Whew! Found my midwife. That's a HUGE weight lifted all my shoulders. I was nervous I wasn't going…

Lol is your crazy natural childbirth?

Haha no. I have homebirths. But i decline some things which are pretty big. Like Rhogam, so finding a midwife who will take me as a client isn't always easy.

Tell me about declining rhogam.

It's a personal decision but one that affects which care providers will take me on. It's a blood product. Pooled from the blood of other women. I'm not comfortable with a blood product being injected into me for prophylactic reasons. Additionally we are one of very few nations with modern medicine that give it to ALL negative women regardless of risk factors or lack there of.

Is it anything like a blood transfusion? Or not even close?

No. The shot is created from women who are sensitized. It's the plasma. Not whole cells.

Very interesting. I don't know much about it. I had an aunt who had it. I thought I remembered her saying that she felt bad through her pregnancies and they realized she needed the shot. Once she got it, she felt better...? That could totally be wrong, and I especially think so after reading up on it. Apparently it doesn't cause problems on the mother, is that right? Have you or your babies ever had any issues? I'm assuming not since you're willing to refuse the shot.

It's not nearly the same, but my last baby had ABO incompatibility. That was the first I'd ever heard of ABO. I still don't REALLY understand ABO either.

ABO incompatibility is actually very similar to what happens when a women becomes sensitized to anti-D (what Rhogam is meant to prevent). The antibodies (if you create them) attack the baby and can (in the worst case scenario) cause Hydrops Fetalis. There's another similar condition also with a blood factor called Kell. Like ABO incompatibility there is no "cure" or preventative measure like Rhogam. Blood is fascinating.

Sensitization occurs very rarly, and actually occurs more often in a hospital setting simply because of the way they manage birth and particularly the placenta. To become sensitized your blood and the blood of a + baby must mix twice. Not once. Twice.

I am not sensitized or wasn't with my last baby. I get an indirect Coombs test several times throughout pregnancy to check my titers. Because it IS a risk out factor for homebirth if I were to be sensitized.

The sensitization is something that is only a problem with Rh, right? Not ABO or Kell?

I have home births as well! I don't know very much about rh negative... I've never had it.

Kell is like RH. Your sensitized but it's different then RH. Similar. But different. There's no shot for Kell like with RH.