by Janet Llewellyn

Nursing

Mrs. A was admitted to the labor and delivery in active labor. This was her third pregnancy. Her blood type was A and her Rh factor was negative. Her husband was also blood type A negative.

After delivery of the baby, cord blood was collected and sent to the lab to determine the Rh factor of the baby's blood. The report from the lab stated that the baby's blood was Rh+, which meant that the mother must be given an intramuscular injection of Rho-gam within 72 hours of the baby's birth to prevent the formation of antibodies in her blood. It also meant that Mrs. A's husband could not be the father of the baby. If both mother and father of baby are Rh- the baby will be Rh-.

Questions:

What is the nurse's responsibility in this situation?

Should she tell the mother of the lab results?

Should she tell the husband of the lab results?

Should she give the mother the Rho-gam without a detailed explanation of what the injection is for?