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Being a father with epilepsy
Fri, 11/13/2009 - 22:02Hi, I became a father 2 weeks ago and love my wife and new daughter very much. My wife has been so supportive of me and my epilepsy throughout our time together, and with the birth of our new baby has another thing to worry about. Over these past 2 weeks i feel she is putting too much stress on herself by worrying about the baby and my epilepsy. That is why i have offered to help her wherever and whenever i can with the baby, she however wont let me. She is scared that if i have a seizure whilst looking after the baby by myself that something serious could happen, also she wont let me wake up during the night to help because she is worried that if i dont get enough sleep i will have a seizure. The only help that i am able to give is by doing house work such as, cooking and cleaning and changing nappies when she is awake. I fully understand her concern, but i think if she puts too much pressure on herself she will suffer post-natal depression.
Are there any other dads out there that have been in a similar situation, or mothers out there that have been in her situation? If so a bit of advise of how you got through it would be a great help,
Thanks, Dave
Comments
Re: Being a father with epilepsy
Submitted by groundshaker on Sat, 2009-11-14 - 00:53
Re: Being a father with epilepsy
Submitted by camble on Sat, 2011-04-30 - 18:48
I have 3 boys. 15.11 and 3. I have seizures that last for hours at a time and put me into ICU in hosp. I look after my youngest son often and have had an incident where I had a seizure. He knew the emergency button to dial on the telephone and in his language told my aunt that daddy was on the floor. We as parents,especially ones with disabilities,have to inform our kids at an early age on what to do and who to go to help for.
IF u have a cell phone, enter and emergency number on it like wife/husband/someone who knows your condition so that should paramedics be called out they just look under "ICE" 1,2,3 ETC AND CAN GET HOLD OF SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU. ICE stands for " in case of emergency.
All the best
I have 3 boys. 15.11 and 3. I have seizures that last for hours at a time and put me into ICU in hosp. I look after my youngest son often and have had an incident where I had a seizure. He knew the emergency button to dial on the telephone and in his language told my aunt that daddy was on the floor. We as parents,especially ones with disabilities,have to inform our kids at an early age on what to do and who to go to help for.
IF u have a cell phone, enter and emergency number on it like wife/husband/someone who knows your condition so that should paramedics be called out they just look under "ICE" 1,2,3 ETC AND CAN GET HOLD OF SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU. ICE stands for " in case of emergency.
All the best
Re: Being a father with epilepsy
Submitted by MichaelK on Fri, 2009-11-13 - 23:33
Hi. I have been through a similar situation with my wife and now 12-year-old daughter. What you need to do is to relax. The more anxiety and stress that you put on yourself to be a great father will increase the likelihood of seizures. As you know, having seizures do not help anyone. So think of prevention of seizures as your major task, not prevention of your wife's post-natal depression. Within that boundary you will be doing numerous things to contribute to the growth of your daughter.
Eventually you will have to explain to your daughter what epilepsy is and why you get seizures, but that is beyond the bounds of this message. Concentrate on working with your wife to relieve her stress and relax in order to relieve your stress. Parenting is a 24-hour, 365-day a week job. Believe me, you will have plenty of chances to contribute!
Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions.
Hi. I have been through a similar situation with my wife and now 12-year-old daughter. What you need to do is to relax. The more anxiety and stress that you put on yourself to be a great father will increase the likelihood of seizures. As you know, having seizures do not help anyone. So think of prevention of seizures as your major task, not prevention of your wife's post-natal depression. Within that boundary you will be doing numerous things to contribute to the growth of your daughter.
Eventually you will have to explain to your daughter what epilepsy is and why you get seizures, but that is beyond the bounds of this message. Concentrate on working with your wife to relieve her stress and relax in order to relieve your stress. Parenting is a 24-hour, 365-day a week job. Believe me, you will have plenty of chances to contribute!
Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions.