Grief, Loss, and Pregnancy: Coping with Trauma & Emotional Well-being

Question
Hi Dr. Rappaport,
 I am 25 year old who has, eight weeks ago today, lost her only child. My baby was eight and a half months old. I was giving her a bath and stepped out of the room for just a minute to grab a diaper, towel and washcloth. When I came back, she'd drowned somehow. It happened very quick. Now, miraculously, I am about 7.5 weeks pregnant. The accident occurred on June 8th and when it happened, I stopped taking my BCPs. I am estimating that I started to bleed around the 12th. I was in the middle of the pack of birth control, so I was not sure if that was considered a normal period and was sure that my cycle was to be royally messed up. Low and behold, I later find out that I am pregnant. My concerns are as follows. I am under an extreme amount of stress and anxiety. I was already diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, OCD and Panic Disorder. Now my anxiety is understandably exacerbated to the max and I'm still having to take about four milligrams of Xanax in a 24 hour period. I try as hard as I can to use relaxation techniques, ect, but it's not helping. I am worried about the high doses of benzodiazapines that the fetus is being exposed to as well as the high amounts of stress. COuld you please give me some insight into all of this...I know that the main concern is that the fetus will become addicted...but this early in pregnancy...what should I be concerned with and what advice do you have? I thank you in advance and hope that you can help. Thanks, Jessica S.  

Answer
I'm so sorry for your loss. You'd be surprised at how often that happens. You should do fine with your current pregnancy and have to assume that your last period started when you bled after stopping the pills. Therefore, if your last period started on June 12, you probably ovulated on June 25 and are now 7 weeks 3 days pregnant. As you know, we do not encourage the use of benzodiazapines during pregnancy. However, if you do need medication for a bipolar  or panic disorder, Prozac is the most studied medication and can be used during pregnancy if the advantages outweigh the risks. I would suggest that you discuss it all with your obstetrician.