An expectant mother in Bao’an District, who has the extremely rare para-Bombay blood type, is in good condition after giving birth at Shenzhen No. 2 People’s Hospital recently, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported over the weekend.
The 26-year-old woman, identified as Huang, was contacted by Shenzhen Blood Center about three months ago regarding abnormalities detected in her 28-week pre-birth pregnancy check. Huang didn’t take the phone call seriously until she was contacted by medical staff at Songgang People’s Hospital telling her to come in for a re-examination.
The re-examination result confirmed Huang has para-Bombay blood, which was first detected in 1952 in Mumbai, India, and is even rarer than the negative blood type, dubbed the panda blood due to being rare like giant pandas.
Having para-Bombay blood means that any possible serious bleeding during labor would put Huang in life-threatening danger.
On Feb. 19, Huang displayed symptoms of labor. Staff at Songgang People’s Hospital suggested transferring Huang to Shenzhen No. 2 People’s Hospital given the baby’s large size. Zhao Weihua, director with the obstetric department of Shenzhen No. 2 People’s Hospital, immediately contacted the hospital’s blood transfusion department and Shenzhen Blood Center to prepare for Huang’s labor.
Shenzhen Blood Center managed to find two bags of frozen para-Bombay blood and locate a volunteer with the extremely rare type of blood. With their concerted efforts, Huang safely gave birth to a baby son.
According to Shenzhen Blood Center, it is possible that people with para-Bombay blood would be misidentified as having type-O blood if improper methods are used.
Huang said she will donate blood in the future.