Rhogam Advice

I really don't think there is anything to worry about. My mom had the shot with her last three pregnancies. My brothers and sister are 34 years old, 29 years old, and 24 years old and they are all healthy.

hi A. this is L. i also have o- blood type and it is very rare and you will get used to it you will have to take the shot until you have the baby but never forget to take your shot you could have problems with the baby but i do not know how it will work out for me now if i will have to take the shot again because my husband and i have the same blood type so this time around i might me save

I am A- and my husband is A+ so I, too had to have the Rhogam shots. I have three healthy daughters ages 4, 7 and 9. Fortunately for them, they are all A+. I never had any negative side effects. I have three friends that got sensitized (exposed to + blood) before they got Rhogam shots either in blood transfusions or having a miscarriage before they knew they were pregnant. The consequences are terrible. Two of my friends have had numerous miscarriages with babies that were + and could only carry the - babies to term. One friend had her baby prematurely and she had to live at children's hospital for a while and receive blood transfusions. It was very scary. Trust me, you don't want to go through that. Happy gestating!

I had to have the rhogam shot 2 years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter. I hadn't heard or read of any of the negative side effects so I wasn't too worried about that aspect of it. During my pregnancy I did find out that my body was actually creating antibodies which is what the rhogam will protect your baby from. Basically my antibodies were attacking my daughters red blood cells. There can be many frightening outcomes due to the antibodies. After many visits to a perinatologist and many, many tests my daughter was born perfectly healthy. But, knowing what could happen with your baby if your body started producing antibodies is reason enough to go ahead with the shot. From week 28 on I was at the doctors office weekly and at any time they could have had to do a blood transfusion through the umbilical cord to could've had to take the baby prematurely. I was pretty stressed out with all the possibilities. The rhogam can protect your baby from your blood attacking hers. Talk to your doctor a little more about it and ask all of your questions but I definitely think that taking the rhogam is the best protection for your baby. Best wishes and sorry for my rambling. It's late for me and my thoughts are a bit scattered.

My mom had a miscarriage between my sister and myself, they did not give her the shot after the miscarriage (they do it different now), I was in the hospital for 3 days after I was born and was scheduled to have a blood transfusion-thankfully things turned around and I did not have to have one. I haven't done research on it myself as I am A+, I was also told you don't have to worry about it with your first child?? God bless, hope this sheds some light on the consequesces you could have if you dont get the shots.

I had the rhogam shots with my pregnancy, and I did not have any problems and neither did my twins. I would consider the severity of problems that can occur if you do not get the rhogam shot...for me, benefits to the health of my babies outweighed the cons.

Hey A.,
I have to have the RhoGam shots too, and I didn't know they could be harmful. But I do know that they are pretty necessary to your 2nd and so on kids. My guess is the benefits of having it outweighs the risk of not having it.
Good luck, try not to worry!
W.

I had to Rhogam shot 13 years ago since I am A- and my husband 0+...and I had no ill effects...I would imagine that the odds of bad things happening would be much greater if you chose NOT to have the shot (there are no guarantees in life as we all know)...just try not to over think stuff...millions of women have been pregnant and have had the shot...no big deal...move on

A.,

PLEASE do not worry about this issue. :) Both of my grandmothers had the shot and my mom AND dad were born perfectly healthy. I, too, had the shot before my kids were born as did a friend of mine-all of our kids are great and no one suffered any reaction (We have 6 kids between us!) Hope this helps!

K.

Mom had to have the shot. She had 3 children and we all turned out 'OK'. Please don't worry. You need to do what your doctor recommends. Worry will harm your baby more than taking the shot.

One of the horrible things about pregnancy is we are so worried about our babies (as we should be) that we go searching for information to make us feel better about our choices. Unfortunately, the typical information shared is not good for us. People post (a LOT) when they are upset abot something... but people don't post much when things go right b/c they are enjoying their lives.

Nothing to worry about! I have had the shot for all three of my pregnancies and my kids are all healthy!

Unless you know a better way to get the same results that Rhogam offers, it's highly recommended you take it. If you don't you run the risk of suffering a miscarriage with your next pregnancy. May God Bless you to make the right decision.

A.,
Unfortunately, there are no "to do or not to do's" about this one sweetie. I am also RH Neg. If your bloodtype is not compatible with hubby, the shot is necessary. Without it you will have a misscarriage. I have tried this and have had 6 heartwrenching misscarriages. Please don't put yourself and your baby in harms way. This baby and others to follow deserve a chance at life. Afterall, it is your most precious gift you can give.

I am on my 5th child and also have to have rhogam shots. You will have it at 28 weeks and also after the baby is born. This is to prevent birth defects and also possible miscarriage. (which I experienced before we knew I was - and my hubby +. My children are all healthy and so am I. As far as Mercury. I hate to guess how much mercury is in other things we consume on a daily basis.

Hi A.. I can tell you that I am O- and my husband is A+. I have received Rhogam with each of my pregnancies and have 5 beautiful children from 19 to 5 months. We have never had any problem from the Rhogam. I am also a nurse, and I can't say certainly about the mercury level in Rhogam, but I know the mercury in vaccines that people are saying such bad things about is actually lower than the mercury we get from every day foods we eat. In any case, if there's any chance you will ever have more children, you have no choice about the Rhogam. I'm sure you have read what could happen to you and your future babies if you do not get the shot now. Congratulations on your pregnancy!

I had rhogam shots with all 3 of my perfectly healthy babies. As a nurse who has seen first-hand babies being attacked by their mother's antibodies, please believe that it is much safer to receive the rhogam. Good luck!

A.,

I also am O- blood type and my husband B+. I had my Rhogam shots as needed throughout the pregnancy. I also had to have one after my son was born while in the hospital. My son had B+ blood type as well so in order to protect me after he was delivered I had to have a final shot. My son and I are perfectly healthy. If I had not had these shots my body would have seen my pregnancy as an infection and tried to destroy the pregnancy. These shots are extremely important.

I had to have Rhogam shots with all my kids, and again after they were born. They are all happy healthy children now. I think its great that you are trying to educate yourself on the Rhogam shot. I also know how doctors don't always calm your fears very well. But really you have to remember you can't go by everying you read. Most of the cases you are reading about are 1 in 5 million chances of that happening to you and your baby. Most important thing is you need to relax and talk to your doctor on your next visit. Enjoy your pergnancy treasure this time and enjoy every move and kick. Good Luck

A.

Hi A.,

I had Rhogam injections when I was pregnant with my daughter. I am RH negative and she is RH positive. I would ignore the stuff you read on the internet. I am a firm believer in Rhogam as an alternative to blood transfusions, which was the only method of the mother not rejecting the fetus when I was born in 1969.

My daughter was and is just fine, and my husband actually carries a gene for Cerebral Palsy and Autism. When I received Rhogam injections 15 years ago, there was no internet for us to look it up and become frightened (well, we didn't have access to it--lol). Although I think it is wise to be well-informed, I also believe that sometimes we just have to trust that what the doctor says is best. :)

I was very pleased with Rhogam, and never had side effects. I have never been affected by it and my daughter has never had any medical problems. I hope this was helpful!

A.

I'm not a health professional, so this is just what I remember the doctors telling me...I've never heard of any of the scary stuff about Rhogam, like it containing mercury or that it could harm your baby, so I didn't think twice about getting it. But I do know that if you DON'T get the shot your baby CAN be harmed if her blood type isn't O-, and it is much more likely that your baby's blood type will be A+. Without Rhogam your antibodies will view the fetus as an invader and start attacking the baby's blood cells. Anyway, I'm O- and my husband is A+ and I had no problems after getting the Rhogam shot, and my daughter is in perfect health. I would ask your doctor about any risks of Rhogam, because I haven't heard anything before about it.

Rhogam is very important if you ever want to have another child, especially if your husband has A+. Since your body does not have the markers, if you baby does have your husbands blood type, there may be a positive "coombs" result. A positive coombs can cause future miscarriages if you develop an antibody. Also, it can affect your current pregnancy. This site has great information.

http://www.rhogam.com/Patient/WhatRhNegativeMeans/Pages/d...

I have not heard a single thing about mercury in the rhogam affecting the baby. Go under the frequently asked questions.

I don't know about harmful side effects, all I know is that the benefits out way the issues. All I can tell you is that I have had the shot 3 times with all three of my kids and I have had no side effects or problems with any of my healthy 26, 25 and 7 year old children. I am A-, plus I was 40 years old with the last one. Don't worry about everything, enjoy this time even with all of the weight gain, aches and pains it was well worth it and I would do it again if I could.
Good luck and Congratulations on your first born.