Preparing For Pregnancy

hi, my kids are 19, 16 and 13 and i didn't prepare at all. i lived overseas when i first became pregnant and it didn't occur to me that epilepsy or meds could be harmful to a developing baby. i did think that other things could be harmful and was very careful to eat well and sleep well and avoid environmental pollutants.... i had spent so much time in asia and africa that i was very casual about the idea of pregnancy.... it just seemed like a natural thing to me. nothing to stress about. like garance i was on mysoline which metabolizes to pheno. contrary to the danish study on the subject, my kids are all exceptionally good at language in spite of their exposure to mysoline. had i had access to the information available on the internet now? i don't know.... i might have been a nervous wreck.... the odds are so overwhelmingly in favor of a woman with E having a healthy baby.... but i might have just looked at the small increase in risks and worried about that. carebear, women with E have a risk of having a child with birth defects that is twice that of other women, but that risk is small and some of the "problems" are minor and easily remidied. but taking folic acid prior to and during pregnancy can greatly reduce the risks of birth defects. if you are careful with other things as well, eating right, not smoking, not drinking..... etc.... (i know - these things probably seem like no brainers to you!) the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor of having a healthy child... the statistic for birth defects include women who smoke, drink, abuse drugs etc. i also think that maternal worry and stress are not a good for a developing baby.... so in many ways i am glad i didn't know that mysoline was not a great drug. i didn't worry. mark yerby is an expert on women and seizures, you might want to look at this site: http://seizures.net/

Hi.  I'm the proud mother of 3 beautiful children.  I was diagnosed with epilepsy not long after I found out that I was pregnant with my first child.  My doctor put me on phenobarbitol and I was scared to death of what might happen to my child.  Thank God, I carried her full term and she weighed 8 pounds.  My second and third children were both concieved (unexpectedly) while I was on anti-seizure medicines.  I was under a new doctor's care and she said that the folic acid in my prenatal vitamins plus an extra dose of folic acid should be a good safeguard for my babies.  Number two and three were both born safe and healthy as well.  I think to prepare for pregnancy, talk to your neurologist and gynechologist, get on a good vitamin regimin, eat well, rest plenty.   Best wishes and good luck.