During pregnancy
• Contact your obstetrician when you first suspect you may be pregnant. You may want to discuss testing to detect some of birth defects:
- Maternal alpha-fetoprotein testing at 15-22 weeks of gestation (This is a blood test done to evaluate what is the chance that baby has a certain birth defect or genetic disorder (such as neural tube defect). If test is abnormal, further diagnostic test may be needed to clarify the abnormality)
- Level II ultrasound (structural) at 16-20 weeks of gestation (This is a detailed ultrasound to assess the fetus for structural abnormalities.)
- Amniocentesis at 15-20 weeks of pregnancy (This is a procedure in which a small sample of fluid surrounding foetus is removed and tested for possible abnormalities such as Down syndrome or a neural tube defect. This procedure carries small risk for baby)
Above tests may detect condition that might require special attention during pregnancy, specialty team present at birth, or immediate surgery to give your baby the best chance of survival. They also give you extra time to prepare for baby with special needs.
• Continue taking extra folic acid (1-4mg per day).
• Continue taking prenatal vitamins.
• Continue taking your medications as prescribed – do not change doses or stop taking medications without discussing it with your doctor – seizures may be life threatening for you and for your baby.
• Promptly report all seizures to your neurologist/epileptologist.
• Perform blood tests as requested by your neurologist/epileptologist. Levels of medication in your blood need to be monitored and dose of antiseizure medications may need to be increased throughout the pregnancy to maintain good levels.
• Discuss with your doctor starting Vitamin K supplementation at 36 weeks of pregnancy because some antiseizure medications may interfere with vitamin K metabolism. This may increase the risk of bleeding.
• Discuss a birth plan with your obstetrician and neurologist/epileptologist.
• Register with the pregnancy registry. This will help us gather very important information about the effects of antiseizure medications and epilepsy on pregnancy. All information is confidential. Participation involves only three telephone interviews: at the time of enrollment, in the 7th month of pregnancy, and few months after delivery.
http://www2.massgeneral.org/aed/
Toll free number
1-888-233-2334