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terrified to get pregnant

Sat, 09/19/2009 - 11:59

Hello,

My name is Linzy and I am 26 years old. I was diagnosed with Absence seizures when I was 23. I have been on a boat load of medications to control them and now I am on Lamictal which has done the best so far. I have been increased recently because of some breakthrough seizures. My husband and I have decided to have a baby and I am terrified for the health of the baby. My doctor told me that Lamictal can cause cleft lip, palate etc., to the fetus and that I cannot breast feed. I take 125mg of lamictal in the morning and at night. I have always dreamed of having children - healthy children. I would love my child no matter what but doesn't everyone want healthy children, free of defects? I have also always dreamed of breast feeding. I was pretty devastated when my doc told me that I wouldn't be able to breast feed my child. I want to be able to have that connection with my baby. I guess I am just hoping for some similar stories and to know that there are people out there who understand where I am coming from and how much of an impact seizures can put on your life even if they are just absence.

 UPDATE (May 5, 2011): I thought that I would update this thread :) I am happy to tell you all that I am the very proud mother of a happy, healthy and totally normal 9 month old son =) I got pregnant shortly after posting this thread and my whole pregnancy and delivery was completely normal, problem free and most important of all, seizure free!! Towards the end of my pregnancy I did accumulate too much amniotic fluid but it wasn't a worry at all and my water ended up just breaking on its own 2 days after my due date which kicked off 21 hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing, to which I welcomed a very healthy 7lb 14oz baby boy (with the help of the vacuum because he was coming down at an angle and was a bit stuck!). He was pretty jaundice for a while because he ended up getting some of my blood during delivery but that went away within 2 weeks. He does have an undescended teste which is fairly normal in boys anyway and has nothing to do with the lamictal. He already had the first surgery to fix that and is doing awesome. I haven't had any seizures since before I got pregnant which is really awesome since I was having them fairly often. And which is even more amazing seeing as my soon to be ex-husband wanted a divorce right before we found out I was pregnant and wanted one even faster once we found out I was pregnant a week later. I ended up having to move 9 hours away back to my hometown while I was terribly sick with morning sickness. To go through all of that stress and not have a seizure is pretty awesome I think! I was really scared about birth defects and such when I was ttc but now I know how small of a chance those things are especially with lamictal and in the future if I find someone else to spend the rest of my life with I will have no fears about having more children. Thank you all for your support and for sharing your stories! I wish you all the best of luck!

Comments

Re: terrified to get pregnant

Submitted by linzysmith323 on Fri, 2010-07-02 - 06:04
I wish you all the luck in the world! This is a very scary time but yet one of the most exciting times too. I remember being bummed because all I wanted was to be excited But I felt like I had to be worried too..you are right though, God doesn't give us more than we can handle. I truly believe this. And that is what you have to rely on, faith! Whatever happens is/was meant to be. Good luck and remember to keep your head up and be happy!

Re: terrified to get pregnant

Submitted by Patches7 on Mon, 2010-06-28 - 15:02
First of all, I can truly sympathize. I am on Depakote, which all my research shows is the WORST seizure drug to be on if pregnant. I am almost 31 years old, been married two years, and want to have at least one child! I am so frustrated, but sometimes I think you just have to do what you feel is best. I have tried about 8 other drugs and nothing else works for me! I am on a fairly low dosage of the drug, 750 mgs a day, but there are still greater risks. I truly understand your fear. It is not wrong to want a healthy child. I certainly do and I think we all do! However, there are risks involved when you have epilepsy and there are risks involved because of medication for epilepsy. I am simply trying to put my trust in God concerning this and do what I feel is right for my husband and I. It is quite a struggle and scary, but you will get through it. I wish you the best.

Re: terrified to get pregnant

Submitted by linzysmith323 on Fri, 2010-07-02 - 06:22
Thank you for your well wishes! I wish you all the best as well. I am actually 37 weeks pregnant and anxiously awaiting the arrival of my little man! I have had many ultrasounds and have happily found out that he doesn't have cleft lip. As far as any other birth defects; it is just a waiting game, to see if he is developmentally sound. I am worried, but have put my trust in God and have found comfort in the fact that everything happens for a reason. I haven't had any problems with my seizures while pregnant what-so-ever. I truly hope that this good luck continues :) you have to remember that getting second and third opinions from other doctors is always an option and folic acid along with other essential vitamins can truly help and do wonders! Good luck with whatever you decide and always keep your head up! It is truly amazing what being a happy person can do for you as well!

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