I'm sure everyone has heard of neonatal hemolysis, which is related to the blood types of both the mother and father. If neonatal hemolysis occurs, symptoms such as jaundice, anemia, and nuclear jaundice may occur, and in severe cases, it may even endanger the life of the newborn. Therefore, parents should take it seriously. Will type A and type B hemolysis occur?
Normally, it is not possible. The two most common hemolytic diseases of the newborn are ABO hemolytic disease and RH hemolytic disease. ABO hemolysis occurs in women with blood type O, but if a woman has blood type A or B, the likelihood of hemolysis is very low. The following situation is that pregnant women with RH negative blood may experience hemolysis during the second pregnancy, but it can be avoided as long as timely pregnancy testing is done.
So, how can hemolysis occur? Firstly, parents determine the blood type of the fetus. If the baby inherits blood type antigens from the father that the mother does not have, the baby's red blood cells will cause the mother's body to produce corresponding antibodies, which will then react with the antigens in the baby's body, resulting in hemolysis.
So how can moms and dads prevent neonatal hemolysis? If it is to prevent ABO hemolysis, mothers should monitor bilirubin levels in the early stages of their baby's birth and promptly perform phototherapy if possible. At present, only RHD antigen technology is available for preventing RH hemolysis. Within 72 hours after giving birth, mothers receive an intramuscular injection of Rh immunoglobulin (RhDIgG) to prevent the occurrence of Rh hemolysis in the next pregnancy. However, instead of waiting for hemolytic disease to occur before treatment, it is better for parents to undergo various physical examinations before pregnancy, especially to have knowledge of blood types, in order to make sufficient preparations for preventing hemolytic disease in the baby.
