please help!! :(

[ijustdontknow]

Hi,

I have just found out im around 6 weeks pregnant, normally this would be great news but I suffer from many psychiatric disorders (BPD, Bi-polar, PTSD and severe anxiety) and I'm also on Oxycodone daily as my back is badly injured due to a car accident I had earlier this year.

I have always wanted children but I'm terrified I may have caused some damage or will cause damage to the child as I need to stay on these medications to keep me sane. I spoke to my doctor a while ago and the one he seemed most concerned about was the valium and temazepam.

I have done some reading and from what I can tell its only really bad to take valium in the last trimester? Is that right? Has anyone else had this experience? I have tried to call hospital's to ask this and even King Edward and I feel like they are just "passing me along" (telling me to call another hospital, who in turn, tells me to call King Edward) :crying:

Needless to say calling all these people and explaining all this over and over isnt helping my mental state!!! Its bad enough thinking I may be hurting it, but to get no help or advice really from the medical proffession is just making things worse!

I really want to keep the mental health/pregnancy side separate if I can (in other words I don't want to be "reassesed" by the baby doctor for my mental issues as this has happened before and it sends me around the twist when they try change my medications) I know the medicine im on works for me and I need it.. all I want to know is, is it possible to have this baby without risking having it have problems/defects? I dont think I could live with myself if I went through with the pregnancy knowing that I'm just bringing a child onto this earth to suffer.. I dont want to do it but if thats the case I would rather have a termination

Question is: How do I know?? Does anyone know any OB's who specialise/are sympathetic/knowlegable of serious mental health issues??

I want to be 100% sure that I make the right decision.. Please anyone if you have any advice at all... im desperate to do the right thing here, I just dont know who to turn to about this :confused:

[beebs]

Do you have a psychiatrist.? Who is it who prescribes your meds or who diagnosed your conditions? They are probably the best person to talk to. The fact that all those other health care professionals are fobbing you off probably means that they have no idea!

[FunKy~Mummy]

go and see a obgyn hun I did before I have fallen pregnant as I am almost in the same situation extreme back pain n also on 2 antidepressants. He said that some medications r ok til the 3rd trimester so that bubby doesnt come out addicted!!!
Don't panic a obgyn can help as much as your psych but an obgyn will know whats the safest for bubby and maybe they can even conference each other!!
good luck!! xoxox

[ComeBackKid]

I have bpd and also antenatal depression. These can be managed by a psych/ob and support like counselling (if that helps you - i find my psychologist great)

Good luck and GBH

[ijustdontknow]

Thankyou so much for the kind words everyone :)

I don't have a psych as such (I was diagnosed by one on the east coast) but now I have the medication side down pat, I just see a G.P who prescribes me with what the psych ordered (seeing psych's all the time is damn expensive!! :o) so I have decided to go see him and explain and also I managed to get hold of a midwife from Mercy Hospital (she was just lovely by the way!!) and she has given me a few numbers of G.P's who also deliver at that hospital.. I'm pretty sure they are obgyn's? The numbers she gave me were for a Dr Steven Prosser and a Dr Ian Churchman? I think it was churchman or churchill? She said it too fast! lol.. ahh I'll blame the baby brain ;) has anyone had any experience with these doctors? Have to say I really hate going to new doctors :( I have found many of them take one look at all the pills im on and shake their heads in disaproval when the medical proffesion put me on them in the first place!!! It really is quite frustrating and I think I need an OB who will be quite kind/understanding and not try to change my meds as that will prob put me in the loony bin :no:

*sigh* I guess the first port of call should be my normal G.P.. I just really dont want to be "judged" I honestly feel bad enough about what these pills may be doing to the baby without copping a massive guilt trip from a doctor who cant get off his damn high horse!! (there are quite a few around unfortunetly) :mad:

Has anyone noticed a particuarly kind OB to suggest? Apart from the 2 above ive also had a Dr John Rampona and a Dr Chris Gunnell suggested/recommended...

Thankyou once again lovely mummys, this is my first so I suppose its natural somewhat to panic??!! :hugs:

[ComeBackKid]

Definitely natural to panic!!

I have no advice on obs etc, sorry! Are you in Perth??

But good luck sweetie. Hang in there!! You can do this. And there is lots of love and support on here to get you through this :)

[FunKy~Mummy]

My GP was amazing when I said I wanted to try and so was the OBGYN he went throug hall the meds I was on and said once I fall pregnant we will toss up on what I can and can't stay on but I have been told I can stay on meds until I fall pregnant and once I know im pregnant Ill already be a few weeks along but it wont hurt the baby at all!! some people stay on meds their whole pregnancy my girlfriend has Bipolar and stayed on meds the whole pregnancy with her last out of 6 and he is the most placid happy lil thing!!!!

[srguitargirl]

I hope you find the right ob for you and hugs cause there are alot of hopps you will jump through. I am seeing Dr Lewis not sure what he would be like with your meds but I do know he is not opposed to meds during pregnancy and he delivers at Mercy as he has prescribed me pain killers during pregnancy for SPD and back pain and I did end up on quite a high dose and he was still ok with that. The midwives at Mercy are also great and if you end up going through one of there Dr's you can call anytime to get advice or ideas of what you can do / take / get help from which I find fantastic.
I've also had a friend who has used one of the other obs there and she was on anti D's and anxity drugs and he was ok with her taking them so they do exsist you just have to find them.