Rh disease is a blood disorder that affects over 4,000 babies in the United States every year. This disease affects newborns every year because of an incompatibility between the mother's blood and her fetus during pregnancy. It causes severe destruction of the fetus' red blood cells. This disease does not affect the mother's health at all, but can result in the baby having yellow skin and eyes, anemia, brain damage, heart failure, or even cause death among some newborns.
An Rh factor in an inherited protein found on the surface of a person's red blood cells. When someone is born with out this factor, they are considered to be Rh negative. If a woman is Rh negative, and conceives a baby with an Rh-positive man, it is possible that her baby could inherit the father's Rh-positive blood. This is a problem because due to the fac
Rh-disease usually does not affect the first child of a couple. This is because antibodies against the baby usually do not form in the mother until after birth, therefore they do not affect the first baby. The antibodies stay in the mother though, so they can harm any of the children conceived after the first child. In this case, the baby is at serious risk of severe anemia during pregnancy, or being very jaundiced after birth.. If born with anemia, a blood transfusion may be necessary, and in the case of jaundiced a baby can be treated with phototherapy. Phototherapy is the use of special blue lights to relieve jaundice.
If in fact a woman is Rh-negative and pregnant, there are two options that a woman can take. If it the woman's first child she can often wait until she delivers the baby, and then receive an injection with in the firs
All papers and essays are for research and reference purposes only!
Copyright 2002-2009
Direct Essays , LLC. All Rights Reserved. DMCA Webmasters make $$$$