Monday, May 10, 2010

O Negative = A Positive

Get it? A positive? As in a good thing? I crack myself up.

We got Ben's blood results back. He's O negative, so we shouldn't have to get the Rhogam shot at 28 weeks. Woo hoo!

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Rhogam shot is standard practice for all Rh negative mothers. As my doctor explained it, it's cheaper to vaccinate every Rh negative mother than to have their partners' blood types tested. But that just didn't seem right to me. What if Ben and I had compatible blood types?

Now I'm not anti-vaccine. I got my flu shots as recommended, and I fully intend to vaccinate our child. Plus, Rhogam is vital when it's really needed. It prevents the mother's immune system from attacking her baby's red blood cells (if the baby is Rh positive).

What I have a problem with is doing something "just because." Blindly accepting a vaccine that may or may not be needed seemed crazy to me. Not everyone fits the same mold, in pregnancy or otherwise.

2 comments:

  1. Yay for Ben and his O- blood! Is he a universal donor then? Nice choice in husband Sam - you'll never be without available blood. :)

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  2. I'm surprised they let you test Ben. Our midwife explained to us that while Zach and I swear up and down we are the baby's parents they can really only be 100% sure that only I am his parent, and thus testing Zach's blood might not even matter. Good to know though and I will ask her if that is an option for us!

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Thanks for reading!