If your practitioner suspects that more than an ounce of your baby's blood mixed with yours (say, if you've had an accident), you might need a second shot. This is called passive immunization: For it to work, you need to get the shot no more than 72 hours after any potential exposure to your baby's blood. The donated antibodies are just like yours, but the dose isn't large enough to cause problems for your baby. These antibodies kill any Rh positive blood cells in your system, which seems to keep your immune system from developing its own antibodies. The Rh immune globulin shot consists of a small dose of antibodies, collected from blood donors. How does the shot prevent me from developing antibodies? If you find yourself in any of these situations, remind your caregiver that you're Rh negative, and make sure you get the shot within 72 hours. An injury to your abdomen during pregnancy.An external cephalic version (ECV, a procedure to manually turn a baby who is in breech position).Other opportunities: And you'll need a shot any other time that your baby's blood might mix with yours, including if you have: So you'll also be given shot of Rh immune globulin at 28 weeks that covers you until childbirth. In the third trimester: A small number of Rh negative women (about 2 percent) somehow develop antibodies to their baby's Rh positive blood during their third trimester. (Your delivery team will take a blood sample from your newborn's heel or from their umbilical cord just after they're born to test for several things, including Rh factor, if necessary.) Without treatment, there's about a 15 percent chance that you'll produce antibodies, but with treatment, the chance is close to 0 percent. Since it's possible you were exposed to your baby's blood during delivery, the shot will prevent your body from making antibodies that could attack an Rh positive baby's blood during a future pregnancy. Times when your baby's blood can leak into yours:ĭelivery: You'll need a shot after the birth if your newborn is found to be Rh positive. That's why Rh incompatibility is usually not a problem for your first baby: If your blood doesn't mix until you're in labor, the baby will be born before your immune system has a chance to produce enough antibodies to cause problems. In fact, your blood is not likely to intermingle in any significant way until you give birth. The placenta allows for exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and fluids, but not red blood cells. Normally during pregnancy, your baby's blood stays separate from yours. How could my baby's blood leak into mine? There's no harm in getting the Rh immune globulin shot, even if it turns out that it wasn't necessary. In fact, your healthcare practitioner will assume you are, just to be safe. So if you're Rh negative, it's likely that you and your baby are Rh incompatible. If your baby's father is Rh positive - as most people are - you have about a 75 percent chance of having an Rh positive baby. What are the chances that my baby and I are Rh incompatible?
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