[melissa1]

Hiya everyone right I'm 12weeks 3 days pregnant I have had 3 occasions where I have been spotting, the first time it was pink and the doctors said it was nothing and I had a scan at 10 weeks and everything was fine now on christmas eve I had some more brown spotting so I contacted the doctors again straight away who told me if its brown then its old blood and to just keep my eye on it and if I get any pain to go to the hospital!!
I had no pain and spotting only happened when I wiped so I didn't think anything of it.
Last night I went to the bathroom at approx 3am to find more pink spotting which I got quite worried about I went to docs first thing this morning who have arranged an emergency scan for tomorrow!
My doctor has been really good and has told me its prob nothing to worry about as there is no pain and its just a little bit of spotting which prob only lasts for 5 minutes!
At this moment in time I have no more spotting or anything but am in a bit of discomfort with my back it is killing me I don't no if the baby could be lay on a nerve or something but its hurting!
Could someone tell me if its anything to worry about and has anyone experienced the same things as me and carried on with a healthy pregnancy I'm so scared right now just want to know my little baby is OK!
Thanks melissa

[J_9]

This really could be a number of things from something as simple as placenta previa. However, at the hospital where I have been working (labor & delivery), and at school, we typically tell patients who are spotting and have back pain, to got get checked immediately.

Back pain could be nothing at all, but could also be a possible sign of impending labor or miscarriage.

Please have this checked out, better safe than sorry.

[melissa1]

So would you advise me to contact primary care now then even though its not accompanied by any more bleeding??
I'm so scared!

[J_9]

At the hospital we advise any pregnant woman who is experiencing back pain/cramps along with bleeding, no matter how slight, to be seen immediately.

We would rather you be seen and find out it is nothing to be concerned about, rather than to just sit idly by and find out that something could have been done.

[melissa1]

Thanks for your advise!
I am going right now xxx

[J_9]

Please keep me posted. I hope that they find nothing wrong, but it is much better to be safe and find out nothing is wrong, than to be sorry that you didn't go and that it could have been prevented with something as simple as bedrest.

[babieface85]

I had some pink spotting and I have a healthy one month old. I was very worried while I was pregnant. It normal to be worried about your baby, but chances are your baby is fine.

[J_9]

Babyface is right in that it can be normal, but coupled with the back pain, it is cause to be checked out.

I hope to hear an update soon.

[melissa1]

Well everyone everything is fine had emergency scan today to find there is nothing wrong with the baby, I seen the little heart beat fluttering away I was so releaved.
As I have rhesus negative blood I am supposed to get anti d shot at 28 weeks and 34weeks but they gave me one today as they said it could be something to do with my blood!
I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders the doctors have told me to rest!

[J_9]

I'm very happy to hear that everything is okay.

You are Rh negative... Did the doctor explain that for any bleeding episode you will have to have the RhoGAM shot? Any time you bleed, no matter how lightly, it should be reported to your doctor and the shot be given.

The RhoGAM shot will be given at 28 weeks and then again within 72 hours of delivery of the baby. Never heard about it at 28 AND 34 weeks though.

[melissa1]

No they never told me I have to have it if I bleed again they just said I will have it at 28weeks and 34weeks like I did with my 1st baby and after the baby is born if they are not born with the same blood group!
I didn't have to have it after my 1st birth as my daughter has the same blood group as me!

[J_9]

Regardless, you will most likely have it again after the second baby is born. The disorder caused by rH negative incompatibility does not happen with the first baby, only second, third and so on.

Since you don't know the blood type of the baby you are carrying, you need to report EVERY bleeding incident to your doctor... chances are you will get the shot for every incident just for the health and safety of the baby.

BTW... do you know if your husband's blood type is positive or negative?

[melissa1]

No he doesn't know what it is!
I'm glad you have told me about reporting any other bleeding I get cause no one has told me I will have to have the shot again!
He said he thinks its positive

[J_9]

Hubby thinks he is positive?

In the labor and delivery department where I work, we always give a RhoGAM shot to every woman who is Rh negative and for every bleeding episode, particularly with every pregnancy after the first pregnancy.

Luckily your first baby was Rh negative as you are... So, it won't really affect this pregnancy. However, if this baby is Rh positive then every pregnancy after this one is more at risk.

[melissa1]

At risk??
Why is this??

[J_9]

I'm not trying to scare you, okay. Nothing to be scared about, just informed and knowlegible, okay?

You see, our blood is either positive or negative for the Rhesus factor. You already know that. You are negative. We can have different blood types too... A... B... O... or AB

Each of these blood types will be positive or negative... A- for example... The Rh factor is a protein carried on the surface of the red blood cell. If you have this protein, you are Rh positive, if you don't you are Rh negative, which is what you are.

Now, say you have a baby who is Rh positive... There is nothing to be concerned with this first baby... However, your body has detected an intruder, which is the positive protein on the Rh factor of the baby.

With the each subsequent pregnancy your body's defenses say "oh no, we have an intruder here" and want to try and fight off the presence of the fetus much like our defense system fights off a common cold or a flu. It recognizes that there is something different and has remembered seeing it before in your body, so it tries to defend you by attempting to get rid of the intruder.

It is called Rh incompatibility. Thus the reason for the RhoGAM shot. This is like a vaccination similar to what our children get when they are infants. It prevents the mothers body from producing any possibly dangerous antibodies that can cause complications in the newborn or complicate future pregnancies.

You can read all about it here

What Is Rh Incompatibility?

[J_9]

Again, I am not trying to scare you, as your first child was Rh negative like you, there are no risks with this pregnancy, the risks may come into play with your next child if the one you are carrying now is Rh positive at birth.

**EDIT**

I just know that I liked to be well informed during all 4 of my pregnancies and my doctor never had a problem explaining this to me. This is how we explain it to Rh negative mothers in the hospital who refuse the shot after birth.

[melissa1]

OK now I understand this better so by getting this anti d shot it can stop it from happening if this baby is positive?
What if this baby is negative as well?
If I get pregnant again after this baby and this baby is positive when will they give the anti d shot? Will they need to do it straight away?
Sorry for all the questions its just all confusing

[J_9]

Hun, don't be sorry for the questions, that's what I do... as a nurse (well in May) that is what we do... TEACH! It's better to empower yourself with knowledge than to leave your health up to others. LOL

Okay, if this baby is positive, then there is nothing to be concerned about until the NEXT pregnancy, your third. However, since we don't know if this baby is positive or negative right now, we give the shot (it's called an immune-globulin), just in case the baby's blood mixes with yours. That's when the antibodies recognize a foreign substance and call out the troops (antibodies that destroy foreign substances).

So, since we don't know what this baby is until it is born, we give this shot to protect the baby from you and your immune system.

If this baby is negative as well then there is nothing to worry about with this baby, or the next... But you will have to go through the same thing.

If this baby is positive, you will get the shot within 72 hours after the birth (they usually do this regardless if the baby is positive or not). Then with your next pregnancy, it will be just like this one, you will get the shot at 28 weeks, then again 72 hours after birth.

I know it's confusing, I had to teach this to my classmates before our final exam last month, it seemed I was the only one in my study group who understood it. So, don't be ashamed to ask questions. Ask away!! ;)

[melissa1]

Thank you you explained that perfectly I understand it fully now!
You're a great help!
Can you just explain to me why they gave me the anti d shot today? Was it due to the bleeding?