Rh BABY WELL

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30278, 2 November 1963, Page 13

Rh BABY WELL

Given Blood Before Birth

A baby boy born in the early hours of yesterday morning at Calvary Hospital was the second Child in the world to be born alive after receiving blood injections before birth. The first such child was born in Auckland in September. The technique, for babies whose blood is incompatible w-ith that of its mother

through their having different Rh-factor blood groups, was developed by Dr. W. Lrley of the National Women’s Hospital. Auckland In the case at Calvary, the technique was carried out by a team of Christchurch doctors and medicai laboratory workers. The baby’s blood was replaced soon after it was born. The obstetrician who headed the team working on the case said yesterday that everything so far was going well. But babies born after blood incompatibility difficulties often needed several blood replacements—sometimes up to half a dozen—and it was too early to say whether complete success had been achieved.

Last evening the baby’s condition was said by the hospital to be “quite satisfactory,” and the mother was also doing well. One baby in 200 is an Rh baby.