Saved in the womb

When Laura was pregnant with her son, Sebastian, she contracted human parvovirus, which can be passed from mother to baby. Sebastian received two blood transfusions when Laura was 17 and 19 weeks pregnant, saving his life…

20 week scan When Laura Fricker was pregnant with her son, Sebastian, she contracted human parvovirus, which can be passed from mother to baby. Whilst most babies are not affected, the greatest risk is between four to 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Unfortunately, Sebastian was affected and pre-natal tests showed he was anaemic and needed treatment. Sebastian received two blood transfusions when Laura was 17 and 19 weeks pregnant. These transfusions saved Sebastian’s life while he was still in the womb.

(Picture: Laura's 20 week pregnancy scan)

Laura says, “It is rare for them (doctors) to perform the procedure before 20 weeks, so you can imagine our worry. They inserted a needle through my stomach. We could even see the blood he had received on the scan.

“Seb is now 4 and perfectly happy and healthy; he just has two little scars on his tummy! These are our little reminder of how lucky we were that two people selflessly allowed their blood to be given to him. I honestly do not know what would have happened without the blood. At best, he would've been very poorly indeed and at worst...well, that doesn't bear thinking about! Blood donors saved my son's life and for that I will be forever grateful!”

Sebastian and his Mum — Laura and Sebastian

Sebastian age 4 — Sebastian is happy and healthy

how lucky we were that two people selflessly allowed their blood to be given to him

The blood used for these rare and unusual transfusions undergoes additional testing to ensure it is safe for the youngest patients: unborn babies, new-borns and children under one. Blood components are prepared from blood donated by previously tested donors who have given at least one previous donation within the past two years.

The blood must test negative for certain microbiological markers. This ensures that the blood products do not contain any clinically significant blood group antibodies and they must be negative for cytomegalovirus (CMV). This virus is usually harmless but can cause problems in unborn babies.

NHS Blood and Transplant supplies various neonatal blood products and each product has a different specification. Some neonatal products should be manufactured from donations collected from male donors. This is because male donors are less likely to have developed antibodies; females can often develop antibodies during pregnancy when they become exposed to the different markers on the baby’s red blood cells. Blood for neonatal exchange transfusions must be from male donors. During an exchange transfusion the patients blood or blood components are removed and replaced by donated blood or blood components.

What's special about 'NEO' Blood?

Good news: if you’ve spotted a label on your blood bag with “NEO” on it, your blood may be used to treat new-born babies.

The label means that there was no evidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection when the donor’s blood was last tested.

CMV is a very common virus that around 50 to 60 per cent of adults in the UK have had, often in childhood. It can cause symptoms similar to the flu or sometimes no noticeable illness at all.

CMV can stay in the body even after recovery, but this does not have any significance for the person’s own health and their blood is safe to give to most patients.

But a new-born baby, whose immune system is still developing, must only be transfused with blood that is clear of cytomegalovirus. So, we label the bag “NEO”, based on your previous result and, if the blood is needed for a new-born, it is tested again, because CMV status can change if there has been infection since the last test. This helps us to be sure that we are providing the safest blood products for new-born patients.

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