Seizures During Pregnancy: Options & Concerns - Expert Advice

Question
i am 35 weeks pregnant and i keep having seizures my medcation is not working right and they can not change my meds because of the baby can they not induce my labor now and everything be ok because i am scard this is going to hurt my unborn child what can i do thank you cassie

Answer
Dear Cassie,

You need to strongly voice your concerns to your OB/gyn. They would require an amnio prior to doing so to see where the baby is as far as lung development, size, etc. Obviously women have children this early and doctors do induce at early stages for health reasons for both baby and mother, but it is very important to weigh the risks of early birth with the current risks of seizures. Are you having grand mal seizures? Are you losing conciousness during them? Do you fall during them? These are all important factors in determining the risk to the baby. What medication or medications are you currently on? Please respond and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. I am moving tomorrow but if you get back to me by this evening I will still be able to answer emails.

Regardless of whether or not you are able to get back to me you need to learn in your health to be very outspoken with doctors and if you have a doctor that doesn't listen or who becomes offended by your telling them what you need (some will because they don't like there patients telling them what is happening - ego) then please find a new doctor, I don't care how far along you are. I moved to a different doctor the month before I was due with my daughter and was glad I did because I don't feel I was getting as good of care prior to doing so. I also wonder if your doctor is a high-risk doctor, anyone with a history or active seizures should be placed with a high-risk doctor. Possibly even a specialist who deals with only high-risk births. You must ask or they will only give you what they do for everyone, but if you ask most any doctor will listen and attend to your concerns. Frankly for some this is because they are good doctors but also the medical field is full of malpractice and people sue. You can report any doctor at any time to the AMA I believe it is and frankly they don't want that. When I was younger I used to think that you just had to deal with the doctor you get and if that meant you weren't happy, tough. This is not true and you can complain. My mother always got called a squeeky wheel and she would say only the squeeky wheel gets oiled. So squeek loudly and ask any and all questions until you are satisfied with the answers or outcome. It's your right as a patient.

So call the doctor and discuss your concerns, ask about inducement. My doctor induced my daughter almost 3 weeks ahead of schedule, I asked and she said yes after I had an amnio that told me her lungs were ready and her weight was good.

I wish you the best of luck and go get on the phone.

God Bless,

Dawn