Rhesus positive mum to be with anti C anti-bodies - what is the medical background and issues?

[TheCherries]

Hi all,

I am a little blown away, as I find it difficult to find out anything much on the web and wondered if others have experienced this?

I am in my second pregnancy and at the 28 week blood test stage have anti C antibodies detected in my blood.

I am now being monitored fortnightly with scans and blood tests.

I understand baby risks becoming anaemic, but I guess with so little on the internet for me to read, I feel permanently in the dark, as all I keep finding when I put in a search is Rhesus negative mums-to-be as this is the most common.

Does anyone know the risks involved, in the antibodies rising, the baby coming so early if necessary, any treatments antenatally that are given, the risks associated with that. What they are looking for when testing my husbands blood.

Also I have been told by my consultant I can have a c-section (first baby was c-section breech) but if my consultant was unavailable, or I was in another hospital because I am visiting relatives, is this something they will agree to?

Sorry for so many questions, I am someone who needs all the facts, but there seems to be so little out there from where I am searching from

Thanks

"Also I have been told by my consultant I can have a c-section (first baby was c-section breech) but if my consultant was unavailable, or I was in another hospital because I am visiting relatives, is this something they will agree to?" If a CS is medically needed then I would think any consultant in any hospital would do the same. Carry your notes with you. The RCOG had some guidelines on their website regarding Rhesus negative & alloimunisations.

Can't help much but im r neg and have to have anti d. The risks of anything bad happening are lots lower than they used to be. In my last preg i had a bleed and was put under consultant care. I think its just all precautionary as in the past there was probs. Sorry to not be much help! I'll watch this thread with interest

Hi, rhesus + and - is anti-d antibodies. The others are the same problem (blood groups that don't tolerate each other and can lead to antibodiesi subsequent PGs) but they're more rare and don't have the simple anti-d injection treatment. I was screened for one of these last year (I'm rhesus - too). I found a couple of helpful forums online, both in the US. If the mother does have anti-c (or other), she has her bloods monitored to check if she is producing more antibodies as the PG progresses. In the end, I was in the clear, but I got the impression that if antibodies are present, they are treatable in utero - sorry to be vague! I found googling 'anti-c antibodies' (or anti-b, anti-a) got good hits for info. HTH

Sorry, re-read your OP! I think the risk is anemia, as you say, and the most serious treatment seems to be giving the baby a transfusion in utero, or delivering early - but they're in really serious cases. Can you ask for the name of a specialist consutant and have a chat?

Hi,

I have anti c antibodies. If the father of the child is c negative then the baby will be negative and you don't have to worry about anything. End of story.
But, if father pos (like my husband) , yes then there is risk of baby becoming anaemic. I was told however that it is never as severe as the cases seen with rhes d neg mothers (before the injections were given).
My sec. one was jaundiced and needed fototherapy. Third child was fine but they did keep me in hospital for few days for her to have regular blood tests. I did ask between 2 and 3 child about the risk of having a tird and paediatrician wasn't really worried about me having a third child.
My first was was cs as well. I think consultant would have agreed to cs for the followong ones but it was me who wasn't keen. He did however insist that I got induced by 40 weeks.

When pregnant with third one I had a blood test, which was sent to Bristol, that could see if the baby was c pos or not (some of the baby's blood leaks into mother's blood). In the end the result was inconclusive (well, they didn't find any baby's blood to check it's bloodgroup).