----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, February 01, 2003 2:45
PM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Info on Rhesus
negative births
If the baby was jaundice at birth then this is a
case where medical intervention and maternal separation is warranted. This may
be a result of isoimmunization where the mothers antibodies which she
produced in her last pregnancy [1.5% chance with good antenatal and
postnatal surveillance ] have attacked the babies red blood cells and the baby
needed to be born for medical care before it became very anaemic
and extremely unwell.
There is no reason she can't touch and hold
her baby she may like to have a member of her family with he baby 24 /7 play
known sounds or music to babe have an some articles to sleep with ie hat that
alternates between her and babe share each other smells,put a sign on cot this
is 'Mary daughter of blah blah and sister of etc- no teats or dummies
please I am b/f and the staff can be left with instructions to call p-parents
re any testing etc so they can be there with their baby ie the family part the
mum should feel she is in charge of things the mother bed should have many
photos of baby with her with her sister and her relatives all reminders that
this is her newborn Finally as babe improves the care should transfer to
beside mums bed .Hope he latter is very soon Jan
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, February 01, 2003 11:09
PM
Subject: [ozmidwifery] Info on Rhesus
negative births
A friend of mine
had her baby by C-Section this week due to problems resulting from her being
RH negative and her husband being RH positive. She was 37 weeks and the baby
has been in NICU since late last night because of severe jaundice (my guess
is that's from the operation). She has not been able to hold her baby or
breastfeed yet and has had massive headaches, poor thing but I think she is
expressing milk so that's a good sign. This is her second baby but I think
she also had a C-Section with the first.
We did talk a
lot about her birthing options before the baby was born but I am not
educated enough on Rhesus factors to know whether or not her C-Section and
the separation from her baby was indeed necessary. Does anyone know more
about this? I am not going to go and tell her now that it was not necessary
if that was the case but I would like to know for my own personal
knowledge.
Am planning on
calling her tomorrow to see how she is getting on (and how baby is getting
on). She is at the Mater Mothers Hospital in Brisbane.
Cheers,
Cas
McCullough
