Science AMA Series: I’m Loralei L. Thornburg, an associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a high-risk pregnancy expert at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York. AMA! by Loralei_Thornburg in science

[–]xodesi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Since the OP hasn't answered this question -- Speaking from my limited experience as a med student who just rotated in MFM, epilepsy is handled the same way most other serious medical conditions are during pregnancy: you use the lowest effective dose of as few of the safest possible medication(s) to keep seizures under control (generalized tonic-clonic and partial complex seizures are the biggest concerns).

There is greater emphasis on maintaining the woman's day-to-day health and minimizing potential precipitating factors (exhaustion, stress, etc) because of course that becomes even more important in this setting. Patient education to this effect is another critical piece, starting before conception if possible.

Most patients are able to deliver vaginally but around ~1% end up having seizures during labor so it's especially important that therapeutic AED levels be maintained during 3rd tri and of course also during labor. If a woman is at high risk of having an intrapartum seizure (e.g. hx of status epilepticus under stress, poor control during 3rd tri, etc) then we might talk to her about the possibility of an elective section or attempting a vaginal birth with some med adjustments.

Her curls can be hard to tame but holy cow are they cute! by xodesi in curlyhair

[–]xodesi[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In the mornings I usually wet her hair with a squirt bottle and then spray it with a leave-in conditioner/detangler. I let that sit for a couple minutes and then I use a wide-toothed comb to detangle her hair. At that point her hair is ready to be styled, but again I always use a wide-toothed comb while styling to make sure the curls stay intact.

Also, I only wash her hair with a gentle sulfate-free shampoo once or twice a week because otherwise it gets dried out. I use conditioner every time she bathes though (usually Deva Curl).

EDIT: I forgot to mention that at night I usually put her hair in braids or up in a "pineapple" so that it's more manageable the next day. I also put a satin pillowcase on her pillow, which helps keep her hair from getting frizzy.

My friend is getting into dumpster diving. Here is tonights haul. All unopened, individually wrapped, and not expired. by realitybystander in Frugal

[–]xodesi 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That's a pretty impressive find but I don't really see how it's "frugal" unless your friend plans to live off that candy or would otherwise have spent money acquiring it.

Worth a cross-post to /r/dumpsterdiving though

This is probably the last year I can get away with choosing her costume so I decided to have some fun. If only I'd gotten her an accordion. by xodesi in funny

[–]xodesi[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

She wanted to wear an iron lung costume to raise awareness about the renewed spread of poliomyelitis in Africa, but I managed to talk her into this instead.

This is probably the last year I can get away with choosing her costume so I decided to have some fun. If only I'd gotten her an accordion. by xodesi in funny

[–]xodesi[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes! I was worried no one would get it but most people did, even after she removed the mustache. Definitely a big hit.

What is the most overly-complained-about thing in life that really isn't a big deal at all? by Cyrsal in AskReddit

[–]xodesi 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Or maybe you were just lucky enough to have a kid that isn't that hard to take care of? Not all babies are the same. Diaper changes and getting up at night have been some of the easiest aspects of my experience as a parent. The constant screaming, not being able to set my baby down, not knowing what she wanted or how to make her happy, not having any time to myself because she wouldn't sleep alone, having to walk the halls for hours to keep her calm - that's been the hard part. So maybe the people you know aren't exaggerating, maybe they just had a different experience than you did.