It’s almost inconceivable that a baby could ᴅɪᴇ because of a seemingly minor difference between its ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ and its mother’s ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ. But that is what can happen in severe ᴄᴀsᴇs of ᴀ ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ called ʜᴇᴍᴏʟʏᴛɪᴄ ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇ of the fetus and newborn (HDFN). While it’s not ᴜɴᴄᴏᴍᴍᴏɴ for mothers and their children to have incompatible ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ types—and it usually doesn’t result in serious problems—in the case of HDFN, the mother’s ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴇ sʏsᴛᴇᴍ ʀᴇᴀᴄᴛs in an sᴇᴠᴇʀᴇ way to the ʙᴀʙʏ’s ʀᴇᴅ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴄᴇʟʟs and her ᴀɴᴛɪʙᴏ ᴅɪᴇs ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ them. It was once responsible for thousands of ɪɴFᴀɴᴛ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜs each year.
The mums have told of their ʜᴏʀʀᴏʀ after finding out their own ʙᴏᴅɪᴇs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴘᴏɪsᴏɴɪɴɢ their unborn babies. Sᴛʀᴜᴄᴋ with rare ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀs, it put their newborns at ʀɪsᴋ of ᴅʏɪɴɢ both in the womb and once they were born.
Nicola Hallam, 36, was told there was a “very high chance” her son Finlay could ᴅɪᴇ just four hours after his birth. She was told merely hours after Finlay was born, in 2012, that her ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴇ system had been ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋɪɴɢ him in the womb. In about 10 percent of pregnancies, mum and baby have different ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ types and are ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ɪɴᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀᴛɪʙʟe. This can become a problem if a small amount of the baby’s ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ enters the mum’s body and it is ᴜɴʀᴇᴄᴏɢɴɪsᴀʙʟᴇ and considered a foreign ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛ.
The mum’s ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴇ system ʀᴇsᴘᴏɴᴅs by making ᴀɴᴛɪʙᴏᴅɪᴇs to Fɪɢʜᴛ and ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴏʏ the “Fᴏʀᴇɪɢɴ ᴄᴇʟʟs”, called ʀʜᴇsᴜs ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇ. These antiboᴅɪᴇs then naturally cross over the placenta into the baby, where they start to ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴏʏ the ʙᴀʙʏ’s ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ, causing ᴀɴᴀᴇᴍɪᴀ, ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ʙʟᴇᴇᴅs, Fʟᴜɪᴅ ʀᴇᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ and heart Fᴀɪʟᴜʀᴇ.
Nicola, of Forest Town in Mansfield, said: “It became clear about four hours after his birth that there were too many of the antiboᴅɪᴇs from me ʟɪɴɢᴇʀɪɴɢ and ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴏʏɪɴɢ his ʀᴇᴅ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴄᴇʟʟs. I was told there was a very high chance Finlay could ᴅɪᴇ or at best be ʙʀᴀɪɴ ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇᴅ. It was extremely ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀᴛɪᴄ but the doctors were amazing.”
All youngsters sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇᴅ thanks to miracle ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄɪɴᴇ that relies on the kindness of strangers. They were given life-saving ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴏɢʟᴏʙᴜʟɪɴ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄɪɴᴇ to calm ᴅᴏᴡɴ the ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴇ ᴄᴇʟʟs ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋɪɴɢ their ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ. Iᴍᴍᴜɴᴏɢʟᴏʙᴜʟɪɴ, used for 50 various conditions, is made using ᴅᴏɴᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴘʟᴀsᴍᴀ. It’s given to 17,000 people a year, sometimes babies and children in life-threatening situations.
Nicola said: “You don’t realize how important ᴘʟᴀsᴍᴀ is until you or someone you love needs it. Dᴏɴᴏʀs sᴀᴠᴇᴅ my little boy’s life and I am very, grateful to the people that ᴅᴏɴᴀᴛᴇ. I didn’t know what ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴏɢʟᴏʙᴜʟɪɴ ᴡᴀs really when Fɪɴʟᴀʏ was given it.”
Finlay had what’s ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ʜᴀᴇᴍᴏʟʏᴛɪᴄ ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇ of the newborn. There was a ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ that his sister, Darcie, would sᴜFFᴇʀ the same ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍ, given that Nicola had created antiboᴅɪᴇs ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ Fɪɴʟᴀʏ’s ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ type. So when Nicola got pregnant with Darcie, she was given weekly daylong ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴏɢʟᴏʙᴜʟɪɴ therapy for four months before the birth, in 2015.
Nicola said: “It could slow the speed as to which the antiboᴅɪᴇs were crossing across from myself to Darcie, therefore delaying the time the baby would become severely ᴜɴᴡᴇʟʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴᴀᴇᴍɪᴄ. The doctors weren’t sure if I could even get to 16/17 weeks gestation before the baby would need an ɪɴᴛʀᴀᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʀᴀɴsFᴜsɪᴏɴ but I got to 29 weeks with ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴏɢʟᴏʙᴜʟɪɴ. When Darcie was born she was given ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴏɢʟᴏʙᴜʟɪɴ too.”
The ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴏɢʟᴏʙᴜʟɪɴ helped calm down mum’s ᴀɴᴛɪʙᴏᴅɪᴇs in newborn ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ and sᴛᴀʙɪʟɪsᴇ his ᴘʟᴀᴛᴇʟᴇᴛ levels.
“It prevented him from having another ʙʟᴇᴇᴅ that meant he could ʀᴇᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴘʟᴀsᴍᴀ ᴅᴏɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ can be the difference between life and ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ. ᴘʟᴀsᴍᴀ ᴅᴏɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ is really important as it can contribute to sᴀᴠɪɴɢ people’s lives. Sometimes it’s not until you are Fᴀᴄᴇᴅ with a life or ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ situation that you really truly ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇ how incredible the people are who have been able to ᴅᴏɴᴀᴛᴇ. ” she said
