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Objective: Despite widespread monotherapy use of lamotrigine or levetiracetam during pregnancy, prospectively collected, blinded child development data are still limited. The NaME (Neurodevelopment of Babies Born to Mothers With Epilepsy) Study prospectively recruited a new cohort of women with epilepsy and their offspring for longitudinal follow‐up. Methods: Pregnant women of <21 weeks gestation (n = 401) were recruited from 21 hospitals in the UK. Data collection occurred during pregnancy (recruitment, trimester 3) and at 12 and 24 months of age. The primary outcome was blinded assessment of infant cognitive, language, and motor development on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (3rd edition) at 24 months of age with supplementary parent reporting on the Vinelands Adaptive Behavior Scales (2nd edition). Results: There were 394 live births, with 277 children (70%) completing the Bayley assessment at 24 months. There was no evidence of an association of prenatal exposure to monotherapy lamotrigine (−.74, SE = 2.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −6.5 to 5.0, p =.80) or levetiracetam (−1.57, SE = 3.1, 95% CI = −4.6 to 7.7, p =.62) with poorer infant cognition, following adjustment for other maternal and child factors in comparison to nonexposed children. Similar results were observed for language and motor scores. There was no evidence of an association between increasing doses of either lamotrigine or levetiracetam. Nor was there evidence that higher dose folic acid supplementation (≥5 mg/day) or convulsive seizure exposure was associated with child development scores. Continued infant exposure to antiseizure medications through breast milk was not associated with poorer outcomes, but the number of women breastfeeding beyond 3 months was low. Significance: These data are reassuring for infant development following in utero exposure to monotherapy lamotrigine or levetiracetam, but child development is dynamic, and future follow‐up is required to rule out later emerging effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fetal medicine, antenatal medicine, neonatal and surgical teams have come together at St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, to offer a holistic, family-orientated clinic for parents-to-be of in utero babies who are known to have surgical problems. These families face high levels of stress and anxiety, and have questions about their unborn child that need answering. This multidisciplinary clinic has shown clear benefits in maximising parental understanding, empowering parents through knowledge sharing, and preparing the future relationship between parents and medical teams for the long-term care of the baby. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]