Solo mum with epilepsy

Hiya,I'm not a single mum, so I can't completely relate, but I'm a fellow epileptic! Diagnosed when I was 12. I'm currently waiting on baby no.3... my epilepsy is well controlled however all pregnancies for me increased the number of seizures I had. Not by lots, but they increased. You just need to make sure your doing all the usual, taking your meds, resting where you can... If you have a seizure and are worried about anything always call triage, if only to put your mind at rest, esp if you are unsure what happened prior to the seizure if you or baby may be hurt...
Once the baby is here, is there any friends/family that can help to ensure you get some rest so your not overtired which will increase your seizure chance? I also always have someone with me if I'm bathing the baby, due to the risk, and make sure I change them on the floor, I don't have them in a baby carrier (just incase)....it's additional stuff to think about but if your prepared you will be fine, feel free to message if you want! 💜

I had 1 seizure at 6 weeks when my meds stopped being as effective. My dr fixed my meds and i was monitored by team and no more issues! Just communicate with your drs and focus on keeping yourself rested and calm

Hey! My seizures are definitely triggered by hormones as well. However, I seemed to be worse after I gave birth due to the hormone crash. I had to get a little creative. Of course my regular medication but when I felt a seizure coming on I had a few things that helped slow down the brain electricity, sometimes I would take Ativan, or if insomnia / racing thoughts then magnesium and a few times I took a few puffs of weed and that helped my brain settle. I also have a tea I would drink daily, yogi calming tea which had chamomile and skullcap in it which are supposed to help.

Oops sorry try I mean melatonin when I get insomnia / or just racing thoughts. I take magnesium everyday and that has also helped hugely.

Wishing you all the best !!!

Hiya. Fellow epileptic mum here. Was initially diagnosed at 9 and was seizure free for a while until I gave birth. I'm now on three lots of medication for my epilepsy as it returned with a vengeance. I've been advised to take folic acid throughout my pregnancy if I chose to become pregnant again. Vitamin D is my best friend as is collagen.

I drink a lot of green tea as my energy levels are zero after taking my cocktail of meds. I'd be careful with the chamomile tea whilst pregnant. In the UK it's advised not to drink it whilst pregnant. In my third trimester I started seeing little flashing lights and they thought it was pre-ecclampsia. I now know that was my epilepsy showing signs of returning.

When baby is here. Take it easy and rest when baby rests. It really does take a toll on your body. My son was 3 months old when I saw the return of my epilepsy via seizures. My son was born perfectly healthy. Feel free to drop me a message if you'd like to talk.

Best wishes for a safe pregnancy and birth 💙

Hi! Depending on what meds you're taking you're gonna have to make sure they monitor your blood levels regularly during pregnancy. I'm on lamotrigine and had my levels checked every 2 weeks throughout pregnancy. It stabilized in the 3rd trimester but by then I've had to triple my daily dose to maintain the level I need. Also make sure your doctor gives you instructions on how exactly to reduce your dose during the first days after delivery while your metabolism normalizes so you don't accidentally overdose.
Also if you can make sure you give birth at a hospital.
It's not an easy thing to navigate both physically and mentally. You really need to advocate for yourself at the doctor's and the hospital. Good luck 🫂

I didn’t have any seizures during my pregnancy but I did have multiple in one day a few days after I gave birth due to being so tired, I would recommend getting a bassinet cot downstairs so you always have somewhere safe to pop them down if you’re starting to feel fuzzy headed, I also found Valium helped me calm down if I did start to feel abit fuzzy x