First pregnancy, rhesus negative....been offered injections at 6 months...is this normal?

[Wezz]

DSD2 is 14 weeks pregnant and has been told that because she's rh negative that she'll have an injection when she's around 6 months.

I asked her why but she didn't know and I was under the impression that it didn't affect the first child and was only a possible danger to subsequent pregnancies.

Does anybody know what the injection will be and why she's getting it?

TIA

[HeftyMutha]

Have a look at this link

www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_the_doctor/pregnancyrhesus.shtml

The injection is called 'anti-D' and it is to prevent the mother's body rejecting and destroying any future babies she may have.

You're right - it's less to do with the first child than with subsequent babies, but in my pregnancy-fogged brain, I can't remember exactly why...

This is another good link for explaining it

www.ivillage.co.uk/pregnancyandbaby/pregnancy/concernpreg/articles/0,,16_180242,00.html

[Wezz]

I wasn't sure if it would be anti-d or soemthing else...i got anti-d with my 2nd and 3rd pregnancies...nothing during the first though.

Will check the links out after dancing on ice...thanks Hefty

[olivo]

i had anti d with my first but won't be with this one as they have changed their policy here. From what i understaood, it is less important with your first, unless you have bleeding or trauma to your bump, in which case it can potentially cause a problem.

I think i had two, one at about 26 or 28 weeks, one at about 34? [bad memory emoticon]. dd was actually rh- anyway!

[QueenFee]

it differs from area to area but I am having one dose at 28wks. They also give you a dose every time you have a bleed. (My sister had a dose every 2 weeks because of this.) I didnt have routinely with my 1st but they did give me a shot after the birth. I had it twice routinely with DS.
To sum up the problem if any +ve blood cells get into her blood she will attack them then potentially attack the baby. It is worse for subsequent pregnancies because this will have already built up in her system so will try and get rid of the +ve cells (potentially the baby before its had chance to develop)

[missorinoco]

I had it with my 1st pregnancy at 28 and 34 weeks, and then post partum after the cord blood showed ds was Rh+ve.

The policy where I am was changed a few years ago after they discovered women were having silent bleeds. Previously, they had only being giving them post partum or after trauma.

It is in case the child is Rh+ and you make antibodies to her. Would mainly affect subsequent pregnancies, but if you had a bleed it could affect the current one.

[JK10]

I had anti d's with both my pregnancies. All normal, make sure you have one after the birth though, unless baby has the same blood group. Oh and as already sAid by others if any real knocks to bump or bleeding speak to midwife/antenatel as may need another dose of anti d as I did in second pregnancy after falling down stairs!

[Mumnnanny]

my sis had anti - D with first pregnancy. had injection at around 16 weeks.

[JK10]

Oh and previous answers were same as I was told that a mother with rhesus negative blood sees another blood group as a foreign body and will reject it thinking it is causing harm causing possibly miscarraige.

[mags98]

The problem is when you are Rh - and your baby is Rh +. Tiny amounts of the baby's blood cross into you, which can make you produce antibodies against the Rhesus factor. This is more likely to happen in any situation where you bleed, as there is more chance of mum and baby blood mixing.

This antibody production does not affect the first baby directly, and in fact it often only happens after the birth anyway, but in a second or subsequent pregnancy can be very troublesome indeed. It also might not cause any problems, but you don't know how it will affect any individual.

Once the antibodies have developed you can't really do anything much about it, by then it is too late you can only deal with the consequences of it, and that is more difficult.

So the idea of giving the injection in the first (and of course every subsequent) pregnancy is to prevent those antibodies developing in the first place.

Totally standard thing to do.

[Wezz]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'll let DSD know all is well

She's only 17 and didn't think to ask at the time what it was for, jsut got swept along with it all.

[twinklegreen]

Hi, I'm rhesus -ve and pregnant with my third child.
Basically if you are -ve and your baby is not , when you give birth your blood may mix with your baby's blood, if your baby is a positive blood group your body will produce antibodies, which are harmless untill you get pregnant again. If you do get pregnant the antibodies may attack the 2nd baby and could cause miscarriage.
After you give birth the baby's blood type will be tested and if it is postive you will get an anti-d injection, which basically 'mops up' all the antibodies. The reason you are offered it in pregnancy is that the antibodies can also be produced if you have any sort of bleeding during pregnancy, it's not vital however it's offered just to be on the safe side. You don't have to have it it's you're choice. It's just a jab in your muscle (you can choose leg or arm) It does hurt and gives you a bit of a dead arm/leg for a couple of days but it's not too bad! The only risks are that the anti-d is a blood product (I think it's made from plasma) so it carries the same risks you would associate with a blood transfusion ie. infections, but it is really well screened.

Hope this makes sense, I'm not a medical profesional so this is just how I've understood it!

PS. If the babys father is rhesus -ve too there is no need to have it as you baby will be -ve aswell.

[SoupDragon]

From the other side of the story, I am a rh+ baby of a rh-ve mother. I was induced 4 weeks early and given an exchange transfusion at birth because the antibodies in mum's blood were attacking my blood (caused by one or more of my elder brothers). I think it was jaundice & anaemia which meant I had to be induced early and required the transfusion. This was before antiD injections though I was absolutely fine in the end though.