If you're a woman and your blood group is negative, READ THIS!

If a woman is Rhesus negative (her blood group has a negative sign, eg O-) and she gets pregnant for a man who is Rh positive, she could get exposed to positive cells of the baby either during an abortion or delivery


If a woman is Rh-negative and her baby is Rh-positive, the woman’s body will approach the Rh-positive protein as foreign. This means that if blood cells from your baby cross your bloodstream, which can happen during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, or during an abortion.

Your immune system will make antibodies against your baby’s blood cells, your antibodies protect you from foreign bodies including infections. Once you have made these antibodies we say you are "sensitized" Your body might send these antibodies to attack your baby's blood cells. When your antibodies attack your baby’s red blood cells, it destroys them, leading to hemolysis

When your baby’s healthy red blood cells are destroyed, bilirubin will build up in their bloodstream

Bilirubin in excess is harmful to the baby especially the brain. The baby who is affected by this, would usually have:

Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes
May be limp: because of the low muscle tone
May not suckle well
Blood levels will be low
The baby could die shortly after birth, if the effects are massive

Who does this concern the most?

It concerns any woman who is Rh-negative and is having a child with someone who is Rh-positive or unknown, So she may have been pregnant in the past, but seeing these symptoms when she's having children now. It takes time for your body to develop antibodies, so firstborn children usually aren’t affected.

However, if a mother became sensitized because of a miscarriage or abortion in the past,
Her first live birth may be affected by this Rhesus incompatibility.