Being RH-

i am rh-
i had no idea until i got pregnant
i thought i was o+
that's what my mom and sisters are
i don't know about my dad but he must be rh- since i had to have got this from him
so here i am with a rarer blood type
my husband is o+
and against medical advice i only had my rhogam shot (winrho) after cal's birth as i didn't want blood products preserved in chemicals exposed to my unborn baby unless it was absolutely necessary
my midwife was ok with it, but i was chided by an obstetrician - oh so you don't believe in diabetes or the flu?
...how insulting when receiving the shot during pregnancy means only a slight reduction in the risk of sensitization!

so here is the deal on being rh-

the problem during pregnancy is if a woman is rh- and carries an rh+ child - this is what ended up being the case for me as i learned post labour - when i received my first, and only winrho shot.

if fetal blood mixes with the mother's blood either before or during delivery the mother will produce antibodies that will essentially work to terminate any future pregnancies that have a + baby. you reduce your chances with the shot, but i just don't see how it is warranted during pregnancy unless you have bleeding. i had my blood tested every week from week 27 onwards to make sure i didn't develop a sensitivity - this was a risk i was comfortable with and am so glad i took now.

if you develop rh sensitivity any future baby will probably need an in utero blood transfusion and another one once they are born. yes - another thing i had to be concerned about during pregnancy...

i wanted to know more about rh- people once i discovered i was one of them, and came across this interesting list - am bolding the ones that so far seem to relate to me ;) (from http://groups.msn.com/StarChildren/rhnegativeblood.msnw)

"There are certain similairites that occur to those having rh negative blood - according to some who have it there are common patterns found, which include the following:
1. predominance of green or hazel eyes that change color like a chameleon, but also blue eyes
2. true red or reddish hair
3. low pulse rate
4. low blood pressure
5. keen sight or hearing
6. ESP
7. extra rib or vertabrae
8. UFO connections
9. love of space and science
10. a sense of not belonging to the human race
11. piercing eyes
12. para-normal occurrences
13. physic dreams
14. truth seekers
15. desire for higher wisdom
16. empathetic illnesses
17. deep compassion for fate of mankind
18. a sense of a 'mission' in life
19. physic abilities
20. unexplained scars on body
21. capability to disrupt electrical appliances
22. alien contacts"
- and a few in there are kind-ofs -- i can't disrupt electrical appliances but the weirdest thing is after wearing a watch for a few weeks they always break unless they are digital - have had 8 watches that happened with in the past 5yrs