Women with Rh type negative blood need to be conscious of specific issues surrounding pregnancy and childbirth. If a Rh type negative mother births an Rh type positive child and their blood mixes during pregnancy or birth, the mother can create antigens that will attack her next pregnancy. It's supposed to be a fluke but some of the modern birthing practices have made it more of a threat than even before.
Rh- mothers need to be very careful of who they allow into the birth space and what their intentions are. Clamping and cutting the umbilical cord before the placenta has delivered is one of the most common ways to mix baby and mama blood.
In a normal delivery, babies do not bleed. If the baby doesn't bleed it's blood shouldn't mix with the mother's blood. When you clamp and cut the umbilical cord too soon, the baby actually bleeds into the mother's circulatory system through the placenta (which is still a living organ of the baby's).
Because the practice of clamping and cutting is so popular, most practitioners advocate the use of RhoGham to protect future pregnancies from the antigens caused by it. It's a strange world...
RhoGham has its own set of concerns that come with it, until recently it was preserved with a mercury-derivative called Thimerisol and injected into women pregnant with their first child where it could do no good, only harm.
The ramifications of Rh- mothers and Rh+ fathers creating Rh+ babies are often misunderstood by practitioners and parents alike. Take the time to get the facts and a blood test before consenting to the RhoGham shot.
The midwives archives on RhoGham - they seem to like the stuff...
Kim Fox's page on Rh- mamas - A lot of good information here
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