I would like to know if anyone is familiar with fetal incompatibility caused by the mother's negative blood.

My Japanese husband has positive blood and I am A-ve. I hope to start a family but am a little worried if hospitals in Tokyo are familiar with the problem.

I would love to hear from anyone in a similar situation who has given birth here. Information on a facility with English speaking staff would be great, but Japanese only is no problem.

I believe it's not a problem with the first baby, only with later children (from the same father and mother). And the Japanese are definitely on top of this. In fact, statistically they have the best successful birth rate in the world. (This statistic of course is arguably so high because of low teenage pregnancy rates and a highly educated population with excellant access to good pre-natal care.)

Dear Andrea,
I am Rh negative, my husband Rh positive and we have two children (I went back to Australia for the first birth and stayed in Japan for the second birth). Rh negative mothers are very rare in Japan, but the Japanese definitely know about the problem and will check your blood frequently during pregnancy. However, make sure you ask whether they are checking if you are producing antibodies (it's not checked for during a regular blood check for pregnant women). I had my daughter at a well-known hospital that deals with a lot of foreigners, but they had overlooked my Rh negative status even though it was my second pregnancy in Japan. Once I bought this to their attention, it was closely watched--so the lesson is never leave such situations up to ANY health professional anywhere, YOU need to make them aware of your situation. Upon birth, I was given an injection of Anti-D globin (in both cases), but the Japanese doctors gave me a "blood record card" that states I am Rh negative and another that states I was given an injection after birth. So, if anything, the Japanese doctors fussed more about me being Rh negative than the Aussie doctors did. Don't worry you will be fine when the time comes.

Juliane

Andrea- I'm currently 31 weeks pregnant, and going to a hospital that doesn't see a large number of foreign patients. I have AB- blood, my husband has A+. My doctor is fully aware of the problem and doesn't seem at all worried about it; apparently, after the baby is born, I'll have a shot if the baby's blood tests Rh+. Hope this sets your mind at ease!
Marnie