PKU/blood typing/rhogam questions

[Amila]

I will obviously ask my midwife these questions, but what is generally done about this at a homebirth? We would like to get the PKU. Do I have to order a kit, or can that wait until the visit to our family doctor to do the heelprick?(we dont see a ped).

Can the midwife type the baby's blood to see if I need Rhogam? And if so do I order a blood typing kit and/or the Rhogam, or does she? Or would we have to go to a lab? I do believe we have a 72 hour window...

Thanks!

[annethcz]

Most midwives do have a lab they can send blood samples to if you'd like to be tested for something in particular.

As for the PKU, we had this done when we took our babies to their first visit to the pediatrician when they were a few weeks old.

[Peony]

Nice long post and busy server ate it. :


Every MW does something different, you'll have to check with your's. Mine does not type the blood or do PKU's but she will order Rhogam if you want it. The client is responsible for paying for it regardless of what the baby's blood type is.

I bought my own kit at a HFS to test the baby's cordblood even though I do not use Rhogam, I was just curious. I waited so long to cut DD's cord that there was no blood left in it, I wasn't going to poke a NB since I won't use Rhogam regardless of the bloodtype. We ended up finding out DD2's type several weeks later during one of her hospitalizations.

[ZoeyZoo]

It really depends on the midwife and your state. Some midwives have trouble getting access to labs and such; others don't. With mine she can do blood typing and rhogram if you want. She can also do the PKU. I know many people wait and take the baby to a doctor of some type for it too. Others never take their baby to a doctor unless something isn't right.

I plan on doing a PKU but will probably take the baby into a doctor because I want to do the hearing test too. I don't know how experienced my mw is with other common newborn procedures besides a basic check up, eye goop, vit K, and PKU.

[nashvillemidwife]

Amila, that is totally dependent on your midwife and any restrictions where she lives. Here I can do it all, have full access to all labs and medications I need. In other places midwives can't do anything but refer you somewhere else for anything other than routine checkups and delivering the baby.

[Oliver'sMom]

Originally Posted by nashvillemidwife

Amila, that is totally dependent on your midwife and any restrictions where she lives. Here I can do it all, have full access to all labs and medications I need. In other places midwives can't do anything but refer you somewhere else for anything other than routine checkups and delivering the baby.

:

our midwife did the PKU at home when ollie was a couple of days old. I had to order the rhogam myself through my ob and my mom administered it (she's a doc).

[hapersmion]

Originally Posted by Amila

I will obviously ask my midwife these questions, but what is generally done about this at a homebirth? We would like to get the PKU. Do I have to order a kit, or can that wait until the visit to our family doctor to do the heelprick?(we dont see a ped).

Can the midwife type the baby's blood to see if I need Rhogam? And if so do I order a blood typing kit and/or the Rhogam, or does she? Or would we have to go to a lab? I do believe we have a 72 hour window...

Thanks!

My midwives were able to do all that. We did have to pay separately for the Rhogam, and maybe for the PKU as well.

Don't know if you were planning to get the prenatal rhogam dose or just the postnatal one, but just FYI, here's an interesting thread on the prenatal dose and some tests you can run to see if you actually need it:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...46#post9153046