could this baby been saved???

[jenny s.]

I am Rh-negative. I was told at 19 wks that i would get a rhogam shot at 28 wks. At 24 weeks i went in for a sonogram and asked to know the baby sex and the doctor informed me that i had to be sent to the hospital because there was no amniotic fluid around the baby. There was a heart beat and no leaking of any fluids. they said the baby was also under weight & the size of a 18wk fetus.I was a inpatient for 4 days disccharged with no special medical directions only was told to come in for prenatal every week. No doctors gave diagnose of what would be done. Two weeks after discharge when i went in for sonogram there was no heart beat. They induced labor, baby was born 16oz;10" long. There was a autopsy performed. Report stated  "maternal blood exchange" . No other explaination was given. Could anything been done to save this baby? Are there resources to help us give peace of mind to this?

[gonza]

First of all, I am so sorry for your loss.  There are no words to make you feel better.  I will pray for you and yours. I do not know anything about medicine and I cannot help you with any information.  I just want you to know you are in my prayers.

[trixie charles]

I also am RH neg and had a miscarriage bc of it.  Did they give you the shot after delivery if they found fetal blood mixed with yours?  They did for me to get my antibodies down for the next pregnancy, so far so good this time around.  I am very sorry for your loss, sometimes there are circumstances beyond our control that can lead to these problems. Were they watching your antibody levels all along or was this something that caught the doctors by surprise as well?  Did anyone take the time to explain what being RH negative means while pregnant?  What that means is that if you are RH neg and the baby is positive and there is blood exchange your body sees the baby as a foreign body that does not belong and starts to attack it as though it is a virus.  There was no hope for us last time either the only difference is my body naturally aborted where you had to be done for you.  Best of luck next time and don't be discouraged chances are now that they know this is a problem they can take precautionary steps to prevent it from happening again.

[Emma1]

I am also Rh -, but this was determined before I was pregnant. It sounds like the babies blood mixed with yours and it began to fight it off, like it was something foreign. That's what happens with Rh - mommies and positive babies.What happened with me, is that with my first daughter I was given a Rogham shot mid way through my pregnancy, and then again after I had her. I'm sorry you had to go through this. I lost one at 16 weeks (not due to Rh - ), but make sure that you did receive a Rhogam shot b/c it could affect your next pregnancy. Again, I am so sorry about what happened.

[kittycarial]

I'm so sorry about your loss.  Have you tried contacting your doctor or the hospital to get some answers?  Maybe they can suggest steps you can take to protect your baby for the next time you get pregnant.  Good luck in the future.

[Myah's Mom]

I am so, so sorry for your loss. This must be a very hard time for you, and it is very brave of you to start looking for answers. Although I know little about rh- factor, I do know there is not a thing in the world that could be done, or that can change your loss. On a positive note, at least now they know how to care for the next pregnancy. I would definitely suggest finding a caregiver you believe in who will explain these things to you.
You are in my prayers.....

[carolyn55806]

I am so sorry. I am also Rh negative and with all of pregnancies I have received two shots. I would definately look into more about this and figure out what happened and why nobody seemd to want to give you info. Did you have ANY spotting at ANY point int he pregnancy?

[firsttimearound]

First of all let me say I am so sorry for the lost of you baby; even those words dont seem like nearly enough. I'll try to answer your question, but it has been a while since I learned about this stuff. Normally, the  baby's blood and mothers blood never mix (regardless of the RH factor) until the baby is born due to trauma to all of the tissues/passing through the birth canal, etc. The baby has its own blood supply and often blood type (that can be different from the mother's)but they are kept separate by the placenta. In fact, normally the placenta is such a good barrier that even babies whose mothers have HIV/AIDs are protected from the virus (most of them contract it due to exposure to maternal fluids when they are born.)For this reason, women with RH problems usually don't have any complications with the first baby, because it is not until the blood mixes at birth that the immune response is triggered. However, with subsequent pregnancies, the immune response has to be suppressed because it will be much, much greater the next time (just the way our bodies work). So, (especially if this baby was your first)my guess would be that there was more at play than just not having the shot sooner. Its nobodies fault. Especially not yours.