A maternal-child nurse is caring for a client who has type A-negative blood, received no prenatal care, and delivered a type A-positive fetus. The nurse is concerned for the client because previous exposure to an antigen through pregnancy or transfusion may cause the client to develop:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When a person with a certain blood type is exposed to an antigen that is not present on their own red blood cells, their body will produce antibodies against that antigen. In this case, the client with type A-negative blood was exposed to the Rh antigen present on her fetus' type A-positive red blood cells. This exposure may cause the client to develop anti-Rh antibodies, which could cause hemolytic disease of the newborn in future pregnancies.

A Maternal-Child Nurse Is Caring for a Client Who Has