What we couldn’t see
With her first pregnancy Alani’s gynaecologist made sure she knew what the Rhesus factor is.
“I have a Rh-negative blood type, and my husband, Naldu, inherited aRhpositive blood type.
“We knew that the difference in blood type between a pregnant woman and her child can cause complications, as the baby can inherit the protein from their father.”
Luckily, Alani had an easy pregnancy, and their healthy baby girl, Lané (now 4), was born without complications. With her second pregnancy, things looked a bit different. Her gynaecologist insisted on monthly blood tests to ensure Alani’s blood stayed Rh-negative. All went well until 28 weeks, when the results came back Rh-positive.
“This meant that our baby’s
