Hesperian Health Guides
Regular pregnancy checkups
HealthWiki > Epilepsy and Seizures > Chapter 7: Pregnancy and birth with epilepsy > Regular pregnancy checkups
Checkups allow you and a midwife or other health worker to:
- discuss how you are feeling.
- talk about how epilepsy and other health conditions may affect your pregnancy.
- check your health by measuring your body—your blood pressure, weight, belly growth, etc.
- find out how the baby in your womb is developing.
- ensure healthy eating and physical activity.
- address any questions or concerns you may have about your pregnancy.
- understand and prepare for the birth.
During checkups, a health worker can watch for signs of problems, such as severe pain, swelling of the hands or face, fever, bleeding, or headaches. Acting quickly if any of these signs appear can help keep both the pregnant person and baby safe.
For a complete list of health issues to cover during a pregnancy checkup and information about what to do if there are problems, scan the QR code on the previous page to access the Safe Pregnancy and Birth mobile application or see Hesperian’s A Book for Midwives.
If possible, a person should have 10 to 15 checkups during their pregnancy—one every month up to 6 months, two during months 6, 7, and 8, and then one each week during the last month. A midwife or other health worker may recommend more frequent checkups for a person with epilepsy than for someone without epilepsy. Frequent checkups can allow adjustment to your antiseizure medicine dose when needed.
At a minimum, 3 checkups during pregnancy are essential:
- as soon as a person finds out they are pregnant
- again around the 6th month
- about a month before the baby is due
Checkups can happen at home or in a clinic or medical center if access to testing equipment and technology is needed.
Take folic acid
Taking folic acid every day supports a healthy pregnancy. Folic acid is a form of vitamin B9 that supports a baby’s healthy development in the first weeks of pregnancy. Maintaining good levels of folic acid in the body helps prevent early birth, pre-eclampsia, and low birth weight, and prevents harm to the baby’s developing nervous system.
It is best to begin taking folic acid 3 months before trying to get pregnant, or start taking it as soon as you learn you are pregnant. Keep taking it throughout pregnancy and stop when you give birth.
In the past, higher doses of folic acid were recommended for people taking antiseizure medicines because of concerns that they lowered the amount of folic acid in the body. New research shows that too much folic acid may not be safe for the baby in the womb. So, the advice now for people taking antiseizure medicines is to take the same amount of folic acid taken by anyone trying to get pregnant or already pregnant—0.4 mg every day.