Rh Factor

[txlaura]

My mother was a "Blue Baby" and had to have a transfusion due to the Rh Factor.  She also ended up back in the hospital with pneumonia shortly after birth.  

I was wondering what kind of long term effects there are on someone and if they might have heart problems later in life? Also, is the Rh Factor inheritable?  

She was born in 1946.  I know that she was slower to learn such as reading etc when she was a child but I never knew this until she died in 2003 according to her sisters (meaning I never saw any signs of her being slow to learn).  I have read that this can cause mental retardation just according to how bad/long the baby was subjected to this in utero.  Maybe someone could direct me to an information source that might be more informative.  All of the ones that I find are what happens in today's time not the past.
Thanks in advance for any response.

[Skylynns_mom]

If it makes you feel better my blood type is A- and with my first pregnancy I had to have the rogam shot to prevent this from happening I am now 11 weeks pregnant and when i asked my doctor she said that I would have to have the shot with every pregnancy.  My daughter is healthy and I think that as long as you get the shots if you have this then you will be fine.

[clumsycole]

I am Rh Negative and there are many informative sites online to help you learn more about the consequences.  It is, indeed, inheritable but depends on your father's blood type.  You might want to get your blood type checked out to learn if you too are Rh Negative.  Since the 70' the Rh factor has been addressed by the medical community and rarely results in problems throughout pregnancy (at least, according to my doctor).

I couldn't find much regarding a connection between rh factor and heart problems later in life.  Perhaps you want to research the effects of Hemolytic Disease and pneumonia on a newborn.

Here's a brief overview of what I know and of what I'm sure you have already found online:
The body normally produces substances (antibodies) to any foreign material that invades the body.
During pregnancy and at birth some of the baby's blood cells can enter the mother's blood stream . If the mother is RH- and the baby is RH + , the baby's cells entering the mother's blood stream are sensed as a foreign material and her body's naturally occurring defense mechanism will start to produce antibodies to destroy this foreign material.
Once these antibodies are developed they remain in the blood stream for life.
During pregnancy these antibodies in your blood stream will enter the blood stream of your baby and will begin to attack and destroy your baby's blood cells . This causes a serious life threatening disease called Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn.
It is a condition in which the baby's blood cells are being destroyed, before birth. It is life threatening and extensive medical care including exchange blood transfusions may be required. Exchange blood transfusion is a process of removing the baby's blood and replacing it with blood cells which will survive.These exchange transfusions may occur during pregnancy and after birth depending on the condition of the baby.
At birth the baby may have jaundice, anemia, central nervous system and brain cell damage.
The risk of Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn is slight with the first pregnancy but increases with each pregnancy.
Can This Disease be Prevented ?
YES! There is a simple method that can help to prevent this disease from occurring in your baby - an injection of Rh Immune Globulin given to the mother during pregnancy and following the birth .
Rh Immune Globulin is a specially prepared substance which will destroy Rh + blood cells and prevent antibodies from forming in the mother's blood stream.
It is given close to 28 weeks of the pregnancy and again within seventy-two hours following the birth of an Rh + baby to an Rh- mother