My mum said i have Rhesus Negative blood & if i have a baby it would need a blood transfusion?

Question

apparently if my mum had a baby it would need a blood transfusion as she has rare blood which if it mixes with other blood would produce a 'blue baby'. But my dad also had this blood which was very rare for both parents to have it so me and my siblings where ok. But if we have any children then they will need blood transfusion. Is this true?

Answer 1

The baby will probably not need a transfusion. The Dr will give an injection or medication early in your pregnancy and you and your baby should not have any further complications. The baby is only in danger while you are pregnant not after birth. Your body sees the baby as a foreign object (which all women's bodies do) but instead of nourishing the baby your body will try to destroy it, that's where medicine comes in. Good luck!

Answer 2

Approximately 15% of the population has rhesus (Rh) negative blood. If you are a mother-to-be with negative blood, there are some things you might like to know if your partner has rhesus positive blood.

Rhesus factor is a substance (blood product) found in blood. Approximately 85% of the population has the rhesus factor and the remaining percent do not. It is symbolised by the plus or minus after your blood group, for example, A- is rhesus negative and A+ is rhesus positive.

How can my negative blood be a problem?
If you are rhesus negative and your baby's father is rhesus positive, then your unborn child may inherit negative or positive blood – you wont know until birth. However if the mother is negative and the foetus happens to be positive (positive being dominant, negative recessive), this may cause problems for the foetus as well as any future pregnancies the mother may have.

Problems can occur if the foetus’ positive blood manages to find it’s way into the mother’s bloodstream, either during pregnancy or labour, mixing with her negative blood. If this happens and it is not treated, the mother’s blood can create antibodies to attack the positive blood being a ‘foreign’, causing anaemeia or in a worst case scenario, death for a foetus. This means that any future pregnancies the mother has where the foetus is again rhesus positive, her antibodies may cross the placenta and attack the foetus’ blood cells.

Hope this helps, there is more info at the site listed in my sources

Answer 3

Your mum may be wrong. My late mother was also Rhesus Negative or monkey blood as she called it sometimes. She had three of us children over a 9 year period and as far as i know none of us ever needed a blood transfusion at or soon after birth.

Answer 4

It might.

If I'm reading this right, you may also need to have blood transfusions given to the baby *before* it's born!

It also sounds like this is rare for the first child, but can be more likely with later children.

Answer 5

Rhesus disease is now rare and poses little threat because any complications can be anticipated and treated.

Treatment is given if:

An exchange of blood between mother and baby takes place during delivery
A rhesus-negative mother has had bleeding during pregnancy
The mother has had a miscarriage, which can cause her blood to produce antibodies attacking the Rhesus positive blood of her lost baby

Other situations – chorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis or ectopic pregnancy – have lead to contact with foetal blood
In all of these cases the mother will be given an injection of anti-D immunoglobulin. These injections will prevent your blood from producing antibodies against Rh(D) blood cells, thus protecting you during any future pregnancies.

Screening during pregnancy

If your screening blood test shows that you are rhesus negative, you will have extra blood tests during pregnancy to see if you have developed any rhesus antibodies. This rarely happens, but if it does, you will be carefully monitored.

You will also be given an injection of Anti-D immunoglobulin between your 28th and 29th weeks of pregnancy.
After delivery, if your newborn is Rh(D) positive (this will be determined from an umbilical cord blood sample), you will be given another injection within 72 hours.
Is the Anti-D injection safe?
Anti-D injections are prepared using donor blood possessing high amounts of antibodies and there are rarely any side effects. Any risks are far outweighed by the enormous benefits of Anti-D injections.

Answer 6

Dont panic. I too have a negative blood group. It is a second child that may be at risk if you are negative and the father is a positive bloodgroup then the baby may be what they call born blue. However, what they do now is inject you after the first baby with stuff called anti-D and this stops the problem. I have had 2 babies and they were fine xxx

Answer 7

I was a blue baby, my mums blood is Rh D Neg and mine is Rh A Neg i dont think i had a blood transfusion though. Your doctor will know.

Answer 8

I am RH neg. No, your baby wouldnt need a transfusion. At 28 weeks of pregnancy you will get an antibody injection made from a blood sample they take. you will get another after delivery. and after any miscarriage or abortion. This protects you. Only If you have a O,A,B,AB positive father. This way of your baby is born pos. it doesnt mix w your blood and cause a future child to be born w mental disabilities.

Answer 9

As far as I know your first child won't be a problem. Problems only occur if you have a second child with a man who has a positive blood type. The child will be ok, but you will need an injection to stop your immunesystem forming anti-bodies against a positive blood type. I don't know why your child would need a blood transfusion?

Answer 10

if one parent is neg and the other positive then there is a chance that your body will fight your babies blood.
SHE will not need a transfusion as an injection given in the latter stages of pregnancy and just after birth is more than enough.

even if both parent have neg blood they will try to get you took take the injection, they said it was just in case but our health visitor said it is because the babies life isn't worth risking if the baby didn't have the correct daddy.