Very unexpected pregnancy - am terrified

Nicki

Wilma33 wrote: »

Ring NHS direct and ask for advice about your tablets.

Nhs direct will give the most conservative advice, which will probably be to stop the pills. As another poster has said staying on them for another few days will make no further difference to the baby, and OP should speak to a qualified doctor who knows her medical history for advice about what is best for her and the baby.

I had PND with one of my pregnancies very seriously, so was on medication throughout my last one as a preventative measure. This was under the supervision of a consultant, but nonetheless as my bump got more obvious it was very difficult to persuade pharmacies to fill the prescription. Lots of drugs say they should not be taken in pregnancy because they haven't been tested on pregnant women but are in fact safe, and it's always best to weigh up the benefits to the mum against a theoretical risk to the baby, as what any baby needs as a newborn is a healthy mum who is able to look after them

brians_daughter

reallydontknowwhattodo wrote: »

im terrifed that when i do an abortion will be what they advise due to the medication and i think i'd find that idea very hard to cope with.

Ok, i have some experience with this. I am currently 33 weeks preg, and like you it was unexpected and i am on meds that they advise not to get preg whilst on them...

My preg consultant told me 'most drugs state 'not suitable for pregnancy' as the manufacturer will not conduct studies to see the effect they have on babies'

Each med has a rating -' x rated ' meds mean that there can be massive issues. My med was a high risk category but my pregnancy cons did lots of research and found that actually the only reason it was classed as not suited for use is there was a slight..and i mean less than 0.1% chance problems could occur if i was taking 10 x the rec amount of meds and the manufacturer wouldnt conduct more research so everything we learnt was from previous pregant women on the meds.(infact i think he worked out i had more chance of winning the lottery!) If any baby was found to be impacted by the drugs their mother ingested during pregnancy and the manufacturer had decilared them as safe there wwould be massive outcry..not to mention compensation to be paid..a risk not many manufacturers are willing to take

The packet advised not to get preg within 12 months of finishing the meds. Again this is standard information for long term meds that havent been tested in pregnancy.

I have gone from thinking i would have to terminate to being told my baby is healthy and i could even breast feed whilst on my meds, which it states on the packet is a no no, but extensive record collating shows it is perfectly safe, again the manufacturer will not spend the money to get the drug certified safe for use in preg and breast feeding

I am not going to go into your situation as what was the right choice for me may not be for you...BUT from the sounds of it you would like to have the child as you say you want a baby at some point and you are scared they will say to terminate.

You need to go see GP asap and ask about the meds. We were 'all geared up' for a termination as i was 100% sure it would be what was advised with the meds, i was told that in order to have a termination there needs to be heart flutterings for them to confirm the pregnancy - so that happens at about 6 -7 weeks after last period. SO you still have plenty time for the doc to do his research.

I hope my post has given you some indication of what may happen, and i wish you all the best regardless of what you decide is best for you x x x

If you maybe posted the name of the drug (if you feel ok doing so) you may well find someone here has had the same experience, ok you still need medical advice but someone maybe able to set your mind at rest slightly over the weekend

elfen

First off congratulations and a big hug!

I know someone who was on antidepressants and morphine when they were expecting, and they had to change their dose but they had a very supportive midwife who helped them through, IIRC their meds weren't changed but they were monitored more/given extra scans just in case

Amanda65

I can understand how your emotions must be everywhere at the moment so try and keep calm (easy to say I know when it's not you ). I just wondered if it's worth calling either NHS Direct or your local maternity unit - they may have someone who can put your mind at rest. Good luck :T

reallydontknowwhattodo

Thank you all again for all your replies.

Just to clarify, im not worried that the doctors would advise an abortion because of my mental health condition, but that they would advise one due to the possible damage from the medication - if that makes sense??

Well i told my partner and he was shocked to say the least, he kept looking at the test going "are you sure theres 2 lines?" - so even though it was definately 2 lines we went and brought a digital one, which also said pregnant. He was quiet for a while (in shock possibly) but came around to the idea quite quicky. I told him i was worried about where we'd live, how we'd cope etc and he seemed quite certain we will, so all in all i couldnt have asked for a more supportive reaction from him, which has made the situation seem loads better.

Very sleepless night for us both last night though and im exhausted today Also started feeling bit naueous, which could be morning sickness (too early??) or just as im a bit stressed.

Brians daughter - massive thanks, your post is SO helpful. Its a good idea to name the drug (hadnt even thought of that!) its called moclobemide (also called Aurorix, Manerix) and is a MAIO antideppressant.

I actually found this on wikipedia which also made me feel a bit better and makes me hope it is more of a case, of insufficient data to proove its ok.

"Pregnancy and lactation
Animal models did not reveal any embryo-or fetotoxicity. Likewise, breastfed offspring showed normal development. In humans sufficient data is lacking. The concentration of moclobemide in maternal milk is quite low."

Thank you to all of you who suggested NHS direct, but as someone suggested, i suspect they would advise me to stop taking the pills asap (as this is the 'safest' advice), but i know that just stopping them is not the best option, and would rather speak to my own doctor on monday.

HRV

I am currently in the early stages of pregnancy and like you on med for depression (venlafaxine). My pregnancy was planned and me and the doc did alot of talking before hand he advised me that they rarley suggest coming off these meds completely if it will adversely effect the moms health. Like you my med was not recommened during pregnancy but the doc arranged for the pharmacist to contact the drugs company and ask for the relevant studies they did have on the drug (albiet 3or 4 woman). I cut my dose in half before TTC and have now successfully concieved.

My meds are not the same as yours but don't panic Im sure doc will sort it on monday.

Doc told me when baby was born it may have slight withdrawl symptom for 24 hours or so- a bit unsettled.

I expect I will be watched more closely before and after birth coz of PND risk

Wishing you all the best with it and don't beat yourself up about it

Britwife

I'm going to say congratulations. Sometimes the best things in life are unplanned. It's a personal choice on what you choose but I look at the other side due to experience.

I'm nearly 40 and have 3 children, one just about to fly the coop. I had a miscarriage in 2006 at 12 weeks and I just lost my baby boy at 19 weeks gestation, he was diagnosed with down syndrome and a very large cystic hygroma. This was in Sept and at the time, I wanted to rip every reproductive organ out of my body. But as a Christian, I sought out God for healing and we decided to try one more time. I just found out today, that we are pregnant and I'm so excited.

What I'm trying to say is life throws us some sharp curve balls but we always manage to work through them and get past them. Sometimes we need help but we get there. This is one of those curve balls hun and you will get through. Maybe try and look at this baby as a blessing and what if it's your only chance to have a baby?

Only YOU can choose to keep this baby or not, I'm just trying to get you to see it in a positive light instead of worrying. I know I would worry too with meds but ring your gp right away on Monday to see what they say. I worry too, about something going wrong, losing another baby, but I feel good about this.

God bless hun and congrats again.

reallydontknowwhattodo

Not having such a good day today - really freaking out, about how we'll cope etc. Barely got any sleep and found myself crying at a dogs trust advert on the tv! Not sure if this is due to hormones etc or whether its a sign of my depression (which recently up until now has been very well controlled.)

Guess im just scared, as i think i want to keep the baby, but terrified about whats to come. (obviously i know its very early days and im remembering that) but still scared. I guess this is normal though (??) as it was completely unplanned and my intial thoughts were all concentrating on the effects the medication may have and now i guess im realising that i actually might have a baby in 8 months and im worrying about all the other stuff, such as whether we should move in together, how i'll manange at work, money etc etc.

Also worried about the doctors reaction tomorrow, as im sure i'll get a lecture about having been more careful, even though i was as careful as poss and still not sure how it happened in 1st place and also what they are going to say : (

belfastgirl23

it sounds perfectly perfectly normal to me to be a bit shaky and tearful about this. I don't think it's to do with your depression at all, it's how people feel when they have an unplanned pregnancy. Or indeed any big potential life changing event. So don't worry about it from that point of view, you feel what you feel and it's fine to feel that.

And don't worry about the doc giving you a hard time, accidents do happen and I really don't think he/she will.

The other stuff tends to fall into place from what I hear although there will definitely be others who will be able to offer more advice on this than me.

Good luck tomorrow!

Needhelpsaving

I have never been in this situation (although have had MH problems); but what I would say is to look at ALL your options carefully, take your time and speak to your OH about how you are feeling. I really hope that everything goes ok xxxxx