding or blows to the tummy as your blood might be mixed.