A family story

A few days ago, my mom emailed me a recounting of her grandmother's struggle with Rh incompatibility during the 1910's-1930's.  I wanted to post it here so that future readers will have a better appreciation for how helpful RhoGAM has been.  I think it's deceptively easy to lose sight of the real contribution that medical advances have made to infant well-being over the last 100 years, when you don't have anyone left around to give first-hand accounts of how heartbreaking it was to have children suffer and how amazing it is that such suffering can now be so easily avoided.  True miracles!

Some quick background: my great-grandmother Pearl* was Rh- (A-, we think) and gave birth to a number of Rh+ babies - some which did not make it.  If this is something that will overly upset you to read about, stop reading now!  My grandmother Jane was A+, and the third born.  Edna was the first born, Gerry the second, and Mikey the fourth.  Both of Jane's daughters (my mother and her younger sister Dot, who was included in the email correspondence) are also Rh-, my mom being A- and Dot being O-.

*All names have been changed as a condition of permission to post, since my "slightly conspiracy theorist" mom sort of thinks every sharing of personal information leaves you open to government infiltration or something :)

Here is my mother's account:

"Here's my memory of the story Mom always told about her birth.  Both Aunt Edna and Uncle Gerry were full term babies and HUGE.  Uncle Gerry was, I think, quite a bit older than Mom--possibly he and Aunt Edna were two years apart and then Mom was four, five, six years younger than he?  Which might indicate there was a baby in there that Grandma lost, but Mom never implied there even might have been one between her and Gerry.  So if there was, the kids didn't know, and I've always thought of Mom as that third baby which is usually the one that signaled the Rh issue if there was one.

Mom always told me she was due in October, something to do with Grandma getting the older kids off to school in September, etc., causing stress.  Anyway, she was born early (September, 1922), tiny, and sick at home--under five pounds and they kept her in a dresser drawer.  This story was always told in conjunction with the one where she was like 50 pounds when she went to kindergarten and was voted the most healthy kid in her class (this back in the day, when a fat kid was considered a healthy one!)  There is a photo of her in front of the school: short Buster Brown haircut, dress, Mary Janes or shoes with buttons.  One of us has it, I hope.  So, she was a miracle baby, sick at birth but robust later.

Then, Grandma did lose two babies, both boys, full term and named, and I'm very sorry we don't have those names anymore.  Mom remembered seeing at least one of them and said he was perfect. The medical establishment, even in [edit: really remote and isolated small town that I have redacted], by Uncle Mikey's birth in 1937(? 39?) knew something of the Rh thing or at least suspected a blood incompatibility issue so Uncle Mikey was, I think, induced early, was definitely born not at home, but at a hospital, and they transfused him more than once right after birth. 

Mom was very concerned about me and my A- blood type and I knew about the Rh factor when I was growing up.  One of our older cousins had the shots, I'm pretty sure - gosh, I wish I weren't so fuzzy on all of that.  It had to have been in the 1960's.  And, of course, Dot, you had a baby before me, but Mom probably wasn't expecting that since I was older, so she really impressed this upon me as a teen, but maybe wasn't thinking of you.  I wonder when she found out you, too, were a negative blood type.  It's possible first she only thought I had the issue because Grandma was indeed an A-, like me, and you were not.  I know it is not that you heard these stories and have forgotten them because you never forget anything! [edit with my note: she really doesn't!  I've never met anyone with a memory as incredible as my aunt's!]

How wonderful for us all that the scientists have figured this all out.  Just back two generations, and they hadn't a clue!  Makes all those shots seem like nothing--they made me get one both times I was pregnant, "just in case."  I didn't have one after you were born because they'd determined your A negative blood type--although your Aunt Dot did get one after the birth of her daughter, even though she is negative, too.  And then with your brother, I had one at my amniocentesis, then at 28 weeks, and then when he was born (A+)--even though I kept saying, I'm not doing this again so it doesn't matter :)  The needle is really long, is what I remember.  Somebody should work on a pill...."

I just think that these types of stories need to be preserved for others, so I'm doing that here.  Hopefully someone will find it helpful someday.

To round out the week of immune challenges, I took our kitty in for her rabies and feline distemper boosters this morning.  The vet spent 20 minutes lecturing me about how she thinks the kitty is too fat, despite the seriously restrictive diet we've had her on since February.  You be the judge....

Sweet Abby Pumpernickel Bean Sprout
Ok, maybe not her best angle - but I haven't been taking enough photos of her recently! 

Maybe not this angle either...but she is so darn CUTE!  And even if she looks huge, she's actually only a 12lb cat.

Added bonus: Bump at *almost* 32 weeks.  Ignore the sweaty yoga clothes/hair.