Natural Birth and Baby Care.com

What is a Natural Solution to Being Rh-?

by Maka
(Abita Springs, LA USA)

I am having my first child soon and I found out the other day that I am Rh-. I am not feeling scared or worried, but do feel I should take this into consideration.

My husband and I are in the process of finding out if he is Rh- or Rh+. If he is Rh- it is to my understanding that there is no problem. The only solution I keep finding is this Rhogam shot, which I refuse to take. What was the world doing about Rh- mothers before Rhogam?

Thanks for your time

-Maka

Answer:

Hi Maka,

You're correct - if your husband is Rh-, you won't need to worry about the baby. But if he's Rh+ there's either a 100 percent or a 50 percent chance that your baby will be Rh+ (it depends on if your husband carries two Rh+ alleles in his genes or an Rh+ and an Rh-).

Either way, if he's Rh+ there's a good chance you're going to be carrying an Rh+ baby.

Most doctors advise that you have a Rhogam shot (or another Anti-D shot such as BayRho or WinRho). The shot works because it contains antibodies to the Rh+ cells. They circulate through and remove any Rh+ cells before your body triggers its own antibody response, which is permanent and could affect future babies.

The standard advice is to give Rhogam at 28 weeks, which provides passive protection until birth, then to give another injection within 72 hours of delivery. This is usually waived if the baby is Rh-.


Rhogam is a human blood product, so woman can, and some do, refuse it during pregnancy. Some choose to refuse after delivery as well.

The best way to prevent sensitization is to avoid trauma that cause mom and baby's blood to mix during pregnancy or at birth (it does not normally mix in pregnancy or birth). However sometimes there's mixing that nobody is aware of and thus why the shot was developed.

It is not an easy issue to deal with, and it's one I think all women need to research and decide for themselves.

I am excited because there's a simple blood test that can tell you early in pregnancy what your baby's blood type is. You can read more about in in my Rh Negative Genotyping article.

Also feel free to read my article on Rh and Pregnancy - I have several links at the bottom for more information.

Before Rhogam there were more babies lost to Rh Disease, also known as hemolytic disease of the newborn. According to the March of Dimes most babies are able to survive it nowadays, but it can still cause death and can be very hard on a baby. In the past, these babies were often called "blue babies" and they usually died.

It is, in my opinion, one of the most complex issues to deal with during pregnancy, and requires careful thought and consideration for each family with an Rh- mother.