My blood type is o- and my husband's is o+. I have an appointment with my doctor next week for something called a RH shot. Has anyone had any experience with this? Is it common?
RH is very common and I too required the shot. It is extremely important. If the baby you are carryings blood type is opposite of yours it could cause problems. The shot is no big deal, they give it to you in your behind and if the baby is the opposite blood type as you they will administer another shot to you just after birth. Good luck!
I had the RH shot--no big deal! They just gave it to me at one of my appointments: a quick shot in the thigh. I think the area was a little sore for a day or so, but no big deal at all.
Hey C.-I just had my first baby in Feb. and I had to have this RH shot as well. (I actually had it twice-they ordered it for me to soon and I had to have it again closer to the birth of my son.) The most inconvenient thing about it is the time it took. Part of that was drawing another sample of blood to double check that I did indeed have a negative blood type. I then got my shot in the arm and they made me wait there for about a half an hour just to make sure that I wasn't allergic to anything in the shot itself.
It is wonderful that you are so excited. Have a great time! Take care-and I hope this helped a bit!
Hi C.,
I have A- and needed an Rh shot for both my pregnancies - fathers were A+ for both children. I don't know that it's all that common, but it's nothing to worry about in my experience. I experienced no side-effects, and it's not a dangerous thing - in fact, it's a safety precaution.
The reason you need it is that your blood and the baby's may be incompatible. The antigens and antibodies from your blood would actually see the baby as an invader and you could start attacking the baby if there's mixing due to rupture of the uterus or other problems that are rare that could cause bleeding and mixing. If your blood mixes and it is incompatible, it could be devastating for you and/or the baby. The shot is to ensure that if that happens that both of you are safe.
It's a quick shot in the behind. ;-) I never worried much about it because it's precautionary; it rarely elevates into a problem, so the shot really is a "better safe than sorry" measure.
I've never heard of any ill effects for you or the baby, so relax and don't worry. It's a good thing to do for you and the baby. They should give you a card with info about the shot on it like lot # which is apparently important(like an immunization) after the shot. Keep it with you. The shot is usually good for about 12 weeks (which is why they give it around 28 weeks, so it lasts through the rest of the pregnancy).
L.
