Found out today I'm Rhesus Negative?

[shannonleigh]

How does this affect the baby? Does it matter if the father of the baby is negative or positive?
Also can you go on to have perfectly healthy pregnancies?

 

[imaswimmer2]

I'm Rh-. Nowadays it's really no big deal. You'll get a Rhogam shot around 20 weeks and again postpartum.

 

[krystlbear]

...

 

[ItsAWonder]

The only risk is if you do not get the Rhogam shot. This pregnancy will be fine either way. If you were to refuse the shot than it would affect your next pregnancy. Basically, your pregnancies will most likely be Rh+. Your body, after you deliver the first pregnancy, will see this positive blood as a foreign entity and will build up antibodies to fight it off in the future (fight off positive blood pregnancies). The Rhogam shot prevents you from building those antibodies. This is one of those scenarios where science and technology are great friends. A little shot and your future babies will be as healthy as this one.

 

[blue_kat]

Hi

I am Rhesus Negative too. No complications with first pregnancy - just had the one shot during pregnancy though not at birth - must ask my midwife about that at my appt next week!!

 

[shannonleigh]

thank you ladies! hope all goes well for you x

 

[imaswimmer2]

Hi

I am Rhesus Negative too. No complications with first pregnancy - just had the one shot during pregnancy though not at birth - must ask my midwife about that at my appt next week!!

They determine if you need it based on baby's blood type

 

[mamaduke]

I need to clarify what some of the ladies above suggested. I'm Rh-, married to my Dh who is Rh+. Our DS is Rh-. I only had 1 Rhogam shot with him (around 28 weeks), as I didn't need it once DS born since he too was Rh-.

Blood types have two Rh factors in the case of Rh+ dominant carriers. There's the recessive factor, which may be another + or a -. My parents are both Rh+ and I'm a product of their recessive factors. If you're Rh-, all you have on dominant and recessive are -s. So this makes my DS a product of DH's recessive and all I can throw.

So being Rh-, you may only need one Rhogam shot, depending on what LO's blood type turns out.

 

[jkbmah]

Both me and hubby are RH- so I didn't need the shot in first pregnancy and wont have in this one either. The only danger to me would be if this baby was with someone who was RH+

 

[2have4kids]

I was thinking the same as jkb, if you knew your oh's blood type you'd know the risk. My oh is O- and so am I! My fertility specialist said this is extremely rare but good. If either one of us gets injured we can donate blood to each other
Unfortunately, I can't seem to get my eggies to grow so we have to do donor eggs in order to get pregnant. We've left the blood type open to have a larger closer match to my profile in the donor bank. So I'll likely have to get the 20 week jab.

 

[Reidfidleir]

If your oh is rh- you're in the clear. You cannot have a + baby.
I am rh- as well but dh is + after doing lots of research I discovered it is less risky to wait and see what the baby's blood type is before having any rhogam shot done. Our baby's blood was tested through the placenta after both were delivered and he was +

If you are seeing a regular doctor they cannot force you to have the shot during pregnancy. Don't let them if you feel uncomfortable. Do some research on your own as well.

 

[Blizzard]

I had two injections in my last pregnancy, one as standard, and one when I dropped a chest of drawers on myself.

By the time Fin was born my husband had started donating blood, so we knew he too was A-. I then had a huge row with my midwife in recovery because she wanted to give me the shot anyway and I was refusing. I didn't need it! The baby had to be RH neg, grrrrr.

 

[amslou]

Hi im rh neg too husband and dd both rh pos. No big deal i had 2 shots just in case. One 28 weeks one after birth they didnt harm me they didnt harm my daughter and i am 8 weeks prego after coming off the pill 8 weeks ago so it didnt appear to affect my next baby. My sister had a few anti d shots early on when she was pregnant due to bleeding and all was fine. All the anti d does is track down the rhesus factor antibodies in your blood that would attack a rh pos fetus and remove them but im told it cant be done afterwards so if you have mc or bleed and you dont get the shot and you already have the antibodies from where blood mixed this could cause problems in subsequent pregnancies. Risk is really low these days since we know so much about it. Ive heard that they like to give it even if babys dad is rh neg too just to be on the safe side but i cant actually remember why this was now.