AUBREE’S STORY

A routine Rh incompatibility  test conducted around midterm in her pregnancy showed that Connie Marshall did not have the E-factor on her red cells.  This occurs in about 2% of the population. Her husband, Steve, however, does carry it, thus making it possible that the baby would also be E-factor positive.  This discovery immediately raised red flags in her doctor’s mind because her blood may be incompatible with that of her unborn child.  The doctors started monitoring the baby via ultrasound three times a week to watch for any changes such as increased blood flow, or enlarged liver, heart and spleen. Any of these conditions could indicate that the baby did receive the red cell E-factor from her father.  This in turn would mean that antibodies in the blood passed through the placenta from Connie to her baby would start attacking the infant’s red blood cells.  Those cells would then fall apart, and the baby would develop life-threatening anemia and jaundice.

On Christmas Eve, doctors decided the baby needed help and performed the highly complex procedure of an intrauterine transfusion of red blood cells.  Ultrasound is used to visualize where the umbilical cord attaches to the placenta. A needle is then placed into the vein of the umbilical cord at this site, and, based on fetal size and blood count, a calculated volume of blood is transfused into the vein.

Doctors continued the vigilant monitoring and decided that, for the baby’s safety, it should be delivered early through a Cesarean section.  And so, Aubree Marshall was born on January 12, 2007, weighing a healthy 6lbs 3oz.  However, she was still in grave danger from anemia and jaundice and had to remain in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Sacred Heart for another 16 days.  During her stay, she received four more transfusions of red blood cells.