Meds question??

benniferayers1

Hey guys, I have no idea where to ask this but here it goes...

Pregnancy/Baby question: I'm 36 weeks pregnant with my first child. I am bipolar 2. Tried with my psychiatrist to go off meds in order to get pregnant but I crashed. So can't do that. Currently on Lexapro 20 mg and Lamictal 200 mg & have been throughout the pregnancy.

Baby girl has been doing great-no cleft palate or spinal anomalies found. I did go into preterm labor @ 29 weeks which my ob was able to stop. I go for fetal stress tests weekly & it takes awhile to meet her accelerations even after I'm given peanut butter and soda. This could be caused by me taking my meds in the AM, she's sleepy/inactive. My psych dr said she could have withdrawal or irritability for a few days after she's born. I'm worried I won't be able to soothe her. And she's prob going to need her blood levels checked with a special test to see how much medicine she actually is ingesting. I may not be able to breastfeed depending on what the levels reveal, which bums me out because I at least want to try.

So I guess my question is what is the best way for us to advocate for our daughter??

I tried to register her with a pediatrician I picked but can't until she's born. So the ob/gyn is done once I give birth & I can't even give her peds dr a heads up on the situation. My husband & I are just really worried that the ball is gonna get dropped on this.

What would you do??

Any advice would be much appreciated!!!

Mousie93

I don't know much about the meds you're taking and I'm not fully sure I understand your situation but I'll give it a shot. If I were you I would definitely make sure you've got a support network of family/friends/professionals around you for the first couple of weeks after the birth. This we'll help you cope immensely, and let them know the details of your situation. As for breastfeeding, unless you've been explicitly told you can't due to meds or problem with baby, try anyway, and if you get the green light, keep trying. There is a lot of support out there for breastfeeding mothers. Perhaps prepare a folder with all your info and notes on the situation in preparation for giving it to a pediatrician once you get one. Most of all relax and remember you can only do what's best for you and the baby. Good luck xx

PrimRoseMama

benniferayers1 said:

Hey guys, I have no idea where to ask this but here it goes... Pregnancy/Baby question: I'm 36 weeks pregnant with my first child. I am bipolar 2. Tried with my psychiatrist to go off meds in order to get pregnant but I crashed. So can't do that. Currently on Lexapro 20 mg and Lamictal 200 mg & have been throughout the pregnancy. Baby girl has been doing great-no cleft palate or spinal anomalies found. I did go into preterm labor @ 29 weeks which my ob was able to stop. I go for fetal stress tests weekly & it takes awhile to meet her accelerations even after I'm given peanut butter and soda. This could be caused by me taking my meds in the AM, she's sleepy/inactive. My psych dr said she could have withdrawal or irritability for a few days after she's born. I'm worried I won't be able to soothe her. And she's prob going to need her blood levels checked with a special test to see how much medicine she actually is ingesting. I may not be able to breastfeed depending on what the levels reveal, which bums me out because I at least want to try. So I guess my question is what is the best way for us to advocate for our daughter?? I tried to register her with a pediatrician I picked but can't until she's born. So the ob/gyn is done once I give birth & I can't even give her peds dr a heads up on the situation. My husband & I are just really worried that the ball is gonna get dropped on this. What would you do?? Any advice would be much appreciated!!!

(((hugs))) that sounds stressful. Honestly, I think you might have to wait until baby is here to figure out how to advocate for her. You are already doing a great job being her advocate by thinking about this, so kudos to you, mama! If she does have a withdrawal episode then the doctors will know and they can treat her before they release you. Soothing is always a trial n' error game (med issue or not) for baby and mother.

I would let the nursing staff know when you are in labor and keep the conversation going after baby is born. The best thing you can do is talk to your medical professionals. Hang in there!

PrimRoseMama

Mousie93 said:

I don't know much about the meds you're taking and I'm not fully sure I understand your situation but I'll give it a shot. If I were you I would definitely make sure you've got a support network of family/friends/professionals around you for the first couple of weeks after the birth. This we'll help you cope immensely, and let them know the details of your situation. As for breastfeeding, unless you've been explicitly told you can't due to meds or problem with baby, try anyway, and if you get the green light, keep trying. There is a lot of support out there for breastfeeding mothers. Perhaps prepare a folder with all your info and notes on the situation in preparation for giving it to a pediatrician once you get one. Most of all relax and remember you can only do what's best for you and the baby. Good luck xx

That's exactly what she's been told with her current medications... I love BF and I'm a BF advocate. However, mother's health comes first and in her OP she specifically stated she couldn't BF due to her medications.

celainev

Regarding breastfeeding, it may be best to use formula, as she may already have some addiction to the drugs you are taking and it is best to weane her off of those. Both those drugs send low levels into the breast milk, as you probably already know. But keep talking to your OB about it.

As for advocating, I'm assuming you are in the states because I already have my baby's doctor scheduled in and I'm from Canada. So I don't know how to help you there. But be sure that everyone working with you in the hospital is aware.

I'm not sure if you can, but ask for a copy of all your baby's medical records. Speak to your OB about it too. Get a copy of all your current test results. Then you have it all organized for when you move on to your pediatrician. The hospital I am giving birth to, I know well as a nurse, and I know they are horrible for retrieving old records. Having your own copies will speed up the process, especially if (God forbid) something is wrong with baby.

amberrmariee20

I would look into how much of those drugs go into the breastmilk. Like PP said I would still try to breastfeed unless specifically told not to.

DustyMelons

OP, my pediatrician's office had an open house for expectant parents. I feel like that would have been a perfect opportunity to bring up some of the concerns you expressed here. That's probably not the norm everywhere, but I would try to do some more research on pediatricians, then give it another shot with regard to communicating the special needs your daughter will experience. If the office is dismissive because you aren't a registered patient yet, I would consider finding another pediatrician.

Rratledge

I know this isn't what you asked, but a family member of mine is also bipolar and was not going to be able to have children because she couldn't get off her medication. She tried a treatment where high powered magnets were placed next to her head (treatments were frequent at first and now she only
has to go one hour every 5 weeks). Her bipolar has been under control and she's been completely symptom free for over 2 years. It's so safe for baby that she can even breastfeed while she's having the treatment done. I'm sorry that I don't know what the treatment is called, but it might be worth looking into for the rest of your pregnancy, breastfeeding and future children. Good luck with everything!

Ju111310

Lexapro isn't a big deal with breastfeeding but lamictal may be. A lactation consultant is a good resource for answering that question definitively. Many pediatricians aren't up to date with specific med safety in regards to bf'ing so they just advise against it. I would contact the LC at your delivering hospital or your local La Leche League to get in contact with one.

As far as the pediatrician being up to date on baby's situation, testing levels etc., this information will be passed along to newborn nursery from your L&D medical records and the dr will be informed right away. So don't stress about that! Best of luck to you!

AnonymousMom

benniferayers1 said:

Hey guys, I have no idea where to ask this but here it goes... Pregnancy/Baby question: I'm 36 weeks pregnant with my first child. I am bipolar 2. Tried with my psychiatrist to go off meds in order to get pregnant but I crashed. So can't do that. Currently on Lexapro 20 mg and Lamictal 200 mg & have been throughout the pregnancy. Baby girl has been doing great-no cleft palate or spinal anomalies found. I did go into preterm labor @ 29 weeks which my ob was able to stop. I go for fetal stress tests weekly & it takes awhile to meet her accelerations even after I'm given peanut butter and soda. This could be caused by me taking my meds in the AM, she's sleepy/inactive. My psych dr said she could have withdrawal or irritability for a few days after she's born. I'm worried I won't be able to soothe her. And she's prob going to need her blood levels checked with a special test to see how much medicine she actually is ingesting. I may not be able to breastfeed depending on what the levels reveal, which bums me out because I at least want to try. So I guess my question is what is the best way for us to advocate for our daughter?? I tried to register her with a pediatrician I picked but can't until she's born. So the ob/gyn is done once I give birth & I can't even give her peds dr a heads up on the situation. My husband & I are just really worried that the ball is gonna get dropped on this. What would you do?? Any advice would be much appreciated!!!

Does the pediatrician you picked cover patients in the nursery where you are delivering?  If they do then once your daughter is born they (or one of their colleagues who is covering) will be notified of that and they will come do the admission. They should have access to all of your records at that time but you can certainly bring up your concerns with them and make sure that they aren't missing any critical pieces of your pregnancy history.  If your pediatrician doesn't cover their own nursery patients then your daughter will be admitted by either a hospitalist pediatrician or a pediatrician on call who takes care of unassigned (patients who don't have a chosen pediatrician or who have a chosen pediatrician who doesn't have hospital privileges) and they should take care of everything in the hospital. At discharge they will arrange for the babies records and a brief summary to be sent to the pediatrician you picked.