Rh incompatibility - If the mother has a negative Rh factor (Rh-negative) and the father and fetus are Rh-positive, the mother can become Rh-sensitized after the birth of a child, when bloods mix during delivery. In subsequent pregnancies, the mother's body then produces antibodies to combat fetal blood cells that cross the placenta into her bloodstream. These antibodies can destroy the fetus's Rh-positive blood cells, putting it at serious risk of anemia.
Rh factor - Every person has a blood type, (O, A, B, or AB) and an Rh factor, either positive or negative. The Rh factor is a protein that is found on the covering of the red blood cells. If the Rh factor protein is present on the cells, the person is Rh positive. If there is no Rh factor protein, the person is Rh negative.
RhoGAM - Rh immunoglobulin (RhIg), also known as RhoGAM, is a specially developed blood product that can prevent an Rh-negative mother's antibodies from being able to react to Rh-positive cells. Women who've been diagnosed will receive RhIg around the 28th week of pregnancy and a second dose within 72 hours after delivery.
Rooming-in - An option offered by many hospitals in which the newborn remains with the new mother at all times rather than staying in the hospital nursery.
Round ligament pain - Discomfort in the lower abdomen and groin during pregnancy as a result of the stretching of the ligaments that hold the expanding uterus.
Relaxin - The hormone that causes a softening and lengthening of the cervix and the pubic symphysis (the place where the pubic bones come together). During pregnancy, a woman's joints and ligaments will soften and become stretched, so that the pelvic bones will separate more easily in preparation for labor & delivery.