Losing custody of the baby due to seizures?

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Hello there. My daughter has a 5 month old daughter and the Dad is trying to get primary custody due to my daughter's epilepsy. He is proposing supervised visits only, no overnight, stating the child is not safe in her care. Does anyone have any experience with this? Has your parenting ever been called into question due to your medical condition?

Comments

Hi,Thank you for posting, it

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 2020-05-21 - 09:34

Hi,Thank you for posting, it sounds like you all are going through a lot. To learn more about the legal rights of a parent with epilepsy, visit: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/legal-help/your-legal-rights . Additionally, you may always contact our 24/7 Helpline, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and can connect you with members of our legal team.1-800-332-1000, contactus@efa.org. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/legal-help . The safety of your daughter and her child are most important and there are many things you all can do to increase their safety. It’s important that your daughter has a safety plan in place in case she does have a seizure while caring for her baby and that she's following up closely with her healthcare team. Women who have just had a baby will have disturbed sleep (interrupted or not enough sleep), extra work and stress, and hormonal changes - and for some woman with epilepsy these factors can increase the risk of seizures. Your daughter may notice that some lifestyle habits such as lack of sleep, stress, may have an impact on how she’s feeling and her seizure frequency. https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/triggers-seizures. My Seizure Diary can help her track triggers and seizures, which can be shared with her healthcare team. They can help her identify or recognize any patterns, allowing her to modify (if needed) her treatment plan, behavior, or lifestyle, as appropriate. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary .There are many different devices that can help detect seizures and notify someone to help respond. Review our seizure alert device factsheet, with your daughter and her doctor’s, who can help determine if an alert device is an option for her: https://www.epilepsy.com/sites/core/files/atoms/files/DAS100_Seizure_Alert_Devices_09-2018_FINAL2.pdf . For additional safety tips to consider around the home while caring for a baby & the importance of having a support system in place, please visit: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/women/epilepsy-and-pregnancy/after-baby-born

Hi,Thank you for posting, it sounds like you all are going through a lot. To learn more about the legal rights of a parent with epilepsy, visit: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/legal-help/your-legal-rights . Additionally, you may always contact our 24/7 Helpline, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and can connect you with members of our legal team.1-800-332-1000, contactus@efa.org.  https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/legal-help . The safety of your daughter and her child are most important and there are many things you all can do to increase their safety. It’s important that your daughter has a safety plan in place in case she does have a seizure while caring for her baby and that she's following up closely with her healthcare team. Women who have just had a baby will have disturbed sleep (interrupted or not enough sleep), extra work and stress, and hormonal changes - and for some woman with epilepsy these factors can increase the risk of seizures. Your daughter may notice that some lifestyle habits such as lack of sleep, stress, may have an impact on how she’s feeling and her seizure frequency. https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/triggers-seizures. My Seizure Diary can help her track triggers and seizures, which can be shared with her healthcare team. They can help her identify or recognize any patterns, allowing her to modify (if needed) her treatment plan, behavior, or lifestyle, as appropriate. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary .There are many different devices that can help detect seizures and notify someone to help respond. Review our seizure alert device factsheet, with your daughter and her doctor’s, who can help determine if an alert device is an option for her: https://www.epilepsy.com/sites/core/files/atoms/files/DAS100_Seizure_Alert_Devices_09-2018_FINAL2.pdf . For additional safety tips to consider around the home while caring for a baby & the importance of having a support system in place, please visit:  https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/women/epilepsy-and-pregnancy/after-baby-born 

Hi,Thank you for posting, it sounds like you all are going through a lot. To learn more about the legal rights of a parent with epilepsy, visit: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/legal-help/your-legal-rights . Additionally, you may always contact our 24/7 Helpline, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and can connect you with members of our legal team.1-800-332-1000, contactus@efa.org. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/legal-help . The safety of your daughter and her child are most important and there are many things you all can do to increase their safety. It’s important that your daughter has a safety plan in place in case she does have a seizure while caring for her baby and that she's following up closely with her healthcare team. Women who have just had a baby will have disturbed sleep (interrupted or not enough sleep), extra work and stress, and hormonal changes - and for some woman with epilepsy these factors can increase the risk of seizures. Your daughter may notice that some lifestyle habits such as lack of sleep, stress, may have an impact on how she’s feeling and her seizure frequency. https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/triggers-seizures. My Seizure Diary can help her track triggers and seizures, which can be shared with her healthcare team. They can help her identify or recognize any patterns, allowing her to modify (if needed) her treatment plan, behavior, or lifestyle, as appropriate. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary .There are many different devices that can help detect seizures and notify someone to help respond. Review our seizure alert device factsheet, with your daughter and her doctor’s, who can help determine if an alert device is an option for her: https://www.epilepsy.com/sites/core/files/atoms/files/DAS100_Seizure_Alert_Devices_09-2018_FINAL2.pdf . For additional safety tips to consider around the home while caring for a baby & the importance of having a support system in place, please visit: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/women/epilepsy-and-pregnancy/after-baby-born

Yes, this happened to me even

Submitted by Patriotrehab on Fri, 2020-05-22 - 21:56

Yes, this happened to me even though my epilepsy started as a result of medical negligence while pregnant with my son and my abuser used to violate me while I was unconscious during my seizures. It was a very ugly court battle, but my abuser didn’t get exactly what he wanted and ultimately he even gave me custody later. I am now a licensed clinical social worker and certified rehabilitation counselor and still have active seizures. I have specialized in helping victims of domestic violence. If you are interested, you can reply to my post with your contact information and I will contact you with mine and even speak to her or her attorney if she wishes.