I just found out that I'm Rh negitive.....does anyone else have some help for me?

well, I just got back from my doctor's appointment today, and I found out that I have O- blood, so I don't have the Rh protein. We don't know daddy's blood type yet, but we're assuming that it's positive, since only 15% of people are negitive.
My doc said that he's going to be giving me a shot in 6 weeks (when i'm 28 weeks pregnant) of RhIg.
I've been doing some reading on this, and I'm a little confused about some things. My doc tried to explain most of it to me, but his accent is so thick, I could barely make out what he was saying.
From what I understand, this isn't a big problem in first pregnancies, but once after this......is there a way that I'm going to be able to have another baby in the future without it developing Rh disease? And am I right about this not being a big problem in first pregnancies? I really don't want my baby to be stillborn, have brain damage or jaundice......I'm really scared.
I'm a little confused about this whole thing, so if anyone has any info for me, I'd REALLY appreciate it.

 

Maybe you should tell your doctor you're having a hard time understanding him. I know you probably don't want to embarras him but with something this important I think he'll understand why you'd want to get as clear a picture of what's up as you can.

 

sad thing is, that I already asked him to repeat himself 3 times.......after that, i felt really bad. I thought that I understood what he said until I came hom and typed it into the computer and found out a lot more alarming info!

 

Be careful about info you get from the net. Maybe you should talk to another doctor.

 

good idea....
i'm going to see if i can find one to call.........

 

I have A- blood, so I know what you're going through. It's really not a problem anymore. You will get a Rhogam shot sometime during your pregnancy-I'm not sure when-and then another in the delivery room. The shot keeps your body from building antibodies against Rh.

Maggie and Brighid will better explain, I'm sure.

 

*

 

{{{Hugs}}} sweetie, like the others said, get in touch with another doctor for a second opinion.

I'm sure it will be okay! Just don't delay in contacting another doctor for your peace of mind, and try to be leary of some of the online information. Some of the sites have some really off the wall garbage on them, which I'm sure you've already found. Makes me wonder where they get their information.

Good luck, and let us know what happens! I'll be keeping you in my thoughts!

 

Ok the thing is the following: If you have Rh- and your man Rh plus, your baby will most likely have Rh + because it's dominant. During pregnancy, this is no problem, because the blood circles are completely separated through the placenta (at least for the blood cells). During birth, the bloods tend to mix, causing your body to produce Antibodies against Rh +. But your first pregnancy is save anyway, since you didn't have any anitbodies until the birth.


But, for your second pregnancy, this might get dangerous, if the kid is Rh + again, what one has to assume since it's dominant.

So what they do, is, they give you a shot (I thought it was right after the 1. birth) to prevent you from building antibodies, that can be dangerous to your 2. child.

 

Thanks for all your help guys.....
From what I've been reading, like surgmag said, it's not that big of a problem anymore. 98% of cases apparently turn out just fine. Just still really scary, you know?
As for my doc, I don't think that I offended him, it's just that every time that I asked him to repeat himself, I STLL couldn't understand him, lol. It was getting hopless, and there really was nothing that I could do. He did reassure me, though, that after the shot, everything should be fine. And we have my pregnancy right on schedual down to almost the exact day, so I should get the shot right at the right time.
We don't know daddys blod type yet, but we're going to be finding out now in the next month.
The upsetting thing is that I've always wanted a really large family, and I don't want to risk hurting any other babies in the future. Who knows, maybe one day, when my and my guy are better off, then we'll adopt some babies who don't have homes. I kinda like that idea......

 

Because of the rhogam shot, you can have as many kids as you want! I have two girls-both with positive blood. At your next appt. be sure to ask you dr. about it-when you need to get it done. Don't worry about, honestly-it's not a problem as long as you get the shot.

 

that's such a relief. I was really freaked out about this yesterday. I guess that I'm just really scared that somehow our blood has come in contact already......
like last week, I accidentially bit a huge chunck outta my lip and it was bleeding like heck and I swallowed a bunch of it. That's what I'm really scared about.
My fears are a little more calmed down today, though.

 

Whether you bleed or not isn't a factor (only if placental blood mixes, which is rare.) But the RHOGAM is important, as the antibodies can actually kill your next baby. It isn't a dangerous shot, in fact, it saves lives.

What happens, in short is that in the first pregnancy, your body makes antibodies to RH positive blood. This baby is usually safe, but in the next pregnancy, your body treats the RH pos blood as a foreign invader, and it starts to destroy cells in the baby's bloodstream.

You didn't cause any harm by biting your lip.

But as other people have said, if you can, maybe get a doctor you can understand. It is important to relate to your health care provider. But get the shot when the time comes up. It is really important.

 

It's very rare for your blood to cross the placenta, or the baby's blood to cross into yours during pregnancy. You would have to get in a car accident, have a placental abruption, or some other serious injury. It is debatable whether or not prenatal Rhogam is even necessary in the absence of serious injury. We rarely give prenatal Rhogam, unless Mama calls us and says she fell down or if she chooses it. Most of our women choose to forgo prenatal Rhogam. All partners of Rh- mothers are typed as well, if both are Rh-, (and she is positive he is the father of her baby) there is no risk to any future pregnancies, and no need for prenatal or postpartum Rhogam.


During birth, the risk of blood crossing the placenta increases, especially with the way physicians and hospitals manage third stage (delivery of placenta). Forcefully tugging on the cord to seperate the placenta increases the risk of bleeding and blood mixing. During normal physiological third stage, the placental and uterine vessels clamp down and seal off before seperation, mixing is almost impossible if the placenta is allowed to seperate normally.
However, there is still a slight risk that there was a partial seperation and bleeding, so we usually test the baby's blood with a few drops from the umbilial cord for typing. It's an easy, super cheap test that gives results in minutes. If the baby is Rh-, then mama can safely waive the post partum Rhogam. If the baby tests Rh+, she can have the injection within 72 hours of the birth. We usually give the shot at the 24 hour visit.

because Rhogam is a blood product, it is wise to make sure you really need it before you accept it, or that you think the benefits outweight the risk.

If you decide to have the shot, you can ask for BayRho or WhinRho, both of these products are made without mercury.

Also, if you have a miscarriage or termination, you will need a shot within 72 hours.

 

So, the rhogam is only a "just in case" blood crosses the placenta? I thought it was absolutely neccessary.


So, since I am rh-, I wouldn't "need" the shot next time I get pregnant? My views on doctors and medicine being involved in my pregnancy have changed dramatically since I was last pregnant. I am hoping to conceive again around the end of the year-I want a summer baby! and I want to be fully informed on everything.

 

Yes, it's "just in case" the blood crosses. However, you can't know if the blood crosses until you develop antibodies. If you develop antibodies, any future pregnancy with an Rh+ baby is in jeopardy. The shot is to prevent sensitization to the Rh factor from a Rh+ baby. If you are already sensitized, it is too late.

If you have an Rh- baby, then there is no danger of sensitization.

Reasons why you would need Rho-Gam (or the others) prenatally;

Your partner is Rh+ and you have injured yourself in a way that may have damaged the placenta. You would need it within 72 hours of the injury.
You have an amnio, CVS, external version, or other invasive uterine procedure.



You need it postpartum
if your baby is Rh+
You have had a miscarraige
You have had an abortion

You prabably wouldn't need it during pregnancy, but if your baby's father is Rh+, and your baby is Rh+, you would need it after the birth to prevent sensitization in case the blood mixed.

 

Thank you, Brighid, for clarifying that.

 

Thank you Brighid! She's the best when it comes to pregnancy and birth stuff! If she says it's OK to wait until after the birth, then I'd go with that.

 

If you don't want to get a new doc, maybe you can ask a nurse to clarify what he said. Pull one aside, and say "hey, i don't want to be rude, but i really didn't understand what he said; can you explain it to me, or write it down for me?"

I've got a doc that doesn't like to explain things, and then he acts like you're an idiot later because you didn't know better (maybe he's just old and his memory is going, so he thought he told me, haha!). The nurses never mind if i ask them to explain something again, and they always give me more details than he did.

 

I'm still planning on getting the shot at 28 weeks, no matter what. Better safe than sorry. And then I know that I need one right after the delivery.
Actually, the dad doesn't have any problemn understanding the doc, so when we go togther, it's no problem. But yeah, I'll be sure to ask the nurses next time.
And I think that Brighid mentioned something about being a "cheap test?"........everything in canada is already paid for through our medicare. So I'm not worried about costs of anything. Whatever I can do to make sure that everything goes fine and that future babies won't be in jepordy, I will. I'm not taking any chances.
But all in all, I feel alot better about this now. Thanx!