Why is Rh Negative Blood a Concern?
About 15% of the population (less in African-Americans or Asiatic populations) have Rh- blood. When a woman has Rh- blood and her partner has Rh+ blood, serious problems can develop. This is because the baby will more than likely inherit the more common blood type, which is Rh+. When the baby’s blood enters the mother bloodstream her body will see it as a foreign invader. Normally when the body does not recognize a substance, it will make antibodies to protect itself. These antibodies cross over the placenta and into the baby’s bloodstream. Once these antibodies are in the baby’s blood they will attack the baby’s red blood cells. Normally, the mother’s first child is not seriously affected by this condition. First children may have conditions that are less severe such as anemia (low blood counts), or jaundice. This is because the main time for exchange of blood occurs during birth of the baby, and the mother is most likely to develop antibodies after the birth. That is why more severe
