Thank you, Dr.Nancy Wight and Mary Graden for such great answers on this
subject. When I worked in NICU there was one Mom who had two babies within 5
years with this problem. First baby was transferred almost immediately after
delivery to a higher level facility and had major bowel surgery. Both of
course had exchange transfusions. (Baby # 2 was the first and only exchange
transfusion I ever took part in.)  Mom provided milk for both these babies
and put them to breast as soon as was possible.

Jean Macomber, RN, IBCLC
Jacksonville, Florida


Hi Lactnetters,
I am a blood banker by trade and I have done alot of antibody
identification and cross matching for fetal maternal incompatibilities
and for the life of me can not figure out what it has to do with
breastfeeding. If this baby has other problems that keep him from  being
able to take oral feeding than that is a whole 'nother ball of wax.  If
there is any antibody in the mom's milk, it isn't going to get  to the
baby's blood cells anyway.

 I was a Peace Corps volunteer at a mission hospital in the Congo. I
taught blood banking and  microbiology.  One day I took  my students in
to observe an exchange transfusion. They watched with interest and the
baby calmly lay there sucking his fist.  When it was over one young
student asked "Well what about the baby?  Aren't you going to give him
any medicine or anything? "The pediatrician scooped up the baby and said
"Nope I'm going to find his mama. He is going to nurse."
Mary Graden
Idaho


[log in to unmask] wrote:

> Good grief !!!!  Why can't the mother breastfeed?  Show me the research
that
> says mothers with Rh incompatibility have any increased risk of anything
with
> breastfeeding (assuming the Mom has plenty of milk and the infant
breastfeeds
> well)!
> There in NO contraindication to breastfeeding or breastmilk (when the
infant
> can be fed) with Rh incompatibility!!!!  IF any antibody got into the
milk,
> it would be broken down and used for it's protein in the stomach and small
> intestine.
> Nancy
>
> Nancy E. Wight MD, FAAP, IBCLC
> Neonatologist, Children's Hospital, and Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for
Women
> Medical Director, Lactation Services, Sharp HealthCare
> San Diego, CA, USA
>

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