Incompatibility of Rh

Rh incompatibility is a condition reported to occur during a woman's pregnancy when the woman's blood is Rh-negative and the baby's blood is Rh-positive. Rh-negative and Rh-positive are references to whether the individual's blood has Rh factor which is a protein reported to be on the individual's red blood cells. (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, 2014, p.

1) The problem with the mother with Rh-negative blood carrying a child with Rh-positive blood occurs when the baby's blood somehow crosses into the blood stream of the mother and this is reported to occur most often during delivery of the baby. The mother's body with Rh-negative blood will have a reaction to the blood of the baby as though the baby's blood were a foreign substance and the mother's body creates antibodies or proteins that fight against the blood of the Rh-positive baby.

These antibodies are reported to be such that do not create problems during a first pregnancy however, in later pregnancies since the antibodies are always in the body if the woman with Rh-negative blood carries additional children with Rh-positive blood a problem is likely to occur.

(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2014, and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2013, paraphrased) II The Condition When the woman with Rh-negative blood is pregnant with a child with Rh-positive blood the Rh antibodies may cross the placenta and the result is that they launch an attack n the red blood cells of the unborn child resulting in a condition known as hemolytic anemia in the child.

Hemolytic anemia is a condition which involves the baby's red blood cells being destroyed more quickly than the baby's body is able to replace them. This is a condition that may be fatal to the unborn child. (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2014, and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2013, paraphrased) III. Treatment Treatment involves proper prenatal screening and care and may involve the mother receiving injections of Rh immune globulin that prevent the mother's body from creating Rh antibodies.

(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2014, paraphrased) According to the Merck Manual, the precautionary measures are taken to giving women with Rh-negative blood an injection of "Rh antibodies at 28 weeks of pregnancy and within 72 hours after delivery of a baby who has Rh-positive blood, even after a miscarriage or abortion." (2014, p.

1) In addition, an injection is given following any occurrence of "vaginal bleeding and after amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling." (Merck Manual, 2014, p.1) In the event the fetus is diagnosed with anemia, "the fetus is given a blood transfusion before birth by a specialist at a center that specializes in high-risk pregnancies." (Merck Manual, 2014, p. 1) Further, it is reported that the.