Rh- ?

[aeterna]

I'm Rh- and DH.... doesn't know his blood type. >.<

(HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW YOUR BLOOD TYPE?! I've been poking him about this for YEARS. Argh. Anyway.)

His mom doesn't know it. It's not on his birth certificate. He's never had surgery, he's needle-phobic so he's never donated blood, and although he's given many many blood samples to our family doctor, when I asked them about it they said "Oh, we just run the labs, we don't type the blood because that test is too expensive."

........................

So, now what? I'll ask my OB when I go for my first official pregnancy visit, but I've been curious about this and haven't found much to sate my curiosity online. We were told the Red Cross would type his blood for him, and he'd suck up a donation to know, but further research indicates it can be months before they get that back to you, and sometimes they don't at all. So will my OB order a test for him? or will I just end up getting the shot "just in case"?

My concern is that I had an abortion 10 years ago, and I don't know what the father's blood type was, but I don't remember getting a shot to prevent sensitization. Will that make a difference to whether/when my doc might consider Rhogam?

Just curious if any mamas here have any experience on the matter. =)

[Virginia884]

Don't know if this will help you or not, but my midwife did a test for my DH to determine his blood type. They just pricked his finger and it took 4 drops of blood on 4 little circles on this card. The way the blood pooled on the card showed his blood type. I don't know if this is something you can buy for yourself, but it's worth a shot!

ETA- Here is something similar! HTH! http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Type-Kit-Eldoncard-micropipette/dp/B000FSOCR4

[Blanca78]

He could also just go to his regular family doctor and they should be able to do it. If he's had blood drawn for anything they might even have it on record already.

My MIL was pretty sure DH was positive and his doctor didn't have a record so I went ahead and got the shot--it wasn't bad, though it was one of the more painful ones I've ever gotten. My butt was sore for a couple days.

[rareimer]

i'm Rh-, and my doctor gave me the shot without knowing what ex-dh's blood type was.  turns out he was A+, so it was a good thing.   i had a miscarriage by an ex-bf, and without having any idea what his blood type was, they gave me Rhogam at that time as well.  this time, my BF doesn't know his blood type either (!) and i imagine they will give me the shot regardless.  this is in  Canada, mind you, and they don't generally do extra tests unless they have to.  i would get him to talk to his doctor, i would imagine it's a pretty easy test to do.

[Jaimee]

You can purchase a blood typing kit called an Eldon Card- they aren't very expensive and they are easy to use.  But it has been my experience that my care providers don't even ask dh's type and give me rhogam b/c I am negative.  Most people are positive so I guess that makes some sense.  You'll be offered it at 28ish weeks and within 72 hours of birth if the baby is positive.  Rhogam lasts about 12 weeks.

These shots protect future pregnancies so I would be shocked if you did not receive one with your abortion- it is standard procedure.  If you didn't and became sensitized from the abortion then this baby could be affected (require a blood transfusion).  Sensitization is permanent so a shot now will not help this pregnancy.  I would definitely talk to your doctor about this and request your medical records from your abortion to double check about the Rhogam.

[tank]

I didn't know my blood type until last week when I got my blood draw.  I am negative.  I had a m/c in Dec and I have been worried since then if I was negative because I had it at home and didn't check my blood type to get the shot.  My midwife said she automaticly checks for the antibodies and I am safe.  I'd imagine that is standard practice.

My partner also doesn't know his blood type.  I don't see that as weird as I never had a reason to know mine before now either.  I will probably get the shot anyway because I guess it could take a while to get results back from the red cross.

[aeterna]

Is there a way test to see if I've been sensitized? ...testing for antibodies? My abortion was 10 years ago, I will certainly give the clinic a try to see if they still have my records, but I don't know that they'd have kept them past 7 years. And besides being 10 years ago, it was a fairly unpleasant experience overall - so while I don't remember everything (twilight sedative), I remember quite a bit (thanks for having that experience forever burned into my memory), and I definitely don't remember a shot.

Might just see if my OB can type him. I did already try our family doctor and they claim they don't have that information in his file.

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by aeterna 

Is there a way test to see if I've been sensitized? ...testing for antibodies?

Yes, they can check for antibodies, which should be done automatically as this very important information at this point.  I've read that only 17% of Rh- women exposed develop sensitivity.  Good luck, hopefully all is fine!

[erigeron]

I didn't know my blood type until the beginning of this pregnancy, either, so I can understand your husband never finding out. It just never came up for some reason. Hubby does know his, but he's a regular Red Cross donor. Sorry, semi-pointless comment. I hope you can get something worked out.

[hildare]

try not to stress.  they can check for antibodies.  make sure they know that they should. 

also, i'd like to point out, there's a possibility that your current baby has the same blood type as you..  i am A- and my dd has the same blood type!  I've had more rounds of the rhogam in the past than i'd care to contemplate, though.  AND dh didn't know his blood type either.  we speculated based on his parents' (if you know that your dr can figure it out possibly or you can look it up online) but i'll go your dh one further.  my dh has donated blood in the past, he just didn't remember or have the card...   they didn't seem to retain a record or have anyone to look it up at the redcross either, don't know if they actually keep all those records or not.  at any rate, my own ob offered to either test him or offered the shot.  i just opted for the shot b/c it's a really low percentage of the population that has a negative type and it's not really a super risky shot (IMO).  don't know why i didn't just make him get the test at this point, though.  pregnancy tends to make me not think so clearly. 

[KittyKat]

It is SO not a big deal to check your DH's blood type.

My DH didn't know his when we married, and when I got pregnant I INSISTED he go with me and get his blood typed when I got my prenatal workup. The same clinic did his blood draw and mine, not even so much as a raised eyebrow.

His blood type is A- and mine is B-.

All our kids are of course negative as well (it's genetically impossible for two rh- people to produce a baby with rh+ blood).

I did get rhogam during my second pregnancy. The OB actually lied to me and said it was a 99% chance our baby would be negative, but they want to cover that 1% chance. What I didn't realize at the time was that she MEANT "We don't know whether you've been cheating on your husband, so we want you to have this shot because we don't trust you." I also didn't realize I had a legal right to tell her to stick it in her ear, and IF the baby had RH+ blood at birth (biologically IMPOSSIBLE) I could get the shot then.

My current care provider has told me they do believe me that my DH is A-, they prefer to have some type of medical record of this. I don't have a piece of official paper with this info on it, but even so they have absolutely no problem with me declining the 28 week shot and typing the baby's blood after birth.

Rhogam IS a human blood product, and while the risk of taking it is low, and the benefit vastly outweighs the risk for a RH- mother with a RH+ baby, it still does have risk. If your DH has RH- blood, exposure to that risk without any benefit doesn't really make sense, KWIM?

[LLtheTinkerbell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KittyKat 

I did get rhogam during my second pregnancy. The OB actually lied to me and said it was a 99% chance our baby would be negative, but they want to cover that 1% chance. What I didn't realize at the time was that she MEANT "We don't know whether you've been cheating on your husband, so we want you to have this shot because we don't trust you." I also didn't realize I had a legal right to tell her to stick it in her ear, and IF the baby had RH+ blood at birth (biologically IMPOSSIBLE) I could get the shot then.

Yes this makes me so mad! Trust the test and not the MOTHER. Argh.

I am negative, my partner is positive. I declined the 28 week shot (I'm 33 weeks tomorrow). We will test the baby at birth, and if the baby's positive (approx 85% chance I think?) I will get the shot w/in the 72 hours. If negative, hooray, no shot. Barring any physical trauma before the birth that may increase the risk of transfer, I'd rather not take any shots, pills, or do any interventions "just in case" if things can be remedied after the baby is outside of my body.   

 

[aeterna]

Well if it makes anybody feel any better, they wouldn't believe me that I knew my own blood type, either. Insisted on typing it to be sure, since I didn't have any medical records proving it; that's fine. I asked them to type DH's, too, which they did although they're not certain my insurance will cover it (it's not terribly expensive so no biggie if they don't).

We actually just got back from that appointment. I think they gave me more hassle about adding a thyroid panel to my labs (I'm hypothyrodic) than they did about typing DH. xD

My OB is at least a straight shooter with me about the risks of things - like when he asked me if I wanted to get the HPV shot because I was in their target age range, and I asked if it was really sensible considering I was married, and he straight asked me "Well how certain are you that he isn't cheating on you and you aren't going to cheat on him?" I chuckled, and said I was pretty comfortable with the safety of our sexual practices. ;) So I don't think HE would push the shot on me if DH is Rh-, but I don't have as much faith in the rest of the practice (nurses etc). Either way if he's Rh- I will tell them to shove it. =)

Thanks ladies!

[KittyKat]

I'm glad you will get answers one way or the other on your blood types.

I hope he's RH negative, but if not, the shot isn't a big deal. It's usually given in your gluteus maximus, and it stings initially, and might ache for a little while after, a few hours at the most. I actually walked home from getting the shot at 28 weeks when we lived half a mile from the OB's office. It was really convenient having my OB that close, but I wouldn't choose a doctor based on them being close to my house again. Ugh.

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by aeterna 

Well if it makes anybody feel any better, they wouldn't believe me that I knew my own blood type, either. Insisted on typing it to be sure, since I didn't have any medical records proving it; that's fine. 

Me, too, but as it turned out, I DIDN'T know my blood type!  My mom had told me my whole life that I was A+.  I had never given blood b/c I was underweight, so I never found out that way and it had never been typed for anything else.  Well, turned out I was A-!  So I guess it's good that they check.

Originally Posted by KittyKat 
the shot isn't a big deal. It's usually given in your gluteus maximus, and it stings initially, and might ache for a little while after, a few hours at the most.

I got it in the butt the first two times and opted for the arm that last two times.  I have to say it hurt less in my arm than my butt.  I think it was b/c I use more arm more often- keeping the muscle moving to prevent the ache.  It is one of those stinging/aching shots like tetanus (though not as bad).
 

[aeterna]

DH is AB- ! No need for either worry or shot. And I, for one, am relieved to have that information in case of emergency, even if HE never saw the need. >.<

I guess that's why it shocked me - my mom knows all our blood types (mine was A-, as expected), just in case we ever got hurt and had to have an emergency transfusion. I know his social security number, his allergies and sensitivities, his major medical concerns - it always felt incomplete to NOT know his blood type, should I ever need that information.

Genetics are fascinating. But I'm glad that's one less thing to ever worry about. =)

[MamaofLiam]

Yay! That's great aeterna!  That's so nice to have one less thing to worry about.