Must Read! Dr. Ayeni explains what can cause stillbirth, newborn death

Must Read! Dr. Ayeni explains what can cause stillbirth, newborn death .  I thought I already know everything about Rhesus Negative blood group seeing that we have that plenty plenty in my family, but after reading these tweets by Nigeria’s Dr. Ayeni.

I saw myself learning about this all over again. Very valuable knowledge  shared freely on Twitter, after reading remember to follow Dr. Ayeni Official on Twitter and get more knowledge about things no one will tell you as a woman.

Read his educational blood group and rhesus tweets below…

1. A church recently started using the facility where I work for premarital medical screening. I’ve been privileged to counsel couples on the results of the blood tests. Let’s talk about “Rhesus incompatibility” THREAD!!!
2. One blood test that people are obviously familiar with is “Blood Group” which could basically be *A *B *AB or *O What people don’t really understand is the importance of the Positive/Negative, Rh D positive/Negative usually added? This is the subject of our discourse today…
3. Let’s for a minute forget about the letters A, B, AB and O. If you are Rh D positive, it means you carry the Rhesus antigen. If you are Rh D negative, it means you lack the Rhesus antigen. It’s that simple!
4. Again, let’s take a step backward to revise basic biology. Yeah, I hate biology too

5.  Antigens are proteins! Antigens are proteins!! So, Rhesus antigens are proteins too. As you can see, biology is too easy, that’s why I hate it.Now, when an antigen enter into someone’s body, especially someone without that antigen, the ‘soldiers of the body’ (White Blood Cells) see it as a ‘foreign uninvited invader’, go and mobilize, and start firing salvos (antibodies) at the antigen until it is destroyed.

6. O+ A+ B+ AB+ If your blood group and Rhesus factor is one of the above, you have the Rhesus antigen. Good news for you if you are a woman.
7. O- A- B- AB- If your blood group and Rhesus factor is one of above, you do not have the antigen. Not a bad news either if you are a woman. Ideally, being Rhesus negative woman would not be an issue if the male partner is negative too. In medicine, there are no ideal situations.
8. A typical scenario is a Rh negative woman pregnant for her Rh positive partner. The baby may inherit the Rh positive blood from the father. Usually not a problem if it’s the woman’s ‘first pregnancy’. That’s because the baby’s blood and mother’s blood don’t mix in pregnancy.

9. Hence the mother’s body soldiers don’t see the Rh antigen positive blood and don’t fight. However, during the process of birth, the bloods mix. But before the mother’s soldiers could go and mobilize and produce antibodies, the baby have escaped. The first baby is spared!

10. When the antibodies finally developed in the mother, they are ‘angry’ and ‘crazily mad’ that the first baby escaped. They are said to be ‘SENSITIZED’ and wait patiently for the next baby.
11. There are few occasions in which the first baby is not spared and include: *Prior abortion/miscarriage *Prior blood transfusion with Rh positive blood *Prior ectopic pregnancy *Invasive procedures like amniocentesis in pregnancy.
12. In the above few instances, the mother’s blood comes in contact with the baby’s blood in utero, or the mother gets the antigen from transfused blood and antibodies may already have been formed and they are already sensitized. The first baby suffers in these cases.
13. What happens to the next baby? For a mother that is already sensitized, the sensitized blood of the mother with its full arsenal crosses the placenta and attacks the baby’s blood like there’s no tomorrow. This is known as ‘Haemolytic disease of the newborn’ (HDN).
14. HDN is just a fancy medical terms for increased destruction of the red blood cells of the baby in utero. This is usually fatal and could cause intrauterine fetal death or stillborn or death within 7 days of delivery.

15. As long as the woman is sensitized and the fetus keeps inheriting the Rh antigen from the father, this cycle of pregnancy and stillbirths continue. N.B: This doesn’t happen in Rh positive women irrespective of the partners’ Rh status. Only of concern if the woman is Rh negative.

16. What to do as a woman? First and foremost, know your blood group and Rhesus status. If you are Rh negative and you have been involved in abortion/miscarriage, blood transfusion, or ectopic pregnancy, kindly go to a Teaching Hospital to find out if you have been sensitized.
17. This usually involves a cheap blood test. If you are sensitized, it only means you have the antibodies in your bloodstream. All hope is not lost. You might need to see an OBGYN specialist who will handle your case.

18. If you are not sensitized yet, CONGRATULATIONS! You can prevent sensitization in the nearest future as you have the potential to develop Rh incompatibility. When pregnant, Traditional Birth Attendant Home, Mission House is a NO!!! Do not take the RISK!!!

19. More During the first pregnancy, you will get 2 vaccines at 28th week of pregnancy and within 72 hrs of delivery. These vaccines are not cheap and that explains why you must know earlier to prepare for it. Also, the vaccines are for prevention of sensitization.
20. The vaccines are not useful in already sensitized women. Early antenatal care visit as well as doing your booking investigations will allow for early detection, appropriate counsel as well as proper management. Thank you for your patience.