The mission of Women With Epilepsy (WWE) is to focus on the experiences WWE have had during and after pregnancy, in order to help answer some questions that might give us peace of mind, or at least perspective; especially if a WWE had seizures/epilepsy-related complications during one of her pregnancies and is considering pregnancy again.

WOMEN WITH EPILEPSY

Women With Epilepsy.Org (WWE) was conceived as the result of my personal experience with epilepsy and pregnancy. I am probably much like most WWE, in that, at some point during our lives, some longer than others, the epilepsy/seizures have created challenges, even for the most basic and simple things. Since, I was diagnosed and stable I stopped talking about it and most people never knew I had this disorder. Before I got pregnant, I never considered that my pregnancy would be regarded as a high-risk pregnancy. I was stable for 12 years and I had no seizures while I was awake. However, I did have seizures every night in my sleep that left me feeling some amount of sleep deprivation. During my third trimester of my pregnancy, my life changed due to my epilepsy. Suddenly, I felt highly sensitive to light, noise, and when someone startled me. So much so, that these different environmental elements would create seizures. Florescent lights and high-pitched noise, like noise from construction suddenly became something I had to avoid in order to not have seizures. Some time after giving birth, I also started having migraines that lasted for days or weeks.

It occurred to me that perhaps I am not alone. Were there other WWE who have had similar experiences? I created Women With Epilepsy so that we could share information, in order to help answer some questions that might give us peace of mind. As a woman with epilepsy, I believe there is great value in the stories of what has happened to other women with epilepsy, who have experienced pregnancy.

PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY

Elizabeth E. Brait, MSS is a graduate of Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. Currently living in Spain with her husband and daughter. She has been working as a consultant on various social oriented projects. In 2007-2008, she created a project in order to bring the Darfur/Darfur Exhibit to Spain, in order to promote greater awareness about the genocide that has been happening in Darfur. This exhibit was seen in Bilbao, Madrid, and Valencia. Before moving to Spain, Elizabeth worked for MA Department of Public Health, Tobacco Control Unit as a Policy Program Coordinator. Previous to this job, she worked in PA as a Social Worker for numerous social service organizations that focused on women, children, and families.