What is Rh Negative? My blood type is A- and my hubby is O+ and so my body thinks that when I'm pregnant that the embryo is an invader and may attack it to purge my body of this invader so...
Here's the juice (as my hubby would say): I've had 2 children and have been pregnant 3 times. I have no doubt that I lost my 2nd child in the 7-8th week and spent my birthday in the hospital getting a DNC because I didn't INSIST on getting a Rhogam shot. Being Rh Neg. doesn't generally cause any complications in the first pregnancy and I did not have any, but I did get my 28 week standard Rhogam shot and the shot in the hospital after I gave birth. The second and third time around proved to be different. The second time around I started spotting somewhere in the 6-7 week period and the doctors were saying: if it's brown it's probably just old blood from vessels popping to feed the baby before the umbilical cord is developed blah, blah, blah. Well, I continued spotting and took it upon myself to insist on getting check before my next scheduled check up. I went in and it was still too early to hear the heart beat so they were going to do an ultrasound. While we were waiting for the doctor, as I had seen the nurse practitioner, I asked if she thought the spotting had anything to do with me being Rh Neg. having my second child (with this same set of doctors I had my first child with) and she said, "No" and that I'd get my Rhogam shot at 28 weeks. The doctor came in, looked at my charts (which should say allllll over it, RH NEG), ultrasounded me and said that, "There's the heart beat" and again with the vessels popping to feed the baby blah blah BLAH!! So I went home and within a week rolled around in bed a full night and hurled like the exorcist the next morning. I called my doctor again and told them that I hadn't had any morning sickness up until then and that I had just hurled like the exorcist. They told me not to worry and if it happened again to call. It didn't happen again but I called within the next two days anyway because I knew that something wasn't right. I went in, they still couldn't find the heartbeat, and when they did the ultrasound my baby was no longer. I have no doubt that if I would have insisted on getting a Rhogam shot (even if it wasn't needed, it would not hurt anything) that I would not have lost that baby. Yes the standard shot is at 28 weeks UNLESS there are signs of complications (e.g. SPOTTING).
Still not convinced? So I got pregnant again and started spotting again at around the same time. I wasn't going to take any chances this time so I went to a different doctor. When I told them that I was spotting, the FIRST thing they asked me (without prior knowledge) was if I was Rh Neg. When I said yes, they immediately rushed my bloodwork and had me in the very next day for a Rhogam shot. Needless to say, I have TWO healthy baby boys today. I still got my standard 28 week shot and never forget the shot after giving birth! Good luck and feel free to email [email protected] me if you have more questions.
