Rh Negative: Is Homebirth a Possibility?
I am interested in having my next child at home. However I am RH negative. I would like to know if that would put me in a higher risk category and if I would even be accepted for a homebirth.
Question:Peg Plumbo CNM
Peg Plumbo has been a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) since 1976. She has assisted at over 1,000 births and currently teaches in the... Read more
The essential care of a woman who is Rh negative begins with her first pregnancy. RhoGAM is administered at approximately 26-28 weeks and then again after birth if the child is Rh positive. Titers are drawn several times during that pregnancy and the whole process is repeated with each successive pregnancy.
If this has been done with your first child and you have negative titers and you receive excellent prenatal care, then the fact that you are Rh negative alone should not make you a poor candidate for home birth.
Your midwife or doctor should have extensive protocols and should collect a thorough history before agreeing to attend you at home. If he or she does not, you will need to secure a safer birth attendant.
Thanks for writing.
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