2017
My daughter Janine is expecting her third child, Jacob. Her pregnancies are high-risk.
This time, she is determined to have a natural birth with the help of a doctor who is also a midwife.
March 22nd
Janine captions her selfie, “Halfway there!”
She is incredibly beautiful and thrilled.
April 5th
My daughter Rebecca texts, “Did Janine call you? She had a car accident.”
May 18th
Janine’s texts: Ugh! The doctor called. My blood work is weird. It’s confusing. She has to fax it to a specialist.
You know how I get Rhogam?
The antibodies are showing up like I’ve had it with Anti D Antibody even though I haven’t had it since Caleb. There is all kinds of stuff about blood transfusions on the baby and not carrying to term with it. She kept asking if the hospital gave it after the accident. She said I would probably get phone calls from the hematologist and high-risk.
I’m guessing it means the shot won’t work to stop me from attacking the baby ~ when I actually get it. When your antibodies are positive, it’s when you are sensitized. I’m assuming transfusion is there because I will need one in vitro.
It’s saying if this is what’s happening, I have become sensitized, meaning our bloods have mixed and the baby is positive blood like Gary.
Things that mix blood are trauma, like car accident.
Well, apparently you have to educate yourself these days because this was not mentioned at all until my doctor asked if I got the Rhogam when I saw her after the accident, and I said, “No, I didn’t understand why I would need to”, but now it makes sense. Any trauma, you have to do transfusion within 12 hours. My doctor sent me to ER. ER did not.
Blood transfusion may need to be done in vitro or once baby is here if he is developing anemia.
May 19th
Janine’s texts: I just called the hematologist since I haven’t heard. Of course, he’s not in. The nurse was like, “I have something here that says your antibodies were positive and blood transfusion. Did you have a blood transfusion?”
And now I’m freaking out even more, and I can’t see him until Tuesday. We have to discuss in person Tuesday.
I’m frustrated. My blood doctor is perplexed and has never dealt with this. We are repeating the blood work. He is calling the high-risk. He showed me the results. In one, it has me positive for D and C Antibodies and then a couple minutes later it has me negative which is why he’s re-doing the bloodwork.
She said we can’t prove it was the accident, but it probably was our bloods mixed somehow, and mine started to attack. She said if we were even thinking of having another baby it would need constant transfusions. So basically my life is planned out.
May 25th
Janine’s texts: So I am testing positive for the antibodies, and I am sensitized right now. I’m not at a critical level. I have to be tested weekly to check the levels. If it reaches critical at this point, they will just deliver and do blood transfusions and possible lights for jaundice, which can get bad enough with this that it can cause brain damage. So let’s pray for these levels not to rise to critical, but there’s no stopping my body now from taking away the baby’s red blood cells, so we could have a baby at any time. So all they can do now is watch?
Me: Did they say anything more about the C Antibodies?
Janine: There’s no fixing it.
Me: I’m sorry you can’t have more babies
Janine: That all depends when he gets here.
She said even if he doesn’t reach critical he will more than likely be in NICU.
Me: With the jaundice?
We will just keep praying then that everything is safe and smooth. I know it is hard for the baby to be in NICU, but it also kind of makes me feel safer that he will be monitored.
Janine: Clearly there needs to be a bigger emphasis on educating the 15% of the population that are RH negative on what exactly Rhogam is for. I made a Facebook post and most are like me. You just knew you needed it because of your blood type but never knew why.
All it takes is one doctor to make a mistake and not give you the injection, and you can never go back once you are sensitized.
I forgot to tell you he’s already 3 lbs, and she said something about him being in the 94th percentile and she doesn’t like them over the 95th, and me and Gary just looked at her like she was crazy because this is an accomplishment for us.
I just looked through my hospital records with Caleb. He is Rh negative, which is why I didn’t need the shot after his birth because we have the same blood type, and he didn’t affect my body at all. This has to be from the car accident.
There’s absolutely no way I could have been sensitized after Caleb’s birth because it’s just not possible with his blood. The car accident is the only thing.
I’m A Negative. Gary is O Positive. You still have to do blood work to determine your Rh factor though. I don’t know Caleb’s blood type. It just says he is Rh negative.
She said we have to assume Gary is Rh Positive with my developing antibodies. Plus, Caiden is Rh positive, so Gary has to be.
May 28th – Janine’s 31st birthday
Janine’s text: I was talking to Lori, the NICU nurse, and I said I would rather the baby be with her and close to home, and we got on the subject of the Rhogam because she had walked down and asked the labor and delivery nurse why they thought I needed to go to Chicago to deliver, and both of them said, “I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t have gotten Rhogam. They sent you to labor and delivery right?” And I’m like, “No, they didn’t.”
May 30th
Janine: The first thing he said when I cried was, “There’s a lot of emotional trauma that comes with being in an accident pregnant”.
June 8th
Janine’s texts: I’m so over doctors. Neither of them has called this office with a script. I literally talked to one yesterday to make sure she was going to do it. Now I have to wait for them to get in contact with one of the doctors and get a script faxed over. I seriously just left. I don’t have time for this crap. I rescheduled for Monday.
They have no orders for these tests from the doctors. The nurse has to go talk to the doctor and get the order and then fax it, which she’s with a patient now so obviously I don’t have time.
It’s such good news, and then you read the bottom like, “Yeah, still sucks! I can’t figure out what the C-thing means.”
ABO/Rh A NEG
Antibody ID Anti D
ABID Report See Below
Ab Titrated Anti D
Previous Titer 1-4
Current Titer 1-4
Antigen Type C-
The antibody detected was Anti D. This antibody has been implicated in Hemolytic Disease of the newborn.
I just talked to the attorney. He talked to an ER physician in NY.
Doctor in New York said the standard of care there with any pregnant RH negative woman who has been involved in trauma: you come into the ER, you tell them their option of getting the Rhogam, then you call their OB and tell them the option of getting the Rhogam. They don’t administer it there – (regardless, none of this happened) – and he said he also will always put the fetal monitor on to check the baby’s heart rate, which didn’t happen. He said he already spoken with the guy’s insurance, and they are extending $5 grand right now to repay medical costs, and he also told them they will be paying for the baby.
June 29th
Janine: I’m probably going to lose my mind with every single doctor I have right now.
But this chunk is already measuring in at 5 lbs 5 oz. They were off by 3 lbs with Caleb, but still.
We had the ultrasound today and the tech is like, “OK, you are all done for the day. The doctor’s on vacation. The high-risk in Chicago will read, and if there’s any problems, call you”. Why even have me come then because I have a thousand questions? Is this high-risk in Chicago going to actually know what’s going on with me? I’m irritated…
July 12th
Janine: I’m probably going to have an anxiety attack. The doctor here is refusing to deliver me, and I know it’s because they know I have an attorney because he called for medical records…I honestly don’t know what to do. The high-risk has said from the start it’s ridiculous I can’t deliver here. I have to have two appointments in Chicago before they will accept me as a patient. I’m already almost 35 weeks.
If I do have that ICP, they don’t let you go past 37 weeks. I’m 36 the day after tomorrow.
There’s no way to prove it, but they have been different since this happened.
Even though my levels have stayed the same and I may not have ICP, I still feel like he would be safer outside of me at this point.
I don’t think anyone actually knows. I guess it’s not like if he comes out fine, he’s in the clear because the effects of the anemia start to show with time or something, so I’m sure they do bloodwork and look for jaundice and keep an eye on him.
Everyone stares when I go out. It’s embarrassing.
Cross fingers. I asked my friend who’s a nurse, and she asked her medical director and she said to reach out to the doctor who delivered me last time here and see if he would assume care and I did and I have to talk to his nurse tomorrow.
She said it probably is cholestasis even if the blood doesn’t show it.
37 weeks – 6 days to 38 weeks.
So we need to see if this guy will deliver me basically. She said it’s very controversial.
Monitoring on it and when to delivery because with the cholestasis, there’s unexplained stillbirth.
So he has to come between August 2nd and August 6th and the high-risk is willing to talk to him too.
I feel like he’s not going to say, “No,” because from the looks on her face, this doctor is being absolutely ridiculous not delivering me.
She’s mad because they basically kicked me to the curb with no care in between, so she has me on her schedule now until we find out if Dr. will say, “Yes”.
Tuesday for monitoring. I’m waiting on his nurse to call me. She’s calling me for more info today.
She also said we may have to have him in the NICU, but the fact that my titers have stayed so good we may not.
It would be nice to get away with a healthy baby after everything since I know it has to be my last.
July 21st
Me: When is the high-risk doctor going to talk with Dr. Weiss? Which doctor has you on the schedule for Tuesday?
Janine: I talked to Dr. Wiess. He would have done it but he’s on vacation when the baby needs to be delivered. He wanted the “whole story” because there’s no way they would have refused to deliver me because of the fear of a pulmonary embolism because that is a risk with any surgery at any hospital with any patient which is a pretty clear indicator they refused me because I got an attorney. So, it’s too late. He would have done it because he’s had me as a patient before. There’s not even time for another doctor to see me at this point.
Me: What are other options?
What now?
Janine: What do you mean, “What now?” I don’t have any other options.
Me: Your doctor cannot refuse to deliver. Please call the attorney. You have to make arrangements for delivery before you go into labor. It jeopardizes your life and the baby’s life. She should not have continued to care for you if she did not intend to arrange for delivery.
If she is worried about a lawsuit, that is clear negligence and malpractice.
I am terrified.
Failure to follow through with delivery under these circumstances places her at much greater risk.
Especially if there is a risk of stillbirth after 37 weeks and she is aware of it.
Janine: I don’t know what you are talking about. She can refuse to deliver me. Any doctor can refuse. I don’t need you all worked up on top of my stress. The high-risk will have to deliver in Chicago.
July 29th
Janine: Caleb took my Pooh Bear tonight and said he needed to “Keep it safe while Jacob and Mommy were in the hospital” – first time since I was a kid I don’t have Pooh.
July 31st
4:00 a.m. We travel to Chicago for arrival at 5:00 a.m. Janine is admitted immediately.
Delivery is scheduled for delivery at 1 p.m. That does not happen. After hours, the doctor says they cannot deliver until the pediatric physician and the blood for the baby’s transfusion arrive. The doctor says they have to find my daughter’s precise blood type with the exact antigens and antibodies in case she needs a transfusion during the delivery. The blood bank could not find her blood type.
Late Morning:
Janine: Attorney just sent an email that he had requested my records from the OB on June 19. They didn’t give them, so he requested again on July 11 – the exact day they said they refused to deliver.
Late afternoon:
Janine: The blood bank is having a hard time matching my blood because of the antibodies, so that’s still the hold-up. He asked if they had a hard time the last time matching it because it takes about two hours, and we said they didn’t even have blood on standby for that. Maybe we did come to the right hospital.
Me: That makes me feel a lot better that they are being conscious about your blood. Also a little concerning that they didn’t have any before since I’m pretty sure that for any surgery they are supposed to have a bag there just in case.
Janine: I guess because of my antibodies or something it has to match perfectly – like I couldn’t take a universal donor.
We are confused if this is a different antibody but he said it’s got to be an exact match.
I dunno, but we just heard her say she still hasn’t heard from the blood bank. Lucky nothing happened last time during my C-section where I needed blood. It is the same antibodies.
Late Evening:
Janine: Baby has my blood type. I dunno what kinda miracle that is! That’s why he’s fine!
Me: Wow! That is a miracle!
Janine: I just asked and everyone is totally confused. She’s like, “Are you sure you didn’t have Rhogam?” I’m sure. This will make everything very complicated with the lawsuit.
This antibodies thing is extremely overwhelming and confusing. The blood bank said it has to be a Rhogam shot why I’m testing positive because the baby is the same as me. I said I’m 100% I never got one this pregnancy so now they are requesting my records from the car accident to confirm I never got one. It’s hard enough when I thought I could confirm it’s from the accident when I have this and no one to blame. It’s very upsetting.
So in February, pregnant with Caleb with Dr W. Antibodies negative.
In June after Rhogam, antibodies positive.
After birth, antibodies positive.
No Rhogam given.
B it’s “passive” positive meaning they think it’s positive because Rhogam still in system.
But technically then, I’ve never gotten rid of positive antibodies since Caleb.
I bet I bled out the Rhogam with how much I was bleeding with Caleb.
I’m so upset right now.
I had no idea I had positive antibodies.
There has to be something that’s not right between my last two pregnancies. You don’t just develop antibodies. There has to be a positive fetus mix with your blood to develop them or the Rhogam shot or a blood transfusion of blood with it into you. Something doesn’t seem right at all.
Caleb has to be the one with Gary’s blood type. There was no further testing done when I tested positive for antibodies because I had gotten the Rhogam shot, so they assumed it was due to that. I tested positive again before I received the Rhogam after Caleb was born, but they said it was due to the Rhogam on 6/19, which doesn’t make sense because it only stays in your system 8 weeks, which would have been August not September 5th. Then they gave me Rhogam after he was born, and I still have antibodies, which means to me that my blood mixed with Caleb’s at some point before the first Rhogam on 6/19, and no one told me. Not the high risk, not the OB.
So basically, at this point, we are lucky Caleb is alive, and we are lucky this baby has my blood because if he didn’t, he would have been needing transfusions since the beginning and we would have had no idea. I’m ridiculously upset!
So Many Miracles
After what seemed like days, the hospital finally delivered our beautiful, healthy baby with my daughter’s Rh negative blood type. Transfusions were unnecessary. No one knows why my daughter’s blood showed positive antigens and antibodies that should not have been there, but it had not been caused by the baby’s blood mixing with hers. To me, it was all a miracle.
I really had no idea that in our modern world with the benefit of modern technology, pregnancy could be so dangerous to both mother and child, yet through all my daughter’s pregnancies, I was baptized by fire.
August 2nd – Miracle Baby #3
*****
