when your baby is positive and all you are is negative

This is a bit of a flashback blog.

During my pregnancy with Gab, when I had the 28 week blood tests, I got one of those phone calls from the GP - 'can you please come back, there's something not right about your results'.

Gulp.

Heart in my mouth I went back to my wonderful doctor, who had picked up that my titre levels were rising.  At that point I had no idea what that meant.  I nodded, went uh huh, and went off to have another scan of my growing little baby.

I learned that Titre Levels Rising did not mean I was eating way too much chocolate that was good for the baby (as I had suspected), but that my body was creating antibodies against my baby.  I was treating her like a foreign object in my blood.  My body was trying hard to expel her.

She had positive blood.  I am RH negative (here's a definition).

At some point between 12 and 28 weeks in my pregnancy there had been a bleed/some kind of blood transfer between her and me.  I have never really got a full answer on this, but sometimes it just happens.  Usually it is okay (eg positive and positive), but positive and negative blood mixing is BAD.  I had had a needle to prevent further difficulties after my first baby - but somehow it didn't work.

Basically, Gab was in danger of my body rejecting her.

So then came the scans and blood tests every week.  Testing the level of antibodies in my blood, and testing her development of heart, brain and lungs.  The balancing game of keeping her in utero as long as possible to develop and bringing her out before my body attacked her too much.

I remember so clearly the afternoon it was decided that she needed to come out.  I had waited for my blood test results at the Mater, and the doctor said - 'levels too high.  Go home, pack your bag, she's coming out this afternoon.'  I had made it to 36 and a half weeks.

I was induced.

Nuff said.

Then I met my beautiful little surprisingly red haired Gabrielle, got to hold her for about half an hour before she went off to the intensive nursery for severe jaundice.

Here she is having her UV treatment.

She had to wear little baby sunglasses and be tube fed for a while.

That's one jaundiced baby.

When we bought her home (after a two week stay in the hospital) she came with her own glowing bili-blanket to continue to help get rid of the jaundice 24/7.  She slept with me in bed, and it was like sleeping with a little glowworm.  She became our Gabby Glow-worm.

I had to leave her in hospital and come home before her.  I was remarkably well physically.  Leaving my little baby there and having to go and visit her to express milk was a dark dark time.  Expressing milk at the hospital is really not fun.

There were lots of things to be thankful about however.
- clever GPs who picked up on the initial diagnosis - if I had carried her to term there may have been severe consequences (illness, stillbirth)
- amazing hospital staff who cared so well for her and me
- the scientists who researched about this condition and came up with a simple resolution for most people (a preventative needle and UV treatment)
- Gab didn't need blood transfusions when she was born
- a wonderful husband who was a calm rock through all this, and dealing with an older toddler
- a now beautiful healthy slightly crazy girl

Now I carry antibodies in my blood.  If I got pregnant again I may have to have inter-uterine transfusions, or I might have miscarriages, or have a very pre-term baby.  Chris and I decided (after talking to a genetic counsellor - what a cool job) not to go for baby three.

The blood bank loves me to the point of stalking me. I have O negative blood with the antibodies in that they use to make the needles for other Rh negative mothers.  And I can pump out 600ml in five minutes.

I am so grateful for the gift of Gab.

 

Thanks God.