I went in for the mid 20 week checkup and everything looked good with our little guy! His heart was beating quite nice, the ultrasound pics from last time showed that he had all his vital organs and body parts :) and the quad screen came out with the right numbers! I did find out some kind of alarming news though, I am Rh negative. My mom did some research and found this article on the American Pregnancy Association website.
From the American Pregnancy Association: The Rh factor is a type of protein on the surface of red blood cells. Most people who have the Rh factor are Rh-positive, 85%. Those who do not have the Rh factor are Rh-negative. When the mother is Rh-negative and the father is Rh-positive, the fetus can inherit the Rh factor from the father. This makes the fetus Rh-positive too. Problems can arise when the fetus's blood has the Rh factor and the mother's blood does not. If you are Rh-negative, you may develop antibodies to an Rh-positive baby. If a small amount of the baby's blood mixes with your blood, which often happens, your body may respond as if it were allergic to the baby. Your body may make antibodies to the Rh antigens in the baby's blood. This means you have become sensitized and your antibodies can cross the placenta and attack your baby's blood. They break down the fetus's red blood cells and produce anemia (the blood has a low number of red blood cells). This condition is called hemolytic disease or hemolytic anemia. It can become severe enough to cause serious illness, brain damage, or even death in the fetus or newborn. These antibodies are not built up until after the first pregnancy so this isn't a concern for this pregnancy.
My parents were quite concerned because they knew of some of the difficulties my mom mom (dad's mom) had because she is also Rh negative. She has four healthy children now though! The good news is that Jason is 95% sure he is O negative. As long as we are both negative we are in the clear. Jason is going to give blood to find out for sure if he is O negative so we don't need to worry.
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3 comments:
Wow! I will be praying about the Rh factor thing. Glad everything else is going well! :)
I will get a shot at 28 weeks and one after the delivery to, I believe, stop my body from building up the anitbodies...so it sounds like everything will be okay!
No need to worry too much! I am also Rh neg, and Justin was positive. I got my Rhogam shot at 28 weeks, and after Lily was born they checked her blood type and she was positive, so I got another Rhogam shot before I left the hospital. I have a beautiful healthy baby and the doctor says there's no reason I won't have more beautiful healthy babies. Lucky for us Rh neg people, this is something they can deal with pretty easily - I know how you feel though, it can be scary - but those doctors know what they're doing and you're in good hands!
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