Anti D injection

[Kafryne]

Anyone chose NOT to have anti D injection and turned out fine?

What are you afraid is going to happen if you get the injection OP?
There are very clear, very serious risks associated with refusing it and becoming isoimmunised as a result, so your concerns would need to be major enough to outweigh the significant harms of refusing the treatment.

The test to detect what blood group you are in the first place would have detected antibodies.

You would be completely daft to turn this down

Have you had the vaccine? What about the whooping cough jab? Will you vaccinate your baby against polio and measles etc?

I mean where are you drawings the line with things you deem not necessary to put in your body?

Take it. There was an issue somewhere along the line with my first pregnancy that caused issues with the anti D injection not working properly. I went through a lot of stress with my second pregnancy waiting to find out if the baby was a -/+ blood group. Thankfully was negative so wasn't affected. But as a result I've been advised not to have anymore children due to the risk of the baby having a + blood group and it causing all sorts of problems. Stillbirth, miscarriage and brain damage.
It's your choice but after all that I can't get my head around someone choosing not to have it.

I suggest you search you tube for a video of a child born with rhesus incompatibility. I've seen a child like this many years ago and they are severely mentally affected. Don't do this to your future children.

@worktrip

I suggest you search you tube for a video of a child born with rhesus incompatibility. I've seen a child like this many years ago and they are severely mentally affected. Don't do this to your future children.

I will check it out

They would have told you if you had antibodies in pregnancy because they check it at your first bloods appointment. I was told at 10 weeks.

The post below about the video of a baby with rhesus disease - I can tell you more first hand because my daughter was affected but she was fine after 12 weeks. She turns 1 next week and is healthy. I was monitored throughout pregnancy and induced 3 weeks early. I believe the condition can be much worse if they are left to full term though.

In my experience maternity services aren’t in the habit of offering drugs etc unless they are safe and needed. They won’t let you take ibuprofen ffs. Just have the injection and do what’s right for your baby!!

Would you refuse other forms of medical care for you or your baby? Because if so I really think it's neglect tbh OP.

If you are rhesus neg and the baby is pos, you MIGHT be really lucky this pregnancy and not get bumped enough to cause the babies blood to mix with yours (the sensitisation step), but it WILL happen during birth and thus any subsequent pregancies are seriously at risk. If you do have an accident this pregnancy (just a small bump can do it) you could develop antibodies that would damage this baby.

The injection basically works to "mop up" and of the babies blood cells that get into your blood stream during pregnancy and birth so you don't become sensitive (produce antibodies) towards the rhesus protein.

It's really not worth the risk

• any of the babies blood cells

Oh for an edit function!

@Kittyswhiskers

In my experience maternity services aren’t in the habit of offering drugs etc unless they are safe and needed. They won’t let you take ibuprofen ffs. Just have the injection and do what’s right for your baby!!

Ibuprofen and blood plasma is not quite same ffs

@Chocolatebuttercream

Would you refuse other forms of medical care for you or your baby? Because if so I really think it's neglect tbh OP.

No I wouldn't but I like to research and educate myself before taking a decision

I know they’re not. One is harmful in pregnancy and one isn’t.

@Kafryne this is a genuine question, I'm not trying to be goady but... why do you always want to educate yourself before taking medical advice? How could you possibly educate yourself to be in a better position to make medical decisions than doctors are? They have literally years of training, and they follow guidance which is written by literally experts in the field, taking into account huge banks of research and data. What could you, or any of us, possibly add to that decision?

I mean, they’ve not told you to have it for shits and giggles have they?

Are you afraid of the needle? I can tell you it’s a fairly large one. But it was no worse than a getting a vaccine.

Although I suspect you don’t really go in for those either.

It’s not unnecessary it’s to stop your baby facing severe complications. Don’t be selfish.

I am rhesus neg and asked my midwife today at booking appointment about anti D as I’m Rhesus Neg. they will test the baby to see if it’s positive like my partner and if so I’ll have the injection. It isn’t something I’d even contemplate risking tbh!

It's not crazy to want to know more about a treatment! The OP is right in that it is a plasma product and although there is excellent screening there will always be a small chance of risk (even though very small).

Informed consent is just that, it needs to be properly informed. I chose to have the injection in both my pregancies because I weighed up the risks and decided that it was far better to have the treatment. I'm an immunologist and made that choice in a fully informed way. Unfortunately not all women have the treatment explained to them in a detailed way, the OP should push for this with her obstetric team if she is unsure.

• but to be clear, I would strongly encourage you to have it. Rhesus disease can be bloody horrific

I’m older than you. Pre Anti D treatment my aunt had a baby who died as a result of being an incompatible blood type. Her two subsequent children nearly died, my younger cousin was in hospital for 6 weeks after he was born. I had the injections.

I had the injection and still ended up with a baby with hemolytic disease. They are fine thankfully after daily medication and fortnightly blood tests but that's not a risk anyone should ever consider taking.

[quote Chocolatebuttercream]@Kafryne this is a genuine question, I'm not trying to be goady but... why do you always want to educate yourself before taking medical advice? How could you possibly educate yourself to be in a better position to make medical decisions than doctors are? They have literally years of training, and they follow guidance which is written by literally experts in the field, taking into account huge banks of research and data. What could you, or any of us, possibly add to that decision?[/quote]
Medical errors exist. I was told my son measured extremely small for 35 weeks and he possibly stoped growing or else. I declined the induction and he was born at 37 weeks healthy baby and perfectly grown. And I wasn't really for advice I just wanted to know if anyone chose not to have the injection and turned out fine. But for all your suggestions and experiences it's always good to know

@SmidgenofaPigeon

I mean, they’ve not told you to have it for shits and giggles have they?

Are you afraid of the needle? I can tell you it’s a fairly large one. But it was no worse than a getting a vaccine.

Although I suspect you don’t really go in for those either.

I'm up to date with my vaccines

I’ve had 4 babies. I’m rh negative and with my first 2 babies I bled right though and then, it was the recommendation to have anti d every time so I had it a good few times then afterwards. And had it with all 4. No ill effects and it was to help my babies so yes I’d take it.

I’m all for informed consent. However it depends where the information you’re recovering to make your decisions is coming from. Sometimes having to research a treatment can delay it to your or your child’s detriment so drs will direct you to places you can read about treatment or use leaflets by the hospital or accredited research by qualified medical professionals rather than Google. I also hope you have obstetric staff who can give good unbiased information to you to help you make up your mind. Some drs/nurses/midwives are really good at explaining things.