An Rh incompatibility qualifies as a "blood incompatibility", I would think.
All are components present in (or absent from) the blood that can mix when a
mother gives birth, and cause problems.  In a situation where the mother is
(-) and the baby is (+), there may be problems for the baby or, more likely,
for any subsequent (+) babies.  I had four babies who lived.  Three were
(+), one was (-).  I am (-).  My first three children, all (+), were
jaundiced, two remained hospitalized for a few days after my discharge. (I
was ready for this with my son and took him home shortly after birth where
his jaundice never reached dangerous levels and brief bouts of summer
sunshine kept it in check.  The only child who wasn't jaundiced was my last
child, who was also (-).  This is an intriguing situation, where it is
reversed.  I would think there is the same potential for Rh problems, though
not as serious as the blood transfusions needed for (+) babies of (-)
mothers.  The problem is that upon exposure to the Rh factor (in someone who
doesn't have it; ie the (-) person) their body sees it as a foreign antigen
and manufactures antibodies to it.  The problem is experienced subsequently
when the (-) person comes into contact with (+) blood and their antibodies
attack the Rh "antigen".  The repercussions are obvious for women having
multiple children, where the first child is not likely to be affected,
because the mother's blood doesn't come into contact with the babies until
delivery, when the baby is safely out.  However, for subsequent (+) babies,
the antibodies already exist in the mother and cause problems shortly after
birth.  I'm trying to reason why the (-) baby would be affected and could
only see it if they came into contact with a fair amount of (+) blood from
the mother.  This may be a zebra.  Perhaps the baby had a cephalhematoma or
some other reason for having physiologic jaundice.  

Perhaps someone can come up with a better explanation than I.  Oh yes, and
water -or Pedialyte- will NOT flush out the jaundice!  That's what they used
to say, but now we know better.  Babies need MILK (mom's of course!)

Marsha, whose first baby also got water and formula because it was something
about my (-) status and breastfeeding that caused it, or so my doctor
explained it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Marsha Glass RN, BSN, IBCLC~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mothers have as powerful an influence over the welfare of future generations
as all other earthly causes combined.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~John S. C. Abbot~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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