Mother and fetus Different blood groups can be dangerous! This is the reason

During pregnancy, sometimes certain conditions cannot be avoided by a healthy lifestyle or by a doctor. For example, differences in blood type between mother and fetus. Conditions caused by genetic factors can, in certain circumstances, harm the baby.

A fetus whose blood type is different from its mother may suffer from anemia and jaundice (a condition that causes the birth of a yellow baby).

Although differences in blood type cannot be avoided, risks and complications can be reduced if appropriate treatment is immediately applied.

Blood type incompatibility

Every human being has a blood type with their respective characteristics. That is why, when you want to donate blood, a thorough examination is done so that the donor recipient receives blood with the appropriate characteristics.

People with blood type A certainly cannot give blood to people in group B.

In addition, the owner of type A blood is negative, he cannot accept blood from donors with positive blood groups, even if both are blood type A.

This also applies to pregnant women and babies conceived, with various types of blood, types and resus. In this situation, the mother's immune system will regard fetal blood cells as foreign.

So, just like when bacteria enter the body, the immune system will try to fight and destroy foreign objects because it is considered as a threat. After that, the immune system will form a memory that will continue to recognize fetal red blood cells as foreign bodies.

However, it must be remembered that the mixing of maternal and fetal blood usually occurs during labor. In this process, the placenta opens to allow mixing.

This makes the blood type mismatch more common during the second pregnancy and beyond.

The risk if the mother and fetus differ in blood type

Because the mother's immune system constantly attacks the fetus's red blood cells, the number of red blood cells in the fetus decreases. This condition can cause anemia in the fetus.

Anemia in the fetus can then develop and cause various complications such as:

Jaundice. This condition makes the baby appear yellow, especially in the eyes, skin and mucous membranes.
Enlarged liver and spleen
Hidrops fetalis. This condition occurs when the fetal organs are no longer able
treat with anemia that occurs, resulting in heart failure. In addition, this condition
also causes fluid accumulation in other organs and tissues. hidrops
fetus can cause fetal death.

After the baby is born, blood group mismatches can continue to cause interference. Not rule out the possibility, this condition develops into hemolytic disease in newborns (HDN), and causes diseases such as:

1. severe jaundice

In this condition, the baby's liver cannot handle large amounts of bilirubin, because red blood cells are constantly damaged. In babies with severe jaundice, the liver can continue to swell and experience anemia.

2. Kernicterus
Excessive production of bilirubin can accumulate in the brain. Kernicter condition is very dangerous for babies because it can cause various disorders such as convulsions, brain damage, the baby becomes deaf to death.

Treatment of differences between maternal and fetal blood groups

If the difference lies in the fact that there are differences in resuspension between mother and baby, the doctor will usually give immunosulin injections in suspension during the first pregnancy. Injections will be given twice, 28 weeks before pregnancy and 72 hours before giving birth.

These injections will work the same way as vaccines. Resus immunoglobulin will prevent the formation of antibodies that will attack fetal red blood cells, due to differences in resuspension. Meanwhile, to prevent HDN, doctors can take the following two steps.

1. Give a red blood cell transfusion to the fetus
In this procedure, the needle is inserted into the uterus and then into the umbilical cord blood vessels to provide a supply of red blood cells instead of damaged blood cells. This procedure can prevent anemia from developing deeper into fetal hydrops.

2. Do the work prematurely
If this incompatibility has caused complications in the fetus and fetal lung development is considered good, then the doctor may suggest that the work process begins early. This is done to prevent complications that occur more severe.

Differences in blood type between mother and fetus can only be detected if you regularly check the uterus at the doctor since early pregnancy. Therefore, do not miss your control program and lead a healthy pregnancy by always eating nutritionally balanced foods.