My fiancee has bipolar and schizophrenia i'm worried about if my baby will get it. His whole family seems to have alot of problems with bipolar and schizophrenia. He takes zoloft and Lithium. I was also wondering if that will infect the baby in anyway?
2007-04-07 20:05:58 · 16 answers · asked by Phantasie 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
I'm married to a man with bi-polar. Let me tell you though the road will be a long one. I am not going to lie to you. There is a possibility, but there is as much of a possibility she/he will not have any problems. I don't know how you deal with both though. Bi-polar is hard enough but schizophrenia in the mix...I can only imagine. Of course, know that it is possible to have a great life, but it will take alot more work in that relationship. However, my hubby is very proactive in this pregnancy and is excited. He is a great hubby and will be great with our child. Please, make sure he takes all of his meds and if he is not on them make sure he gets on them. Make sure he does not miss doses. It wont infect the baby as it is a mental disorder and not a disease, but if your child gets bi-polar or schizophrenia, there will be alot of adjustments. I'm not trying to scare you in the least, but I do want you to know that you will need to prepare yourself and both of you may benefit from occasional counseling together and seperately. If you are considering having a child, just make sure you are prepared to accept a child with or without a mental illness. This will be a decision both of you will have to make. For my hubby it was the hardest decision to have a child as he was afraid of the same thing. It took a year to decide to conceive and now 6 years later we are having a baby girl.
24 weeks pregnant with baby girl
2007-04-08 00:09:42 · answer #1 · answered by Kelly s 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
okay, I am 18 weeks pregnant and I am bi-polar. Mental illness does run in my side of the family. The father's side is fine. We went to a genetic counselor that spent 2 hours with us. Just because the father is bi-polar does NOT mean your baby will have it. For all the people saying yes the baby will is not true!!!! I hate reading that. My mom has two brothers that were bi-polar and my mom doesn't. It is genetic but not a guarantee your baby will have it. Since the father does have it you are at a higher risk and you will have to look for symptoms and then get the little help as soon as you notice anything. You will have to find a good pediatrician. It's not all sad and doomsday like these poeple are making it out to be and there's nothing woring with having kids with someone who has a mental illness. Also your genes play a part not only his. I am sure your baby wil be fine no matter what she/he may get from his genes. Just take care and be alert to symptoms and be diligent and aware of what's going on. Hope is not all lost here. Good luck and Congrats!! Make an appt to see a genetic counselor, you will feel much better!!
2007-04-08 12:17:28 · answer #2 · answered by k 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i can say from a little experience that it is partly genetic but also partly learning. my brother, grandmother, grandfather, uncle and aunt have various mental disorders ranging from bi-polar disorder to schizophrenia. i was lucky enough to only have general anxiety disorder - which was more of a learned response due to my mother - as well as A.D.D (i don't call it ADHD). but, my brother has had four children and none of them, so far, seem to have any symptoms of these disorders. sometimes it skips, sometimes not. but honestly - are you questioning if you abort the child (assuming you're pregnant)? just take the precautions - read up on the subject and how it's genetic and could effect any offspring. do your research. even look up treatments so you have a back up plan to know what to do if it turns out bad. your fiancee should know what it's all about. and i do not agree that everyone has bipolar - that is a totally different world. very very different.
2007-04-08 06:15:52 · answer #3 · answered by Shakti Svātantrya Isa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My husband is the same way. He is the only one in his family of 6 kids with these problems so I'm not sure about the genetic part. I'm worried a bit but considering that my other kids have problems too(from a previous relationship) it can't be much worse. If you love your partner and have learned to deal then there is no harm in having a baby. I'm 10 weeks and am hoping it all works out for the best. Good luck and don't be afraid. We're never given more than we can handle.
2007-04-08 09:35:36 · answer #4 · answered by Lostlove 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The disorder runs in families.More than two-thirds of people with bipolar disorder have at least one close relative with the disorder or with unipolar major depression, indicating that the disease has a genetic component.
You may want to think hard about having a child with this. Many are ADHD also when a parent has a gene problem.
I would do as much research as possible.
2007-04-08 03:20:32 · answer #5 · answered by charontheloose 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No one will know if your child will get it. What we do know is that genetics plays a major role in passing along a high number of physical, psychological, medical and other traits.
What can be said if you have a child with someone that suffers from bipolar and schizophrenia is the chances of your child getting this condition at some point in his or her life is a hell of a lot higher than if you had a child with someone who did not suffer from these conditions.
2007-04-08 03:18:47 · answer #6 · answered by kenny 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both of those are VERY genetic! That doesn't mean that your child will end up with either one of those conditions though. My step-father is bi-polar and out of two half sisters, one of them is bi-polar and one is not... or at least has not showed signs of it. If you want to base a therory on my family I guess I would say that there was a 50/50 chance of it. From my experience it has been very hard to live with those tht are bi-polar and I wish you the best of luck and admire you for being willing to take this on! Of course the best action would probably be to talk to your fiance's doctor about your concerns and to get any imput he might have!
2007-04-08 03:18:08 · answer #7 · answered by flirty_blonde_2004 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your child will have Bipolar and/or schizophrenia. I'm sorry to say that, but he or she will have it. Bipolar is genetic, and goes through the family.
Here's some tips if you do have the child. If you go to get your child "labeled", he, or she, will be probably be labeled as "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" (ADHD). They're hyper, have mood swings, and doctors recommend TONS of medications.
Lots of stuff is genetic, ADHD, Autism (mental retardation), ADD, is to name just a few. I have a brother with Autism because my dad had it when he was a kid. Even I have some of it, but thankfully I'm a female. Any little thing is given to the baby.
*If you have a child and they have some mental retardation, you might be qualified to get services from the state. By services I mean "Helpers" to come in and help the child in what he or she needs help with. It could be to get dressed and ready in the morning, it could be to help them talk, ect. Just something I wanted to add.
2007-04-08 03:36:47 · answer #8 · answered by wildauthor 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Those are genetic disorders, so it is very likely that your child will end up with something of the sort. The medicines he takes will not affect your child, they only hurt the baby if YOU are the one taking them.
2007-04-08 03:19:00 · answer #9 · answered by sheriwx 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Very possibly
2007-04-08 03:09:10 · answer #10 · answered by nil_queen 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋