Do seizures in pregnancy harm the Fetus/baby?
• Although many mothers who have seizures also have perfectly normal babies, seizures during pregnancy can harm the baby. • Generalized tonic clonic (grand mal) seizures can cause miscarriages, although this is a very very rare occurrence. • Generalized tonic clonic seizures during the last month of pregnancy can cause injury to the baby. • If they occur during labor, they reduce fetal heart rate, which can indicate that the baby is in distress. • Generalized tonic clonic seizures during pregnancy have not been associated with birth defects. • For babies whose mothers take seizure medication, the risk of birth defects is 4 percent to 8 percent — compared with 2 percent to 3 percent for all babies, the risk seems to be highest when multiple seizure medications are taken. • Babies born to mothers who have epilepsy have a slightly higher risk of developing seizures as they get older. Developmental and growth delays are possible as well.