ABO Incompatibility in Newborns
ABO incompatibility is a common and generally mild type of haemolytic disease in babies. The term haemolytic disease means that red blood cells are broken down more quickly than usual which can cause jaundice, anaemia and in very severe cases can cause death. During pregnancy, this breakdown of red blood cells in the baby may occur if the mother and baby’s blood types are incompatible and if these different blood types come into direct contact with each other and antibodies are formed.
Significant problems with ABO incompatibility occur mostly with babies whose mothers have O blood type and where the baby is either A or B blood type. Premature babies are much more likely to experience severe problems from ABO incompatibility, while healthy full term babies are generally only mildly affected. Unlike haemolytic disease that can result in subsequent babies when a mother has a negative blood group, ABO incompatibility can occur in first-born babies and does not become more severe in further pregnancies.
To help you understand ABO incompatibility, it is helpful to review the different blood groups. The genes you inherit from your parents determine your blood group. There are four blood types; A, B, AB and O. Each blood type has its own individual collection of chemicals on the blood cell surface known as antigens, so type A has the A antigen, B has the B antigen, AB has both antigens and O contains no antigen. If different blood types mix, an immune response occurs and the person will produce antibodies to attack the foreign blood antigen.
During pregnancy the mother’s and baby’s blood generally do not mix. The mothers and babies circulation is kept separate by the placental membrane. Oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, certain drugs and some viruses can pass through the placental membrane. However, some circumstances can cause the two blood types to mix, such as miscarriage, trauma and birth, and sometimes they may mix for reasons unknown. Antibodies against the foreign blood types A and B may be formed. These antibodies could then pass across the placental membrane into the baby’s circulation and may result in the destruction of some of the baby’s red blood cells. This destruction of red cells causes an increase in the production of bilirubin – a waste product. If too much bilirubin is produced, it can overwhelm the baby’s normal waste elimination processes and lead to jaundice.
Jaundice is caused by bilirubin, a yellow pigment that gives the newborn's skin and whites of the eyes a yellow appearance. The baby’s colour is observed during regular newborn examinations by a midwife or doctor. The baby may need blood tests to check the level of bilirubin if the baby looks significantly jaundiced. Slight jaundice is very common in newborns and requires no follow up. Babies with high levels of bilirubin in their blood will require phototherapy and in severe cases they may need an exchange blood transfusion.
For babies affected by ABO incompatibility, anaemia may become an issue after a few weeks. The anaemia is caused by the faster than normal breakdown of the baby’s red blood cells caused by the mother’s antibodies. These antibodies can linger in the baby’s circulation for weeks after birth. Because of this, some babies will need to have blood tests to check the level of anaemia.
Routine blood screening tests in pregnancy do not screen for ABO incompatibility. Testing in pregnancy is not recommended as antibody levels do not correlate well to actual ABO haemolytic disease in the baby. There are no preventative measures that can be taken.
After birth there are two options for testing for ABO incompatibility:
- The cord blood of all babies whose mothers have an O blood group and the father either type A or B blood is tested The theory behind this approach is that if the baby is type A or B and they test positive in direct antiglobulin tests (DAT), the baby can then be followed closely for jaundice.
- The alternate approach is to screen any baby who becomes significantly jaundiced (particularly within the first 24 hours).
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Comments
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I have experienced this with both of my children (I'm O+ and both of them have been A+). It was discovered when my first daughter was born and she spent some time in the NICU under phototherapy and hooked up to IVs (she was also anemic). With my second daughter (born at a different hospital), the doctors did not seem too familiar with this issue, but did discover her billiruben was high several hours after she was born (it was immediately discovered with the first child). Emily (second child) was given phototherapy in my room but was not admitted to the NICU, discharged on the 5th day, and day 12 we had her in the ER because her circulation was extremely poor, ending in death due to Myocarditis (blood screens determined she was Septic, ph levels were off, low body temp, and autopsy also showed she was anemic). I can't help but feel like the ABO Incompatibility was part of the issue that resulted in her death and I am currently in the process of meeting with a high risk and Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist to hopefully pursue another pregnancy. Both my pregnancies and delivieries were smooth and healthy as far as anyone can tell so far. I know that typically my body's defense gets stronger with each pregancy, so assuming we have the right doctors who are aware of the possibility of the ABO Incompatibility in place, is it smart of me to hold hope for another baby??
Dear Lindsay
Thank you for sharing your story. My heart goes out to you for the loss of your baby. Seeking advice from a Maternal Fetal Specialist is a great idea as they will be able to review your situation and give you information on which may help you can make a decision on whether or not to have another baby. Also doing research of your own can be helpful
ABO incompatibility rarely causes major problems. Each pregnancy is different. If a baby is an O blood group - it will not be effected. If the baby is an A blood group - the baby may or may not be effected. Severe anaemia and dangerously high levels of bilirubin (jaundice) are the major concerns but are quite uncommon. ABO incompatibility does not causes sepsis. I hope this helps a little in your search for information.
Hi, I thought I’d share my story… My daughter was diagnosed with ABO incompatibility a few hours after birth and hyperbilirubinemia. She spent 4 days under triple phototherapy which didn’t help bring her bilirubin levels down. The doctors gave us 2 treatment options 1) A blood transfusion or 2) An IVIG injection. We opted for the IVIG. Luckily she only needed one dose for it to work, and her bilirubin levels started decreasing right away. She was also diagnosed with sepsis but the doctors couldn’t understand why… they treated her for it anyway. I am now pregnant with my second child and I am worried that the same thing will happen. ..
Dear Daniela - thank you for sharing your story. Thankfully ABO incompatibility does not necessarily occur in every pregnancy. If it does - it may not necessarily be as severe. I will keep my fingers crossed for you that this baby is not effected.
I have always been curious about my first and last pregnancy. (Gravida 5) With my first son I caught a serious gastric virus (@ 4 wks) that hung on for weeks. Everyone I worked with had it, we literally only ate oatmeal for 3 weeks. I lost several pounds. When I saw my OBGYN for the first time they did the whole blood typing thing. I am O positive and my husband is A-. As the weeks progressed I continued to rapidly lose weight. In the end about 25 lbs. I started out as a size 9 and ended up wearing size 4 maturnity clothes. You could actually see the muscle twist around the bone in my thigh, I was so thin. I was also diagnosed with Pernicious anemia. The dr began giving me Iron shots on a weekly basis, I had to take double the iron pills plus my prenatal vitamin. I spent 9 months throwing up anything and everything. The Dr said it was because we had ABO Incomparability. He explained it this way. "With the RH factor the mothers body tries to kill the baby... thinking it is a virus or infection it needs to kill. With ABO... the baby is killing the mother." Considering the way I felt I believed him! :D He also said I would be lucky if my son weighed 5 lbs, and he would need a complete transfusion after birth. As soon as I went into labor I had the appetite of a three truck drivers. The nausea was gone and I had 3 plates of spaghetti and a slab of texas sheet cake before I left for the hospital. I yelled for food all through labor. I ate like 3 truckers for 2 weeks after that.
Well long story short.. he weighed 8 lbs 5 oz and was 21" long. He did get jaundice around the 2nd day but a few days under the light and he was fine. I had a miscarriage about a year later, then two more boys with no problems and I gained 25 lbs with each and was never sick a day. My last pregnancy I lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks and was constantly throwing up. I felt like death, had no strength and slept every chance I could. I told the Dr (a different one) that this baby also had the ABO thing going on and was killing me too. She had no idea what I was talking about. I miscarried that baby and almost bled to death and needed a D&C and then spent 2 weeks in bed due to severe blood loss. My hemoglobin went down to 6 prior to surgery. I refused a transfusion due to the Aids virus just coming on the scene. Can you tell me what was actually wrong with me?? My 2nd sons GF is now pregnant and she has to have the shots because my son must be A- like his dad, and I believe she is A- also ??
Hi Anna - to know what went on in your pregnancies you'd need to go through your history and review the medical notes. So unfortunately I can't make it any clearer for you. ABO Incompatibility can only be diagnosed once a baby is born by blood tests. You mentioned your son's girlfriend needing shots - that is most likely because she has a negative blood group which is completely different than ABO incompatibility. No medication is given to mothers who may have an ABO incompatibility.
Hi Jane. My baby (Jessica) on born on the 17th jan 2011. My pregnancy was all fine and so was the labour. The hospital wanted to keep us in for 24 hours in case of infection as my waters broke 2 days beforehand. in the early hours of the next morning they noticed she was a bit yellow so they did the jaundice test and she was admited to the NICU. They said she was ABO Incompatible. Im O+ and my partner is A+, but Jessica is A-. The doctor said the she had taken my partners blood type but both the negative protines in our blood. At the moment we are still going back to the hospital as they wanted to keep an eye on her jaundice levels, they are now fine but she is taking folic acid as her hemogolbin levels are still high. The doctors say it can happen again. what is the chance it can happen again? Also i have 3 sisters what is the likelyhood they will have the same problem as me?
Hi I just had my 5th baby and all my children suffered abo incompatibility, me being o+ and my husband b+ I have to say each baby got worse in terms of how long it took for treatment before they could leave the NICU I was able to inform them during my pregnancies that most likely it would happen again. My only wish is that there could be something in place to help control it like the anti D injection for RH negative mothers, we can only hope in the future i guess
Hi Toni - One book I read said that there is an 88% chance of recurrence of ABO incompatibility. I haven't read any research papers that provide the incidence. You could ask the doctors caring for your daughter - they might have access to recent research. ABO incompatibility does not necessarily worsen next time (though in Rachel's case above it did). For example one case I know the woman's fist baby required phototherapy, her second baby did not need treatment (only monitoring of bilirubin levels). If your sisters blood groups are O and their partners are A - their is a possibility they may have a similar experience (though this is unlikely).
hi..! i am 3 mos. pregnant and iam wondering about the abo incompatibility because my blood type is B and my husband blood type is O.. this would be consider ABO incompatibility if my child blood type is simillar ti her father... is there any prevention to prevnt that kind of complication?
Most couples have different blood types and it generally doesn't cause any problems. ABO incompatibility occurs mostly with mothers whose blood group is O. There are not any preventative measures you can take to avoid ABO incompatibility.
Hello there, I'm glad I found you guys - I am worried and desperate for some information. My baby girl was born week 40, March 8th, and we are all excited. She's A+ (I am too) and her mother is O. As she was diagnosed with ABO incompabbility in the first few hours, her Bili levels were tested every less then 6 hours after birth. She started up with borderline figures (I think first count was 6), second test showed 7.1, and at 36 hours she was already 9. She started Phototherapy. we are now at 48 hours and her levels now are 10. I know it's too early to jump to conclusions, but what if the PT does not work? What if she keeps on going up? what's the point in which the next step is suggested? Is there any potential brain damage (CP) and if so what are the levels I should be concerned by? What does blood transfusion mean and what are the risks? Sorry for the question attack - I'm rather anxious and looking for more information...
thank you!
So sorry I have been out all this week and unable to answer questions. I hope by now that your daughters levels are back to normal. It is rare for phototherapy not to work. The next step is a blood exchange transfussion which does carry quite a few risks. Your daughters bilirubin levels will be montiored closely and intervention would occur before the levels reached dangerous levels.
hi im cha, last nov8 2010 i gave birth to a bb girl with 9.3 lbs but she was left in the NICU because her white blood cells is higher than red blood cells we've been there for almost 1month, she had blood transfusion for twice and IVIG, my blood type is O n my husband is A+ my baby's blood type is A+. Currently im 35weeks pregnant of my 2nd baby, is their possibility that the problem encountered in my 1st baby will encounter in my 2nd baby? thnks.
Hi Cha - Were you told that your baby had ABO incompatibility? There are other reasons for a blood transfusion. If it was ABO incompatibility - your next baby may be effected.
I am happy to find a current site for this question of ABO incompatibility. I have o neg blood. My first son (with my 1st husband,who was AB+) was born at 36 weeks, b+ blood, but also had PDA and Mitral Valve Insuffiency. He was transfered to a children's hospital and was in the nicu. We were told that he had slight jaundice and they put him on a billi blanket for awhile and things were fine. All they told us was it was because our blood was incompatible, I never understood because I took the Rh shot. They were more concerned with the heart issues. Thankfully he is fine. Second hubby(a neg blood) and second son born 11 years after first. Son has o neg blood like me so no problems. Baby girl was born three years later. Hospital under new management, little mishaps with the way they do stuff now but birth was fine. She was born at 10:28 pm by late morning next day they still hadn't typed her even though I asked. by mid afternoon they came to retype me? By evening neonatal Dr. came in and said they were concerned about her billi levels and were retesting her came back at like 8 pm that her level was 19.4. So immediate transfer was necessary. Still didn't know her exact blood type till we were at Nicu-it was A neg. This was really hard on us as we lived an hour from delivery hospital and ob and almost 2 hrs from the Children's Hospital, she was there for 10 days. I know in comparison to other babies in the nicu we are blessed but still. We asked several Drs and Pediatricians about risks to another baby. They all had different answers. I know we have a 50/50 chance of having an a baby or an o baby. And I know that Abo gets worse with each child that has a different blood type from mom. But what could we really expect and is there anything we could do to prevent it from being as bad. My ob said we would make sure to have blood typed quickly and to cut cord quickly. And check the billi levels more often so it wouldn't get so high before they got put on lights. Can we do anything else? The hospital under new management really sucks. same ob and hospital for all three kids but I feel like the slowness in getting her blood typed delayed her being under phototherapy as soon as she could have been. Would it have made a difference if the baby is direct coombs positive and they immediately put them on a billi blanket or under lights? Would that keep it from getting as high as our daughter's got? We are trying to decide if we want more kids and this is the main deciding factor so any help or info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Hi Lena - unfortunately there isn't anything you can do to prevent ABO incompatibility. I will say that I didn't find evidence in my research about the condition getting worse with each child with a different blood type. A woman who I cared for experienced ABO incompatibility and has given me permission to share her story (she was the reason I wrote this article as we found it difficult to get information). Her first baby need to go to NICU and have phototherapy. Her second baby (who was also a different blood group to her) did not require phototherapy only montioring of the baby's bilirubin levels. We did a blood group and Coombes at birth (baby was Coombes positive). Steps we took to avoid jaundice to have a drug free labour, natural birth, skin to skin contact at birth and early initiation of breastfeeding. FYI - we did delayed cord clamping and a physiological third stage (no drugs to help the placenta). Even if a baby is Coombes postive - phototherapy would not usually be started until baby is clinically jaundice. Close monitoring of the baby is required. I am sorry I can't give any definitive answers.
I'm glad to finally know I'm not alone in the world. I'm pregnant with number seven and until the last two, every other one has been an ABO issue. I can call it by seven weeks due to how I feel. I am miserable until they are delivered. My O+ babies don't make me sick at all. Another thing I've noticed is the fact that each A+ (I'm O+) pregnancy gets worse and worse, as if I'm building up antibodies or something. I thought I was going to die with this one. I'm guessing it was this bad due to having two back to back. Who knows really. The babies that are A+ have all ended up VERY jaundice with bilirubin levels peaking at 23. I'm praying for sunny weather come mid September.
Our daughter was born in september 2008 and all seemed fine. At about 5 hours old we started to notice the yellow tinge to her skin. her blood was tested and she was rushed up to the special care unit on triple phototherapy. she then went on to have a blood exchange which thankfully worked and now she's fine. At the time this was all put down to our rhesus incompatability. As we are trying for a 2nd baby I wanted to find out a little bit more about it so I spoke to my doctor who did a blood test to confirm the diagnosis but to everones surprise I do nor have any rhesus antibodies so after a lot of pushing and making myself a pain in the neck we got refered to a peadiatric consultant who found that her contition was caused by ABO incompatability. All seems to be fine for another pregnancy (less scary than the Rhesus alternative)and after over a year of hasstleing people we now know what happened. They say that as we now know we can check any new baby asap and deal with any potential problem quickly. All good in the end!
Hi Jane, I am 15 weeks pregnant and blood type O negative. My Husband is blood type "ABO/Rheseus". Please can you advise if we are compatible blood types? I am having trouble understanding the blood typing off the internet sites and determining whether or not my Husband is positive or negative even. Thanks, Kerri
Dear Kerri - ABO/Rhesus is not a blood group. Your husbands blood group needs to be either A, B, AB or O. He will either be Rhesus positive or Rhesus negative. Can you speak to either your midwife or doctor to help you interpret his results?
I am pregnant with my 3rd child. My first born didn't have any complications at all. My second child, had the ABO Incompatibility. He spent 1 week in the hospital including a stay in the NICU. He case was so severe, the doctors said his only hope was a blood tranfusion. After he was released from the hospital, we had to go back to the Oncologist once a week for about 2 months to test his blood. Eventually, his levels became normal and he's a healthy little boy now. However, I'm concerned that the next child will have the same issue. I'm praying that he/she doesn't and I will also start praying for all the mothers who I just read about that are in the same boat with me.
Hi Jane I'm so glad i've finally found somewhere to get advice about ABO.
My second baby (born 13/2/2010) he wasnt taking milk and it was hard waking him for feeds after he was born. i mentioned to midwives that there was something wrong and they did nothing! Doctor checked him over and had not picked up on the jaundice. Day after i was only feeding him via a tiny cup. the midwife which discharged us that day still hadnt picked up on the jaundice either. looking back on the pic's he didnt look normal. by time a midwife was worried he was extremely jaundice by day 5. we were both re-admitted to maternity unit and he was placed under phototherapy for over 48hrs. After the jaundice had cleared his blood showed he was anaemic and i was told he had ABO compatibility. He then went on to be monitored with blood tests every 2wks and given folic acid to increase his blood cells.
My type blood is O+ his is A(dnt know rh's) his fathers blood is type A too.
my first born never suffered with any of this, so does this mean i have a 50/50 chance?.( I dont know her blood group guessing she must be O like me)
Me and the kids father want to have more children, but I was told by doctor at hospital NOT to have anymore children. since he said this I'm afraid of getting pregnant.Also i dont think i could trust this maternity unit again as they should have listened to me when i said that something was wrong.
I'd never heard of ABO incompatilibity before i had my son. no family history of this i keep thinking why me? and am i being selfish wanting another child that could ABO?
Hi Emma-Katie - I am so sorry you had a such an negative experience. In answer to your question the chance of the baby's blood group depends on the genes your partner has. If your partner has two A genes then there is a 100% chance that the baby will be A. If your partner has an A gene and an O gene - then there is a 25% chance the baby will have an O blood group (and ABO incompatibility will not reoccur). The A blood type is dominant. Even if this baby has an ABO incompatibility if treatment is started early the baby may have a better outcome. The baby's cord blood should be tested as soon as it is born and then monitor the baby closely for the first few days at least. Are you able to see another doctor for a second opinion? One of my client's first baby had ABO incompatibility and ended up needing phototherapy and treatment - her second baby also had ABO incompatibility and did not need treatment (other than close monitoring).
My third baby is 5 days old now and she was diagnosis ABO incompatibility also. I'm O and my daughter's B. She born in 12 june 2011 and start photopherapy on 13 june early in the morning. Her doctor said her bilirubin level was jump too high with in 24 hour and he want to start treatment immediately. My daughter was in NICU all the time during in Hospital but she was discharg and went back home with me last 2 days and need to go to the hospital everyday for monitor her bilirubin level (by blood test). In this morning her Bil is 20 and doctor want her to go back to NICU and start Phototherapy again. After 8 hour under the light, her bil level was reduce to 18. Now she still spend the night under the light. How long dose the phototherapy take to bring back the bilirubin level to normal? And if it's normal by phototherapy, it may be up again when her go back home or not?
Dear Somsinee - With ABO incompatibiliy sometimes the jaundice can peak again and need further treatment. The length of time it takes for phototherapy to work varies from baby to baby. So unfortunately I cannot give a time frame. Usually when phototherapy is stopped the doctors arrange follow up blood tests to make sure the jaundice is not reoccuring. Talk with your baby's doctors - they will be able to give you an idea of what is ahead.
Hi, I had a nightmare with my first child who was on the verge of transfusion with ABO incompatibility. Thankfully his last bili reading came down and it continued that way. My second child had exactly the same blood group (B+) as my first but as I had made the midwife aware of what had happened previously and was referred to a consultant, blood was taken as soon as he was born. He still had to have phototherapy but was only in hospital a couple of days rather than the week that my first was in. I am now pregnant with my third and am expecting the same thing to happen again. As my last pregnancy was almost 4 years ago can I just check that there is still nothing that can prevent this happening and taking blood as soon as the baby is born is the first step? Thanks for your help!
Hi Donna - Unfortunately there isn't any way of preventing an ABO incompatibility if it is going to occur. There is a chance that the baby will have your blood group and the baby not to be affected. At birth it is usual practice to take the baby's blood group and to test to see if the baby is Coombes positive. If the baby is positive - they will observe the baby closely and start phototherapy if the bilirubin levels rise.
hello! i'm curious about the ABO incompatibility, my husband is AB+ and i'm type O, we're planning to have a baby, is there a possibility that my baby will experience this? thank u!
Hi Marra - Yes there is a possibility however, it is highly unlikely. Many women who are O blood type do not have baby's effected by ABO incompatibility. All baby's are monitored at birth for jaundice and if it occurs blood tests are done and treatment started if necessary. It is important to note that ABO incompatibility, even if it occurs, can be very mild and not need treatment.
Hi, Me and my wife has this type of incompatibility being me as B+ and her as O+. Recently (May 21,2011) we lose our baby girl in her 6 months of pregnancy due to lower heartbeat and my baby was also diagnose with a cystic hygroma.
My question is, Is the heart problem and cystic hygroma causes by our ABO incompatibility? As we are plannning to work out for our next baby early next year, Is there any chance of having the same problem again? Please advise us what are the necessary things to be done to avoid such problems again. Thank you very much...
Hi Romel - I am so sorry for your loss. None of the literature I have read about ABO incompatibility says that it causes abnormalities in babies. It would be a really good idea to speak to your local doctor or to get a referral to a specialist for some preconception advise regarding conceiving another baby. Some abnormalities are a chance occurance others have a genetic basis.
Thank you Jane for the advice...I really appreciate it.
Hi Jane. I just gave birth to my first child last Sunday, July 10, 2011 via C-Section. Up to now, my baby is still spending time at the NICU under continuous phototherapy because we learned that she has high bilirubin levels. My pediatrician is also giving her antibiotics thru IV fluids.
I have also learned about this ABO incompatibility, my blood type is A and my husband is type O. Does this causes her jaundice? I also want to know when does the jaundice usually disappear? Thank you Jane in advance. I really do appreciate it.
Hi Kristine - ABO incompatibility usually occurs if your blood type is O (though not all the time). Talk to your baby's doctor or nurses - they will be able to tell you if your baby has ABO incompatibility. Jaundice can occur because of lots of different issues. Usually jaundice disappears reasonably quickly once phototherapy is started - how long it takes to go depends on the factors that caused the jaundice and if your baby is well or unwell.
My daughter was born on July 21st, 2011 at 10:27am. She was diagnosed with abo incompatibility on July 22nd and started phototherapy around 4:30pm. We were discharged on July 23rd at noon. She wasn't even on phototherapy for 24 hours. Now that we are home I have noticed she is still kind of yellow and her feet are having a hard time with circulation. She is also constantly still sleeping and I have to annoy her to get her to nurse. We go back for bloodwork tomorrow morning. What are the chances of them readmitting her? I'm O+, husband is B+ and she is B-
Hi Jenn - Ring someone from the hospital to let them know your daughter is sleepy and yellow. Jaundice levels can rebound (rise) after phototherapy is stopped (particularly if she has ABO incompatibility).
hi, I have a pt who had miscarriage in first pregnancy,at that time cause was not found.In her second pregnancy she again had miscarriage due to hydrops fetalis .Now her blood test after 1 month of miscarriage shows ABO incompatibility, levels of ANTI A Titre 512(0-128 normal)so wahat are chances that in next pregnancy regarding ABO incompatibility,
Hi Huma - I am sorry but your question would be something I'd have to ask a high risk obstetric specialist. I initally wrote this article due to the lack of information on ABO incompatibility on the internet. Unlike Rhesus disease - ABO incompatibility does not necessarily reoccur. Statistically speaking I can't tell you the incidence of reoccurrence.
I am wondering how long the jaundice and sleepiness can last in ABO incompatibile baby's? My daughter is 5 weeks old and still very sleepy and yellow to her eyes. She was born July 7 and they kept us in NICU for 4 days with double phototherapy, IVIg, and IV fluids. No one really said hoe long this would or could last in her. I am O- and my husband is A + and so is my daughter. We are going again to repeat her bilirubin and hgb levels even though last time they said we didn't have to...her hgb was normal and bili was 197. When discarged from NICU it was 178, July 13. By July 18 it was 209, then July 21 was 197. Should I be worried?? How long will it last? I am still waking her to eat at night an often through the day. She is nursing and voiding/stooling well. Was 6 lbs 13 oz at birth and yesterday was 9lbs 3 oz. If you have any input that would be great....it seems like even my doctor really has no idea this time and is a very good doctor. Thanks!!!
I am O+, Hubby is B-. First pregnancy (different Father) resulted in O+ Daughter, second miscarried at 10 weeks, 3rd was difficult (constant clotting and bleeding, small weight) B-, 4th miscarried, 5th miscarried, 6th Son who developed jaundice (unknown blood-type), 7th miscarried, 8th miscarried (at 20 weeks), 9th Daughter (unknown blood-type), 10th Son (unknown blood-type), 11th Son (unknown blood-type), 12th Daughter (unknown blood-type), 13th pregnant now due 11/25/11. I've never heard of ABO incompatibility! I'm a little upset that none of my care givers have even brought it up. Thank you, for the information. I'm going to ask about this at my next appointment.
I just had a baby girl 3 days ago and she was diagnosed with jaundice shortly before we were discharged from the hospital. The hospital pediatrician ordered me to follow up with her pediatrician the next day. The pediatrician has ordered us to go back to the hospital for billiruben testing so I will know tomorrow if she will require further treatment. I am type O positive and baby is type A positive. Baby is Coombes positive. Is there anything specific I should be looking out for or is there anything I can be doing on my own to help her?
Hey I just had my daughter on August 20th and I'm O+ and her dad is B+ A few hours after I had her they said she has jaundice she's B+ They put her under the light and her bilirubin went down 1 point I'm currently breast and bottle feeding my nerves are every where and I keep thinking the worst or yet preparing for the worst do you think this is first time mom jitters
Sorry I've been away on holidays.
Alicia any jaundice that is persistent should be reviewed by your midwife or doctor for advise.
Esi the most important thing is to make sure your baby is getting lots of breastfeeds. Frequent feeding can help reduce the level of jaundice.
Nett the midwives or doctors usually do a test for ABO incompatibility (particularly with early jaundice) so they should have told you if this has occured. It is understandable to be concerned. I hope your daughter's jaundice resolves quickly.
Hi Jane. I am O positive and my husband is A negative. Our son was born A positive, and suffered from significant jaundice. He recovered after 4 days of continuous phototherapy. I am pregnant and due in November. Based on my research, I understand that if my husband carries a recessive gene for blood type O, there is a 25% chance this baby will be born with blood type O. However, if he has two A genes, this baby will have blood type A. Two questions: (1) is there a way to test my husband's blood to determine whether he is AO or AA? (2) does the fact that my son has type A blood effect the chances that this baby will also have type A blood?
Hi Toby - Was your baby diagnosed as having ABO incompatibility? You will have to speak to your doctor about testing your husband for his blood genotype. Standard blood tests do not determine a persons genes. Yes this child has a chance of being type A as your husband is type A (your sons blood type has no bearing on the statistical chance of this baby's blood group).
Hi there,
I'm 38.5 weeks pregnant (second pregnancy, third child). Over the last few weeks my doctor has been concerned that my baby is not growing as rapidly as it should. I have also experienced decreased movement over the last few weeks. The baby used to move periodically throughout the day, but now may only have one movement session a day. Anyway, I had a scan yesterday and all is ok, but the baby is small for its gestational age. I am O+ and my husband is A+. My previous pregnancy (twins) - my daughter needed phototherapy for jaundice and was very small as well. I am now wondering if that was the issue for my daughter, and it's happening again with this baby?
I'm having an elective caesarean next week, but I am now thinking perhaps I should call the hospital and try and bring it forward.
Any advice?
Thanks.
After experiencing 3 early miscarriages.. I finally gave birth to our son in July. He was diagnosed with ABO Incompatibility, put on the bili-bed (phototherapy) and blood tests to monitor his condition. He also had low blood sugar levels. My husband and I are both O+, our son is B+. He is fine now, happy healthy, however the Dr advised that in any future pregnancies, the risk for the child needing blood transfusions is greater.. is this true? Could it also be the cause of my miscarriages?
Hi Natalie - Small babies and premature babies are at increased risk for developing jaundice. So without knowing your history it is difficult for me to comment. Your daughter would have most likely be checked for direct antiglobulin - this test can tell you if ABO incompatibility was an issue. Regarding your baby's movements - any change of movements should be reported to your midwife, doctor or hospital (even if a scan or monitoring was okay).
Hi Stevie - while ABO incompatibility can be worse next time around the evidence does suggest that this is not necessarily the case. One of my clients had ABO incompatibility and her first baby needed phototherapy. Her second pregnancy was also affected however this baby did not need phototherapy.
Does the placenta prevent any symptoms of abo incompatibility occurring until birth when the baby's internal organs take over? If so do the antibodies sit dormant until then or does the placenta cope with them? Lastly how does the blood actually mix during pregnancy and or delivery. Would spotting / slight bleeds during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy potentially cause a mix?
I have had 3 pregnancies and 3 daughters. We just had our third daughter on the 2nd of Sept. ( full term baby, great weight) She was taken down to the NICU within a few hours after birth for the high billirubin and what they thought was a infection. Turns out she has the ABO incompatibility. She was under phototherapy for two and a half weeks and was just taken off the lights this past week. Her billirubin has slowly got lower but she is now anemic so that is now being watched. We had never heard of the incompatibility until now. Our oldest daughter is O+ like me, both younger girls are A+. The doctors think I actually formed the antibodies with my middle daughter. She was a little jaundice but levels weren't high enough to be thought as anything else. So this pregnancy apparently those antibodies were in full force. We were basically told that it is amazing I was able to carry her full term. She is getting better everyday but we still have several weeks of blood work and levels being watched was glad after she got to get off the phototherapy though.
Hi Donna - In some cases the problems associated with ABO incompatibility can occur in pregnancy. Antibodies can cross the placenta to the baby. Things that increase the chance of antibodies crossing the placenta or blood entering the mother's circulation include: * Miscarriage * Abortion * Ectopic pregnancy * Chorionic villus sampling * Amniocentesis * Blood transfusion
Sometimes the blood mixes for reasons unknown. An occurrence of bleeding in pregnancy may increase the risk.
Hi Kendra
I am sorry to hear that your third daughter has been unwell with ABO incompatibility. I hope that her anaemia starts to improve soon.
II had a question? I had a normal pregnancy and delivered at 40w c section for large baby. Hours after I had my baby girl they told me she was coombs+ and level 12 jaundiced she was in the nicu for 4 days in a billi blanket and under lamps. They said my blood type was o+ and she is b+ they said my blood tried.to.fight off her blood. When I was telling a friend about what happened they said that it meant I was an RH factor and should have been.given.a shot or I would miscarry in in future pregnancy is this true? Or am I an ABO case and that is why I didn't receive the shot?
Hi Paige - Your friend is incorrect. The shot your friend mentioned is for women who have a negative blood group. Your blood group is positive. There is no shot for ABO incompatibility. No preventative measures exist for ABO incompatibility. It is likely your daughter had ABO incompatibility given your blood groups and that your daughter was Coombes positive, I can't say for sure as it needs to be medically diagnosed. Did the doctors at the hospital give you a diagnosis?
I am just curious...would the same thing occur if the mother was AB+ and the father was O+? That is what the doctors told my parents. All four of my siblings and I had jaundice really bad when we were born.
While typically ABO incompatibility occurs with mothers with type A blood - this is not always the case. The mother can have A, B or AB blood group.
I have an O- blood group, my husband is O+ and our son was born with an A+ blood group. One day after he was born he was diagnosed with ABO incompatibility and Hyperbillirubinemia and admitted to NICU for phototherapy.
His Billirubin count peaked at 351 and the conjugated count at 200. Two days after the bullirubin stabilized, his haemoglobin levels dropped to 8.8. Oliver was given some additional blood. With the additional blood and an iron supplement his body has manage to start creating its own haemoglobin. Two weeks in NICU and my baby is doing very well, however we are still going for follow up tests with the Pediatrician (the first being on Friday)
This is my second pregnancy and I was given the Anti-D injection after my first baby was born in 2005, however my Gynecologist never administered a second injections at 27 weeks of the last pregnancy.
From what we have been told by the NICU nurses, this seems to have been RH Incompatibility as well as ABO incompatibility. Could the severity of the jaundice have been less extreme if I had been given the additional Anti D injection at 27 weeks? Is there a way of determining whether this was in fact RH and ABO incompatibility?
Hello. I am currently 17 weeks pregnant with second child. My first had abo and had phototherapy. It mentions that miscarriage can cause abo... Does that mean previous miscarriages can cause abo in future pregnancies? And if I have O+ blood and my husband is O type, then why first born daughter have B+ blood and not O like her parents ?
Hi Jane- I am pregnant with my second daughter, due in November. My first daughter suffered from jaundice and ABO incompatibility (I am O+, my husband is A+, and our first daughter is A-). I am not sure if my husband carries an O allele or not, as his parents aren't sure of their blood types...I was wondering two things: 1- Does early aggressive treatment with phototherapy help, or is the duration of jaundice independent from the intensity of early treatment? Our daughter was under bili lights in the regular nursery for several days, and once she was discharged and came home, she then was re-admitted for intense phototherapy. I'm wondering if I should insist on more aggressive NICU treatment/intense phototherapy if this baby has ABO incompatibility and jaundice from the beginning. And 2- Is there a difference in outcome between delivery at 39 vs 40 weeks in terms of prognosis for ABO incompatibility? I will have a scheduled c-section at either 39 or 40 weeks and didn't know if there was a difference in outcomes (I have heard sometimes that it's better to deliver early because the baby will have fewer antibodies, however other places I heard it's better to deliver later so that the baby's liver is more mature). Thanks!
This was very interesting for me. I wish it existed years ago! My three children all were diagnosed with ABO incompatibility. (27, 25 and 15 now) I'm O+ and my husband is AB-. Although they all had intense phototherapy, I found that when I stopped breastfeeding for 24 hours, the number went down rapidly! (The Dr.s suggested this to me). After leavingthe hospital, the numbers would go back up...so, Way back then, they had me put my baby in the bay window in the morning sunlight for short periods after we got home, you could actually see the yellow disappear everywhere except the diaper area! The bilirubin numbers came down each day. I don't know if this is advisable these days, but it was something I could do myself, (we didn't have insurance).
Hi Michelle - I've found it very hard to piece together information on ABO incompatibility (this is the reason I wrote this article to start with). I can't find any mention in the papers I have regarding ABO being caused by a miscarriage. Are you sure that both you and your husband are type O blood? It is not possible to have a daughter whose blood group is B+ if you are both O. To have O blood you must both have two O genes.
Hi Christine - Phototherapy only works when jaundice reaches a treatable level. Basically it needs something to work on. So phototherapy is recommended once bilirubin levels reach phototherapy level. If levels drop and the baby is taken out from phototherapy lights - it is very common to rebound. Some babies will need to be put back under phototherapy. I haven't seen any research to say whether baby's at 39 weeks or 40 weeks do better.
Hi Kim - Thank you for sharing your story. Stopping breastfeeding doesn't improve ABO incompatibility. In fact frequent breastfeeding is beneficial and is recommended. Restrictive breastfeeding however (as was commonly practiced in the past) would make the jaundice worse as the baby isn't getting enough fluids. Indirect sunlight is great for jaundice (of course with care so that the baby isn't over exposed to the sun). My homebirth clients commonly use sunlight if their baby is showing any jaundice as they want to avoid admission to hospital. Thanks for the tip.
I hope you can shed some light on this for me. I have 5 children the first 3 were born healthy however the 4th and 5th were both born with ABO incompatibility. They were both admitted to the NICU and did well. They received the ivig injection and both had blood transfusions. They both had billyrubin #'s in the mid 20's. So hear it the problem. At age 11 months my now 3 almost 4 year old started having seizures. (this is our 4th child) all of the doctors we took him to said they were fever induced, but he doesn't always have a fever when he has a seizure in fact out of 40+ seizures over the last almost 3 years he has only had a fever along with a seizure 4 times. Now my 5th child who is 14 months old is having seizures with no fever as well. Is there a link or possible cause of having the ABO and a high billirubin a cause for seizures down the road? Have you ever heard of this?
I'm O+ and my husband is AB+. Not thinking that there can be any complication of any sort, we had our first baby early this year. My pregnancy was not smooth, based on the lab results and my HBP (although physically, I felt great). When my baby was born via emergency c-section, he was only 36 1/2 weeks. The doctors were optimistic that he will be fine because he was almost full term; but just hours after he was born, they started seeing that his health was declining.
We were fighting hope against hope, especially the doctors had no idea what went wrong. I asked them, after some research from my sister who's a nurse practitioner, if they checked the ABO incompatibility. They said they did, but with all the testing that they ran, they couldn't come up with any diagnosis. It was one thing one day, then another the next. He had to get blood transfusions. He had so many different things hooked up to him - IVs for feeding and blood, oxygen, brain monitor. It was painful to watch, especially I was still recuperating from c-section. After the 2nd week, his lungs started to develop better, so they slowly removed the tube through his mouth and moved to the regular oxygen through the nose.
He stayed in the NICU for almost a month; he was discharged 1 day before his 1st month birthday. At the time of discharge, there was still no clear diagnosis. He was still jaundice, but since he was well in other aspects aside from his billirubin, they let us take him home and kept ongoing appointments with the GI. He had liver biopsy the week after, which brought his platelets down again. After a transfusion, his numbers picked up again. After 2 days, we were discharged.
At 11 months now, he is 30 inches and 21 lbs, so far from his birth at 19 inches and 5.5 lbs. He lost his yellowish pigment after 4 months and his billirubin became normal about 9 months. When we brought him for checkup with the Neurologist and GI, they were both happy and surprised to how far he's grown.
Now that he's edging to 1 year, I'm debating if I should risk/gamble having another kid. I know that it would be nice for him to have a sibling, but what are the chances of me going through another cycle like this? It took a toll on my physically, emotionally, mentally and almost socially as I refused to leave the NICU. It was not until the 2nd week that I let up a little bit to leave the hospital for some fresh air.
I had a 34.5 weeker who spent 11 days in the NICU. We had a ABO incompatibility. His placenta abrupted inside me. After his birth I had 2 m/c. Could it be caused from the ABO incompatibility? I am o+ he is a+. If this is the cause of my m/c then is there a cure?
My daughter (now age three & fit & healthy) had major problems with ABO incompatability. She was in the special care unit for about a week and had to have a full blood exchange and triple phototherapy. I'm o-ve and my husbamd is A+ve. I'm pregnant again and am due in about 9 weeks. I'm under a consultant who seems to have it all in hand but he says that is is so rare that it is unlikly to happen again. Looking at the experiences of the other poeple on this site that dosn't seem right. What are the odds of having a second problem? can you help? I just want to be prepared.
I am very curious if you have done a survey--or some sort of collection of data--on children diagnosed with ABO at birth. My second child was diagnosed ABO, but not my first. He seemed to grow and develop correctly until he turned about 8 years old. He's now 12 1/2 and he is TINY, although he weighed 8lb,9oz at birth. He only weighs 67lbs and is 54" tall. My husband is 6'3,I'm 5'1, my daughter (first child) is almost 16 years old and is 5'4 and growing. Although my son is very intelligent, he has so many health problems that I'm wondering if ABO had something to do with it. (Severe headaches/migraines, asthma/allergy problems, extremely dry skin.) I have a friend whose last child also had ABO and she is very tiny too...Although her older sisters are close to 6' tall, Dad is 6'8, Mom 5'9.) I'm very interested in any data that can give me a clue as to the long-term affects of ABO, or if my son's experience is unique.
I have three children the first a son was born in 1984.He was O pos the same blood type as me(my husband is A pos). My second son was born in 1987. He developed ABO incompatability as he was A pos. I developed anti A antibodies at birth and some of my blood passed to my son whose liver was too immature to cope. He had phototherapy and recovered after 8 days in hospital. My third son was born in 1993. During my pregnancy we made the midwife and other professionals aware of the difficulty with our second son. We were told that no checks could be done until after the birth. He became severely jaundiced after 6 hours and was rushed to special care baby unit where he spent 10 days under phototherapy light. He was worse than my second son. and we decided not to have any more children. I have never asked anyone if there are any long term effects of ABO Haomolytic disease on the child . My second son is about to become a father with a partner who is O pos and he is A pos. He has also made the midwife aware of his situation at birth. What is the likelihood of history repeating itself?
hi i hah two babies with abo incompatibilities but i am B+ my husband AB+ is it realy abo incomp or other thing make them anemic at birth my second baby died after 2 moths but he was 18hb at birth when we reatched hospital after 2 months he was 7hb whate is reason for hemolysis after he born correct &healthy with 18hb with no juandice plz answer me i am from egypt nobody here understand abo incompatibilities
My daughter was discharged from hospital after being born at 37 weeks. I had an induced labour and had an epidural. By day three at home, she had become fluorescent yellow. She was readmitted onto our local NICU and had immunoglobulin and subsequently a double volume exchange transfusion. So far, so good, she had recently been discharged from all her neonate follow-ups, but the risk for her is that as her levels were so high, some bilirubin encephalopathy may have occurred. This may not present until later in her development. Anyhow, she is a beautiful, happy, healthy and cheeky little girl who is dearly loved. There is a heap of conflicting info out there, especially on the net. My advice would be, go with your gut. If something nags you after being given an answer, go speak to someone else in the profession.My first born had no ABO diagnosis but fed really well. I'm still not clear about the risk in future pregnancy as I have been told a third child would most likely be affected. My husband is blood group A and I'm O.
Hi Jane,
thank you for writing this article as there is very little information on it elsewhere. I am currently 31 weeks pregnant and am O- with an AB+ partner. My understanding is that our child therefore HAS to be either A or B, both of which are incompatible with O. Secondly, I have heard reference to interactions between ABO incompatibility and Rh- issues on a midwifery site (see www.preciouspassage.com/antiD.php) but have been unable to find any further information backed by literature elsewhere.
The statement on the article mentioned is "ABO incompatibility may confer a degree of protection against isoimmunisation - antigens to A and B cells destroy fetal blood before production of anti-D occurs." (First entry in Table 1).
Do you know anything about this?
Many thanks in advance,
Janneke
my first born was put under phototherepy due to high bilirubin level. im A+ and my husband is O+. now im pregnant and due to give birth on june 5.. is it also possible for baby to have the same case as my first one? & what are the effects of these?
Thanks
Hello, my question is concerning my first pregnancy.. I have 0+ blood and so does my daughter but she was still diagnosed with ABO incompatibility. I thought because we both have the same blood type this shouldn't happen. She spent 7 days in the hospital under those lights and back and forth to the hospital until she was almost 2 months old for a bili test. We also had a son who spent 7 days in the hospital with jaundice, it was not as sever and he had A- blood. If we have another baby will it get easier with each pregnancy?
I AM B+ MY WIFE IS AB+. WHAT WILL BE MY BABY'S BLOOD GROUP? GIVE ME REPLY. I AM WAITING.
My son was put under phototherapy for 4 days due to high bilirubin levels. I'm O negative and my husband is B+ve. My son is B+ve and was affected inspite of taking an anti d injection at 28 weeks of my pregnancy. I had no blood transfusions, abortions etc earlier and this was my first pregnancy. It was shocking that after taking all precautions my son was affected. He was delivered at 40 weeks+ 2 days. I was induced since I did not perceive labor pains. After the membranes ruptured I had bleeding and found blood clots on the sheet. I had an emergency C section done. Can u please help me to understand why my son is affected inspite of taking anti d injection? Is it due to any ABO incompatibility? My son is now 3 weeks old and is still mildly jaundiced. He was also given an IVIG injection within 48 hours of birth. Could not get much help from the doctors to understand the reason. Can anyone pls help to know the reason and also to understand if it will affect my future pregnancies?
I posted back in January about the odds of having the same problems with a second child. My second daughter was borne 20th March, and yrp! same thing again. this time we were ready and were in hospital for only 4 days and an IVIG. She's doing really well now. I'm very gratful for this site as it helped me very much to feel like I knew what was happening & why. Thanks all.
i have 2 kids, ages 8 and 6, another 1 is on the way. My blood type is O+ and my husband is B sorry but not sure if its + or -. on my 1st baby everything is fine but on my second baby the bilirubin is high and she stayed in the hospital for phototheraphy but after 5 days of my delivery i took her home but every week we have to come back to check her, that takes like a month of going to the hospital for check up. doctors told me to breastfeed her because it will help to lower the jaundice. Is there a posibility that my 3rd baby will have this since it should already in my second child. im a bit scared because my mom had it also on my youngest brother and my brother got a transfussion. is breastfeeding can help to lower bilirubin?
My first baby, like many above, had severe jaundice- her bilirubin levels peaked at 490.. (are they using a different measure now? Because people above were quoting 19 and 23?), almost needing a blood transfusion, she had phototherapy and IV fluids for about a week, folic acid afterwards at home, etc. The jaundice was brought to the nurses attention by me on her 3rd day in hospital, in a fragile sleep-deprived state, and I am still pretty dismayed that they never picked it up themselves, despite it being so high, and she was very yellow!! I knew nothing about jaundice at the time and didn't know it could be dangerous or else I would have said something earlier.
Anyway.. I am O+ and she is A.
Now I am pregnant with my second and am worried about in-utero effects. I have read that it is fairly common for anti-A antibodies (which I now have, and apparently can be picked up environmentally..??) to be IgG molecules which can cross the placenta and affect the fetus. This sounds very worrying! Does anyone have any more information on this?
Also, considering it is my antibodies that are causing harm to the baby, I wonder about breastfeeding and how detrimental it is..? I know it is taboo to suggest breastfeeding is detrimental but my baby almost needed a blood transfusion so I just wonder if it's worth it? Would the Coomb's test not provide helpful information here?
It's such a shame that I had such a bad experience with my first and am now rather reserved in my trust for the Drs/midwives in my service.
Crossing my fingers for a healthy bub!
HI, I recently had a baby girl on the morning of April 26. She developed severe jaundice during that day, blood was taken and the doctors told me her bili levels were high. After leaving her in the nursary for half and hr she stopped breathing. They tried to revive her but she died. Im o+ dont remember what blood type my partner is. can ABo play a part in her sudden death? Is really hard for me to accept the fact that i just left her in the nursary and she died so suddenly. Her liver showed that she had alot a red blood cells present. They havent concluded on the cause of death yet, but what do you think it could be. I really miss her and im really considering to have another baby.
HI, I recently had a baby girl on the morning of April 26. She developed severe jaundice during that day, blood was taken and the doctors told me her bili levels were high. After leaving her in the nursary for half and hr she stopped breathing. They tried to revive her but she died. Im o+ dont remember what blood type my partner is. can ABo play a part in her sudden death? Is really hard for me to accept the fact that i just left her in the nursary and she died so suddenly. Her liver showed that she had alot a red blood cells present. They havent concluded on the cause of death yet, but what do you think it could be. I really miss her and im really considering to have another baby.
Hello, I just gave birth to my third daughter who is now 11 days old. I am type O positive, and she was born type B Positive with a 2+ Positive Direct Antiglobulin Test. She has since received phototherapy and normal saline treatment for roughly 48 hrs. Since coming home i walk her in the sun as soon as daylight, she is exclusively breastfed and is passing yellow stools at just about every feeding. Her skin colour has improved drastically, however there is still a bit of yellow in her eyes, face and neck only. She is due a follow up visit with her perdiatrician, who advised me prior to leaving the hospital that the baby will need iron supplements sooner than usual due to the continued breakdown of red cells. My husband was wondering if giving formula would speed up the process of her eliminating the excess bilirubin. I flat out refused to even consider that option. Is there a set time in which her bilirubin levels are expected to return to normal?
i m o positive blood group and my wife is AB negative blood group,her first pregnancy lost after 2 months ,again she is pregnant after 3-4 months and she is pregnant approx 3 and half months,i m worry about any unhappen,so pls guide me.
My husband and I just had our 8th child last Friday. I am o- and my husband is a+. All of our children have been jaundiced to an extent, and 2 needed phototherapy. It was only when I had my 4th, who has complete congenital heart block and had to be in the NIMU that they actually looked into what caused the jaundice. She was diagnosed with ABO incompatibility, and narrowly missed having to have a complete blood exchange transfusion because of severe anemia. I have not had such a severe issue with any of the children since, thankfully.
When they checked my newborn son's blood type at the hospital, they said he is "a-, with some positive...something..I can't remember exactly the wording". I have never heard of such a thing. I don't know how he could be negative, and I am negative, and there could be any positive anything. His bilirubin at 30 hours old was 8.1. Not terrible, but in the last day and a half he seems more yellow, but is acting very alert, breastfeeding well, etc.
Have you heard of this whole "a- with some positive.." whatever it is they are talking about? Is this something I need to be concerned with? The pediatrician at the hospital did not seem concerned with anything, but he's not a hematologist or anything either.
how safe is conceiving when both the parents are o-ve and what are the possible complications that they can face during pregnancy and post pregnancy. Is it safe for baby and can he live a normal life....plz answer
my husband was a+ iam o+....when we were first married i miscarried 6 times....finally after 4 yrs of trying we had a healthy baby girl A+ we then had 3 sons all a+ when our 5th child was born a girl at great lakes navel hospital...i was in a ward with lots of other women maybe 6-8..this was in 1977..and the day after delivery one of the corpmen ran down between the beds the beds were lined on each side of a long hall with the nursery for the new borns at one end and the nurses station at the other end...anyway he ran down the middle yelling the that my baby's bilirubin had peaked for the 3rd time...this was the first i had heard of anything....i got out of the bed and checked the records at the end and found blood type cards for transfusion cliped to the chart...i then asked what was going on and they explained the a-o antibody factor....and said they would wait and check her one more time in a few hours to see if it had gone down....NOW my problem is this my daughter is emotional and mental impaired and spent all of her school years in special ed....when i asked my family dr about maybe there being a conection with the a-o antibody factor he said it was very possible that since she didn't get the needed transfusion that she should have had when she peaked the first time...that it left a small coating of a calcium deposit on the brain...Has anyone heard of such a thing?...I know that finally at the age of 26 the social security office admitted to government fault and paid her past social security in a large sum of money all the way back from her birth....but the Navy itself has never acknowleged the mistake and all her medical records disappeared shortley after her birth....Has anyone else ever had a problem with non transfused babies with mental disabilities? I had 2 more live births after her no problems and 2 late term miscarriages...that now days could have been saved....My husbands brothers wife had the same problem she only had 2 children and they both transfused immediatly upon birth...my mother was b- my father o+ had 4 girls and a boy no problems at all the last boy born had to have an immediate transfusion.....none of my 25 grandchildren had any problems.....How does one prepare for something so illusive and unpredicable....
Hi Jane I have a son who was born 2005 using ventouse in the end. He developed jaundice the day after he was born and needed double phototherapy as they said his bilirubin levels were high due to the bruising he had sustained from the ventouse delivery. I had my second son 18 months ago and he developed jaundice about 10 hours after he was born. Eventually he was tested and bilirubin levels were very high, he was taken to nnu and given triple phototherapy for about 2 days. They said he had ABO incompatibility. Could my first son have also been suffering with ABO incompatibility and if so would it have been helpful to know second time around? I would appreciate your opinion thank you
My comment relates to my experience 39 years ago. My daughter was born with jaundice, the cord was also yellow. It was a quick delivery, 2 hrs. She was my 3rd pregnancy. She was taken immediately to NiCU and her dr. was immediately there giving us the diagnosis of ABO of which we had never hear of. They wanted fresh blood but it was 3 AM so we had no choice but to accept a transfusion. She was in the NICU for a week and under the lights all the time. They suggested that I not have any more children. Since we already had a son we were fine with that. Having 2 healthy children was a blessing after what we had been thru with our baby girl. Doesn't sound like they've made much progress reading your comments. I had a normal pregnancy with both of my babies..we did notice our son had very olive skin and we were told to keep him in the sun as much as possible. I did have small babies. 5lbs for the 2nd and 6 lbs for the first. So sorry for those of you who have lost babies full term. It was so sad for me to lose one by miscarriage. The dr. said that's why I our daughter had such a hard time with her bilirubin count. We worried that she may have had brain damage until she began to develop normally at about a year old. My best to each of you.
3 day baby yellowish coloration, mother ab negative, baby ab positive , dobuble surface photo theraphy giving now, with iv fluid please give advise
hi..i like to ask if the mother is A+v and the 8 days old baby is AB+v who has jaundice...it may be ABO Incompatibility? thank u..
I have a niece who is 13 days old, has severe jaundice and high bilirubin levels, oval shaped blood cells and it seems the white blood cells are attacking and killing the red blood cells quickly. Drs have mentioned removal of her spleen, Nd are running tests. She is constantly under the light and now she has nail fungi Nd skin problems. The question I have is have you heard of any cases where a baby shows signs of ABO but the mother and the baby are both the same blood type Apos? Family very concerned.
I am writing it for my sister.She is 6month pregnant now,Her blood group is O-ve, She have a hystory of 2 abortions.After her second abortion she took Ant D injection. I am afried to ABO incompactibility to child. what are the complications I expect.What are the precutions I should Take? Her Hb% is 8.2 only now. Is it can be affected to child? could you give me a guidence?
Thank You
I have searched for as much info on abo incompatibility ever since my son was born march 2011 with it. he needed phototherapy once after he was born and then was hospitalized his first week of life for more therapy his lvls would just keep shooting up and then if that weren't enough we had to go back and have him hospitalized again the very next week it was a nightmare specially not knowing why this was happening. It took awhile for the jaundice to go away completely and then they also discovered he had a high platelet count which he still sees a hematologist for and we didn't get answers for that either. I am now 8 weeks pregnant with my second child and terrified he will have to go through the same thing we did with our first child. It's just comforting to know so many have also gone thru this especially when most of his doctors and nurses were very unfamiliar with what was going on.
Hey, I'm just a little bit confused about this ABO incapabiliy. Actually I'm O+ve and my fiance being AB+ve. Do you think we will have problems having babies? Jane, could you please explain what needs to be done when we plan having a baby after marriage?
my new born baby's bilurubin range is 16 mg, my wife is affected jaundiies during pregnency period and my wife is also a hyper thyroid patient. how effect to my childs health
Im in my second pregnancy my first pregnancy i was admitted to the hospital for a whole week because i had high blood pressure and protein in my urine baby was born and doctors diagnosed her with abo incompatibility and is A+ like her father and she was admitted to childrens for 24hrs under the lights and was anemic aswell.Currently with my second pregnancy i haven't got any high blood pressure and all doc check ups have been good those that mean my second child might have the possibility of being O+ like me and not have jaundice?
My mom had a problem with this when she was pregnant with me. Due to this i came out premature at 3 lbs 15 oz, and had to get blood transfusions as a baby. Do you think this is a part of the reason why i'm anemic?
Hi I had my childred 40 plus years ago.... both grown now with children of their own. Both had AOB Incompatibility My eldest child (a Boy) had the sunlamp treatment and was monitored closely. My 2nd pregnancy ended in miscarrage at about 4 months and my youngest child (a girl) also was monitored from birth by a paediatric specialist. She was severe and had a complete blood changing transfusion begining at 17 hours old. After reading some of the comments I feel that you are all way better informed than I ever was. Incidentally none of our 5 grandchildren have had any form of jaundice.
Hi I am B+ (my genotype is probably BO) and my boyfriend is A+ or A-. Are our blood types incompatible? I read some posts that a B+ girl and A+ boy are very much incompatible. Would there be any problems if we have children? We are already planning of forming a family soon.
Im RH neg and my partner RH positive unfortunately we lost our little girl at 36 weeks, we are waiting for post mortum results but I had a bleed at 24 weeks which wasnt picked up until 10days later, im convinced this is what affected my baby causing Rhesus Disease,I didnt recieve anti D and had a blood test taken 7-10 days later can anyone help
I'm a blood banker, and I'm afraid there's a lot of misconceptions here. In general, we ABO/Rh type the cord blood of babies whose moms are either Rh negative, or are type "O." We also perform DATs on the Cord blood. Two different reasons: 1)If the baby is Rh positive and the mom is Rh negative, the mother should receive Rhogam. This is done to keep mother from making real antibodies to the Rh(D) antigen, which can cause hemolytic disease of the newborn in subsequent pregnancies, and 2)If Mom is type "O," she has Anti-A and Anti-B. This is normal. If the baby is type "A" (in fewer cases type "B") the mom's antibody can cross the placenta and attach to baby's red cells, causing jaundice and red cell destruction. In this case, the cord DAT would be positive, letting the doctor know to watch the baby's bilirubin levels. Treatment can range from the bili light to exchange transfusions in extreme cases. More often than not, the ABO incompatibility doesn't lead to such serious issues; the doctors have to be watching for the possibility. There are lots of caveats, but this is a simplified explanation for non-medical folks.
My wife with 0 -VE blood group given birth to baby boy whose blood group is 0+Ve (my group). However, after 15 hours of my baby is born, the nurse while cleaning the baby noticed my sons body little turned to yellowish color and then immediately moved to NICU for the treatment. Looks like the bilurubin counts shooted up to 24 which is very high. They immediately did the " Blood exchange transufion" by the which the bilirubin count decreased to 12. Again my baby was monitored in NICU under triple surface blue lights and finally the bilirubins was lowered to 6.4. Could you please suggest me how and when the anti bodies developed in my son's blood would be washed away completely and when he will be left with only positive blood. How many more days will it take for normalizing and do you think is there any other risks involved. The doctors told the hearing test is normal, brain function scanning was done which is normal.....
Hi, I have 5 children and AtoO , it was first picked up on my first son with in the first 24 hours he started to become very yellow and I kept telling the midwifes, on the second day they took some blood to check his levels when I kept telling them he would not wake up or feed. He was admitted to NICU and responded well to treatment. I MC on my second baby and on my third he was O same as me so no problems. my next baby was very yellow within hours after delivery he was already in NICU because I had GD and his blood sugars dropped after delivery, he then was very poorly and put in intensive care but he responded well and did not need a transfusion. My 5th baby I told them beforehand about the AtoO so they were able to check her blood type at delivery from the placenta. she was watched closely and they did put her on a Bili blanket more as just in case (she was born in Australia, my other babies in Ireland) her level never went up very high and they thought it was a normal case of yellow Jaundice rather than AtoO she was fine :), my last baby again had yellow Jaundice I told the ped about the AtoO and asked her to check she would not!! He did need the bili blanket for two days but thankfully he was ok! We did have a worrying moment when he was home I was scared he was getting very yellow again and we had to go back to hospital for a blood test but he was fine. Not sure if this will help any one!! But if you know you do get AtO tell them at delivery so they can take some blood to check babies blood type and then you can watch for it, I do think early intervention after delivery helps instead of the wait and see option!
I was told by a doctor that all babies are born with the same blood type O+, is that true? Or false?
I am a mother of 4 kids and I have experienced this ABO incompatibility in all of them when I gave birth. I had type "O" blood and and all my children are type "B+" blood. I had even experienced serious case in my second child who had undergone exchange transfusion of blood. It was only today that it made clear to me how this happen. some says that it was only happened when a father is a type "AB" blood and the mother is a type "O" blood. However, upon reading the articles about the ABO incompatibility it was all about between the mother and the baby who have blood incompatibility due to antibodies of the mother that attacked the red blood cells of the baby. The bilirubin of my second child was dangerously high. My first, 3rd and 4th children were also diagnosed mild ABO incom... can this ABO incompativility be prevented? thanks.
I'm 22 years old male... Sir/Mam, my dad is A+ and mom is B+ and I am O+... Is it possible??? Or I'm adopted??? :(
Hi lige
The short answer is, yes it is possible for A+ and B+ parents to have an O+ child. In blood the Phenotype (observable trait of a cell) A affords the Genotypes (genetic makeup of the cell) AA or AO. Similarly the Phenotype B affords the Genotypes BB or BO. As such a couple who are A and B respectively can produce a child who is AB or O.
What we are talking about here is the concept of recessive genes, the same as in eye colour for instance. For you to have O+ blood, we can assume your parents are AO+ and BO+.
I hope this helps.
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