MEDizzy - A postpartum client, who just delivered a full-term infant,

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Neonatal and High-Risk Neonatal Management

A postpartum client, who just delivered a full-term infant, tells a nurse she is concerned about her Rh- negative status. She says that she received Rho(D) immune globulin (RhoGam®) during her pregnancy, and she wonders if she is going to need it again. The nurse correctly replies:

ExplanationRho(D) immune globulin is given in the postpartum period to Rh- negative women who have delivered Rh-positive newborns. Rho(D) immune globulin, when given at this time, prevents the mother from becoming sensitized from the fetomaternal transfusion of Rh-positive blood that occurred at delivery. When Rho(D) immune globulin is indi- cated, it should be given within 72 hours of the birth so the mother does not have time to produce antibodies to fetal cells. The mother will need rho(D) immune globulin with each subsequent pregnancy, pregnancy trauma, or pregnancy loss.