Should My OB Have Caught This?

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ABSOLUTELY! They didn't do an Rh test? That usually tests for the + or - but it would also test for blood type. I can't believe they didn't catch this.

I had a baby in March who had what the doctors described as an ABO Incompatibility, which is what it sounds like you experienced.

There are three main blood types, including types A, B, and O. Since babies inherit their blood type from each parent, it is possible for a mother and baby to have different blood types. For example, a mother who is type O and a father who is type A could have a baby who is type A.

With an ABO incompatibility, a mother makes antibodies against her baby's blood type. It doesn't happen if the mother and baby have the same blood type or if the baby is type O, since in that case, there is usually nothing to make antibodies against.

These antibodies, if the mother is type O, can cross the placenta and can break down the baby's red blood cells after she is born, leading to jaundice and anemia. This condition is called Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn or erythroblastosis fetalis, and it can also be caused by having an Rh incompatibility between a baby and mother.

If a mother is type A or B and the baby has a different blood type other than type O, she can still make antibodies against the baby's red blood cells. These antibodies are too large to cross the placenta though, and so don't usually lead to any problems.

Although many children with an ABO incompatibility do not need any treatment at all, some do require extensive phototherapy if the baby is very jaundiced. This is usually continued until the mother's antibodies are cleared from the baby's body, which happens on its own after a few days.

An ABO incompatibility that leads to jaundice, anemia, and the need for transfusions can definitely happen if the mother is type O and the baby is either type A or B. I am O-, my son is A+.

My OB gave me a Rhogam shot while I was pregnant, but that doesn't address the ABO issue, only the difference in Rh factor. As far as I know, there isn't anything your OB should have done.

If you were seeing your doctor regularly from the beginning of your pregnancy you should have been having your blood tested, and the Rh incompatibility should have been found.

Blood type differences between mother and child are not a problem. Rh factor differences can be a problem for any pregnancy after the first. If the Rh factor (negative or positive) is different between you and the baby, this is a serious condition that should have been addressed early in your pregnancy.

Here is some reliable information on this: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/rh-factor/MY01163

If you are a NEGATIVE and your husband is POSITIVE - it's an issue....

IF you have had the same OB for all of your pregnancies, this is something they should have already known and you should have already been treated/sensitized for.

RH is the Rhesus factor - the positive and negative of your blood - not the O, A, B, etc..just the positive and negative. You should know your blood type - sorry - that may sound rude - but you should know your blood type...

You are considered AT RISK when you have a negative Rh factor and your spouse/partner a positive Rh factor. This combination can produce a child who is Rh positive.

While your blood and the baby's blood systems are separate - there are times when the blood from the baby can enter into the mother's system. This can cause the mother to create antibodies against the Rh factor, thus treating an Rh positive baby like an intruder in her body. If this happens the mother is said to be sensitized...

You need to find out WHY they kept him in the NICU and what they were testing him for - find out what they were searching for and treating him for...this will be important as you move forward with your pediatrician.

If I repeat something... sorry.

Only way this would make an issue is if YOU are O-... if you are O+ it doesn't matter what your husband or child is.

If you happen to be O- and child was ANYTHING + then you'd need a Rhogam shot during pregnancy and again after the birth. This is to ensure any other pregnancies with a child of + blood is not attacked by the woman's body.

If this is the case... yes, your OB should have caught that in your basic history session when they ask you your blood type.

Well, it depends on what type of incompatibility it is.
Rhesus incompatibility prophylaxis is part of prenatal care and your OB should have caught that early on.

There are other types of incompatibility that cause Neonatal Hemolytic Disease and they are rare and not part of normal testing. ABO incompatibility is one of them. It is not common, but not unheard of.
You should DEFINITELY go back to your doctor OR to another doctor and have them explain what happened to you, since it may mean an increased risk for any future pregnancies.
Good luck!

yes!!!! are you rh negative???? if so you should have been given a shot during all 3 pregnancies. i am A- and all 3 of my kids are O+. the Rogam shot would have been given.

did you not have your other 2 children tested at the hospital? my children all had to be tested because of my blood type. from the first one i had. had they not been positive i would not have had to have the shot at the end of the pregnancies. i would be complaining about all the obs you used for all the pregnancies

Yes, you should've been tested, and most likely, this would've been prevented. It needs to be addressed with your OB for sure. Good luck

sry you are dealing with this...yes basically your body was treating your son as a parasite and fighting him and his blood. Now if you doctor at any point in time was giving the word that your husband was NOT a rh + blood type then they would not have treated you for RH negative compatability becuase it would not have been an issue. I have had three OB's in three different states and for all of them this is one of the first things they check for this is a very known issue that is NOT rare, so my guess is that somehow they recieved info that your husband was RH- even though he was not! That is my best guess. Now if he made it full term without having any seen issues via U/S or size measuring, or heartbeat while pregnant my guess is he is goign to be just fine in the long run. It is VERY inportant for you to know from now on that you have a risk with any further pregnancies on this same issue and much higher now that you body has already produced these antibodies the rhogam shot is given to trick your body into thinking it has already created the antibodies so it does not make them...in your case the body has already made then and is now going to have them for a few years to come. I think it is something like three years that you body will keep them around. Anyhow the doctors know better then me but this is something that you need to knowledge yourself on to be your own advocate. Best of luck and congrats. I have had three babies just fine with the compatability issue and had some major scares with my first but all is well know.

If you were O- versus B+ and had the Rh factor, then your OB should have caught that in early bloodwork and given you Rhogam if you accepted the Rhogam. Some women don't accept the shot, so you need to think about whether the Rhogam was even offered to you or not and have your OB's office staff check your file to see if the test was run, what the result was, etc.

This is very complicated though and it's something you need to get more details on, speak with the hospital staff about AND your OB AND a specialist.

Yes. If you're a negative blood type and your husband is positive then yes you would have needed to receive a Rhogam shot as a preventative measure. This is because there is a risk of the baby having a positive blood type, meaning he is positive for the Rhesus factor and you are not. Talk to your OB to find out exactly what happened. This is something you may need to keep in mind for future pregnancies.

Yes.
I had opposite problem. My blood was mistyped and they gave me the shot (when I did not need it.) Thankfully, it had no harmful effects.

Are you O negative? I'm O negative and my hubby and kids are all positive. I get the rhogam shot. Your first kid would be okay the others after that would probably not survive or be really sick. and yes they should have caught this. Is it a platelet incompatability? I have that issue too and your OB will not be able to test for that until after you have your first baby with low platelets and transfusiions don't help. I got IVIG treatments with my other pregnancies and their platelet counts were fine because of the treatments. It's for the platelets which is a little different but similar. PM me if this is the case...

bridgett b had the most complete answer. If you are an o blood type and your husband is a b blood type, then you may have had ABO incompatibility. There is no way to prevent this that I know of. If you are o- and your husband is b+ and you did not receive the rhogam shot then it may have been rhesus incompatibilty. That should have been prevented, all women who are rhesus negative are supposed to get the rhogam shot at about 28 weeks pregnant unless the fathers blood type has been confirmed rhesus negative as well. In either case the womans body treats the babies blood as an intruder to be fought off. And apparently rhesus is an antigen that you either have or don't have on the surface of your red blood cells.

I urge you to discuss this with your ob/gyn. You need to know so that this doesn't happen again or just for your own peace of mind.