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Epilepsy, pregnancy and giving birth
Mon, 01/21/2008 - 10:14Good morning,
I am very curious to hear the experience of women while they were pregnant, and during labor & birth of a child.
How did the pain, stress affect your epilepsy, and was it easy to manage seazures? I am trying to figure out how to deal with the actual birth process, and I am seriously considering a c-cection, where I would like to be under total anesteshia. I would love to go through the natural birth, no epidural or pain med, but I am worried that the pain of labor will give me seizures. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.
By the way, I am not taking any meds for epilepsy, as my seizures are only about once a year...and I know the trigger, so I avoid doing things that I know could trigger the seizure.
Thank you all so much,
Sonja C.
Comments
Re: Epilepsy, pregnancy and giving birth
Submitted by cranberrygirl on Sat, 2008-05-31 - 02:16
I have grand mal seizures and 2 wonderful sons that I had naturally- no pain meds- and no seizures!!
I know that not all women are like that, but at least some are.
Talk to your doc and see what he/she says. Listen to yourself as well, you know your body better than anyone else!!
I have grand mal seizures and 2 wonderful sons that I had naturally- no pain meds- and no seizures!!
I know that not all women are like that, but at least some are.
Talk to your doc and see what he/she says. Listen to yourself as well, you know your body better than anyone else!!
Re: Epilepsy, pregnancy and giving birth
Submitted by swiggs07 on Tue, 2008-04-22 - 07:42
Hi,
I am new to this forum, but not to epilepsy, I was diagnosed at 13 after having seizures for a year, I am 31 now and have a great career as a registered nurse, a wonderful husband, but more importantly a beautiful, healthy 13 month old little boy!!! The experience was beautiful, i never had a seizure at all during the pregnancy, was unable to have pain meds or epidural (but was encouraged to have epidural by doctor to keep stress levels low) because he came so quickly, thank goodness!!! I take tegretol extended release and have been medication controlled for almost four years, I have just about every type of seizure, petit mal, grand mal, focal, so on and so forth. I was unable to quit taking my medication, because without it, I would seize. My neurologist put me on 4 mg of folic acid because epilepsy meds increase the risk of neural tube defects and the simplest fix is folic acid. Now i have a wonderful little boy who functions on a 18 month old level according to the pediatrician and so far no signs of epilepsy. But if your seizures are not very bad and you know the trigger just do everything in your power to avoid it, get plenty of rest, and enjoy the pregnancy, i loved it soooo much and want to do it again, my fear is gone, god saw me through the first and he will see me through another, good luck to you!!!
Hi,
I am new to this forum, but not to epilepsy, I was diagnosed at 13 after having seizures for a year, I am 31 now and have a great career as a registered nurse, a wonderful husband, but more importantly a beautiful, healthy 13 month old little boy!!! The experience was beautiful, i never had a seizure at all during the pregnancy, was unable to have pain meds or epidural (but was encouraged to have epidural by doctor to keep stress levels low) because he came so quickly, thank goodness!!! I take tegretol extended release and have been medication controlled for almost four years, I have just about every type of seizure, petit mal, grand mal, focal, so on and so forth. I was unable to quit taking my medication, because without it, I would seize. My neurologist put me on 4 mg of folic acid because epilepsy meds increase the risk of neural tube defects and the simplest fix is folic acid. Now i have a wonderful little boy who functions on a 18 month old level according to the pediatrician and so far no signs of epilepsy. But if your seizures are not very bad and you know the trigger just do everything in your power to avoid it, get plenty of rest, and enjoy the pregnancy, i loved it soooo much and want to do it again, my fear is gone, god saw me through the first and he will see me through another, good luck to you!!!