Hi,
Hoping someone might be able to shed some light on the results from a 28 week prenatal blood test. My blood group is A Positive. As part of the standard testing they did an Antibody screening which came back abnormal. The Midwife told me it was for 'R1R1 K negative'. She said it was incredibly rare, and as she had only heard of 4 other cases with the same issue during her career, she was unable to give me any more information about it. Needless to say, I'm rather worried, even more so after consulting 'Doctor Google'.
This is my first pregnancy and I have never received a blood transfusion. I remember reading about ABO and Rh incompatibility in school but have never came across R1R1 or Kell before. Would I K positive baby in a K negative mother be an issue in a first pregnancy? At what point does the mother start developing antibodies, is it already in pregnancy or first at birth?
I had originally 'planned' a non medicated water-birth. In this case, would you say a C-section would be safer? I'm guessing that it would give the baby more rapid access to medical intervention.
Should I have my medical records updated to say my blood group is: R1R1 K negative?
I requested a print out of the results from the Midwife to see if it could help me get a better picture of the situation but I think it has just added to my confusion.
The comments from the Bld Bank was:
RHK (Vision)
RHK CCee KNEG . Probable genotype R1R1 K negative.
Weak reactions contained in 26 out of 30 panel cells by IAT. We cannot exclude the presence of underlying alloantibodies. Please send in 3 EDTA samples for reference lab.
Group & Screen (+/- Crossmatch)
Group A POS
Ab. Screen Positive
Reactions in 26 out of 30 panel cells sounds very high to me. Is it cause for concern? Is Kell the same as alloantibodies?
Thanks in advance, most grateful for any replies.