Our support line offers practical and emotional support with feeding your baby and general enquiries for parents, members and volunteers: 03. This page was last reviewed in March 2022. If it is, and you aren’t immune, you’ll be offered another anti-D injection (NHS, 2018). Some people may want to consider that Anti-D is a blood product (NICE, 2022).Īfter the baby has been born, their blood will be checked to see whether it is RhD-positive. Anti-D may also be offered following any potentially sensitising events for example, if you have an injury like a fall or a car accident, or an invasive medical procedure (NICE, 2021).Īs with all medicines, it is your choice whether or not to take it. You can have anti-D either as a one-off dose at 28 to 30 weeks or as two doses at 28 weeks and 34 weeks (NICE, 2021 Qureshi et al, 2014). NICE recommends routine anti-D injections for all pregnant RhD-negative women just in case sensitisation occurs (NICE, 2008 McBain et al, 2015). If you’re rhesus negative and your partner is rhesus positive, you might be offered a couple of extra midwife appointments for anti-D injections. These treatments might include phototherapy (light therapy), sometimes intravenous antibodies from healthy donors and rarely a blood transfusion (NHS, 2021). Others may be born early so that they can have treatments. Rarely, the baby may need a blood transfusion while they’re in the womb. Around half of all cases of rhesus disease are minor and may need little treatment, with the baby simply being monitored regularly during pregnancy (NHS, 2021). Rhesus disease is uncommon because usually it can be prevented with injections of anti-D immunoglobin (McBain et al, 2014 Qureshi et al, 2014 NHS, 2021). This is because antibodies in a pregnant women’s blood attack her baby’s blood cells (NHS, 2021). Rhesus disease, or haemolytic disease of the foetus and newborn (HDFN) can result in anaemia and jaundice in the baby.
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At birth a baby’s blood will be tested to see if they have any anti-D antibodies in their blood (NHS, 2021). If a baby is at risk of developing rhesus disease, additional monitoring during pregnancy will be offered. In some cases, a blood test from the father will also be able to rule out rhesus positive blood in the baby (NHS, 2021). If the baby tests rhesus negative, then they are at no risk of rhesus disease and there will be no extra monitoring or treatment necessary (NHS, 2021). This can impact on affect future pregnancies with rhesus positive babies.Īt around 12 weeks of pregnancy, it might be possible to determine your baby's blood group via a blood test from the mother.
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It can become an issue if the pregnancy or birth causes the mother to become sensitised to the rhesus positive blood and create antibodies. Even without the anti-D immunoglobin, it is unlikely that antibodies would be produced quickly enough to harm the baby (NHS, 2021). If these antibodies are not present, then the mother will be offered injections throughout pregnancy of anti-D immunoglobin to reduce the likelihood of her developing an immune response to a baby’s rhesus positive blood during pregnancy (Qureshi et al, 2014 NHS, 2021).īeing rhesus negative is unlikely to cause a problem in a first pregnancy. If a pregnant woman’s blood test is rhesus negative, their blood sample will be checked for anti-D antibodies (NHS, 2021). the mother has been exposed to rhesus positive blood previously and has developed an immune response to it (this is called sensitisation).īlood testing during the antenatal booking appointment and at 28 weeks is to determine if these three conditions are met.
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That means you might have inherited a copy of the RhD antigen from either or both of your parents. The blood test will also check for the RhD antigen and show if you’re rhesus positive (RhD-positive) or rhesus negative (RhD-negative) (NICE, 2021).īlood types are inherited from your parents. You will be offered a test for your blood group (A, B, AB or O) in your initial booking in appointment (NHS, 2020).