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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 maryparks on Sat, 2009-08-08 - 23:58
Re: Epilepsy, pregnancy and giving birth
Submitted by srchtt3 on Tue, 2009-08-25 - 16:14
This whole thread is full of such wonderful stories of women having healthy babies. I found it while I was trying to find something relevent to me. But this thread is so active that I decided maybe somebody would see it and respond. My seizures are not under control. I go into status epilepticus and I have blood clotting issues. The OB is worried about me stroking out and the status. She has recommend that I terminate. She doesn't think I have a good chances of living. she said that she doesn't believe she can keep both the baby and me alive. So.... this is my problem. I've got to decide but this is SUCH a terrible decision that it almost feels surreal. I have three boys already that I had before my epilepsy kicked in. (Got it as a result of severe closed head injury) My health is not good. My husband is scared to death and says there is no choice. He doesn't want to lose me. But I can't help but think this little baby is one of my children now too. I don't know that I can 'terminate' it. Anyone else ever had this struggle.???
This whole thread is full of such wonderful stories of women having healthy babies. I found it while I was trying to find something relevent to me. But this thread is so active that I decided maybe somebody would see it and respond. My seizures are not under control. I go into status epilepticus and I have blood clotting issues. The OB is worried about me stroking out and the status. She has recommend that I terminate. She doesn't think I have a good chances of living. she said that she doesn't believe she can keep both the baby and me alive. So.... this is my problem. I've got to decide but this is SUCH a terrible decision that it almost feels surreal. I have three boys already that I had before my epilepsy kicked in. (Got it as a result of severe closed head injury) My health is not good. My husband is scared to death and says there is no choice. He doesn't want to lose me. But I can't help but think this little baby is one of my children now too. I don't know that I can 'terminate' it. Anyone else ever had this struggle.???
Re: Epilepsy, pregnancy and giving birth
Submitted by suz.b on Wed, 2011-09-28 - 08:05
Hi, I have just come across this forum whilst researching epilepsy after child birth as my sister gave birth to her daughter 10 weeks ago and her epilepsy has been out of control ever since.
Until she got pregnant she had quite a regular cycle, and usually had a fit, or series of fits, and then was fine for around two years. Throughout her pregnancy, she, the same as you, said she had never felt better. She had no fits whatsoever. Three days after the birth she had a fit, and has not been herself since. She has been in to hospital twice in 6 weeks with status epilepticus and has been told to take frisium every day as well as the fenetone she has taken for 30 years.
As your story is similar I was wondering if you could give us any advice. How long did this period last fo after you gave birth? Have you since found anybody else that has suffered this way? The research I have carried out has come across problems during pregnancy but not after. As with you, hormonal inbalance was mentioned but now the nurses are saying her hormones should be back to normal! Any advice or info you coukd give us would be much appreciated
Many thanks
Hi, I have just come across this forum whilst researching epilepsy after child birth as my sister gave birth to her daughter 10 weeks ago and her epilepsy has been out of control ever since.
Until she got pregnant she had quite a regular cycle, and usually had a fit, or series of fits, and then was fine for around two years. Throughout her pregnancy, she, the same as you, said she had never felt better. She had no fits whatsoever. Three days after the birth she had a fit, and has not been herself since. She has been in to hospital twice in 6 weeks with status epilepticus and has been told to take frisium every day as well as the fenetone she has taken for 30 years.
As your story is similar I was wondering if you could give us any advice. How long did this period last fo after you gave birth? Have you since found anybody else that has suffered this way? The research I have carried out has come across problems during pregnancy but not after. As with you, hormonal inbalance was mentioned but now the nurses are saying her hormones should be back to normal! Any advice or info you coukd give us would be much appreciated
Many thanks