After the birth

• Breastfeeding
• Caring for your baby when you have epilepsy

Breastfeeding

Most mothers with epilepsy are able to breastfeed their babies, if they choose to do so. However, you are advised to talk to a medical professional about the safety of breastfeeding when you have epilepsy, before your baby is born. This could be with an epilepsy specialist, epilepsy nurse, a midwife with an interest in epilepsy or an infant feeding adviser. The advice you are given will depend on your baby’s health and which anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) you take.

AEDs can pass into your breast milk. So when your baby drinks your breast milk, they also get a small amount of your AEDs. Most babies are not harmed by their mother’s AEDs in their breast milk. But if you find that your baby is very sleepy, hard to wake, struggling to feed, or has a rash, talk to your doctor. Your doctor may advise you to stop breastfeeding and start formula feeds, to see if your baby improves.

While you are breastfeeding, your night-time sleep will be broken regularly. This could be a problem if a lack of sleep is a trigger for your seizures. In this case, you could ask someone else to feed your baby expressed breast milk or formula milk, during the night or each day. This would allow you to catch up on missed sleep.

Caring for your baby when you have epilepsy

Many people with epilepsy successfully care for babies. But if you are having seizures, it’s worth having a discussion with your doctor or epilepsy specialist nurse. They might suggest making changes to your anti-epileptic drugs to lower the number of seizures you have. You could also take simple steps to keep your baby as safe as possible, if you have a seizure. Here are some examples.

• If possible, share the care of your baby, especially at night. Some people with epilepsy find that lack of sleep, or feeling very tired, can trigger their seizures.
• When feeding your baby from a bottle or breast, sit on the floor on a towel or a rug holding your baby. Surround yourself with cushions. This way, if you had a seizure your baby would not have far to fall.
• When your baby is taking more solid food, put them in a bouncer chair or car seat on the floor to feed.
• When your baby is in a high chair, make sure you cannot knock it over.
• Never bathe your baby on your own.
• Change your baby’s nappy on the floor.
• When carrying your baby up or down stairs, use a car seat. This would help to reduce the risk of injury to your baby if you had a seizure.
• Use safety gates at all times.
• Use a pram with a brake that comes on when you release the handle. [Epilepsy Action] can provide details of companies that provide safety brakes for prams.