Hi Lynne,
My name is LeAnn and I would like to share my story with you. I was diagnosed with epilepsy about 6 years ago. I was put on 1000mg of tegretol to control the seizures. The doctor told me never to get pregnant. Well, Accidents do happen and two years ago I got pregnant. Boy was I scared but I really wanted to have another Baby. I was told to keep taking the tegretol because it was worse for the baby to have a seizure than to take the medication. We were told all the possibilities of birth defects. The two greatests being cleft pallet and spinal bifita. We had an amnio and many ultra souds. On April 13,1998 I gave birth to a healthy beautiful baby boy who is just awesome. We both fought really hard for him to be here but I'm glad we did. I Know how scared you are because I have been there but some things are worth the risk. I know that because my son is so wonderful. Keep taking the tegretol because it is better for the baby than a seizure. Just a little side note. I also breast feed my son because the doctor said that compared to what he got during the pregnancy the little he got nursing wasn't going to hurt him. I wish you all the luck in the world. If you have any questions or just want to talk e-mail me.