your seizures.”
Charlie nodded. “That makes sense.”
“You’ll also need to start taking folic acid,” Dr Robinson chipped in. “You’ll need a higher dose than you can get in
drug store bottles, so I’ll prescribe that for you today. The earlier you start taking it, the better.”
“Sorry…why do I need a higher dose?” Charlie asked, tensing up again.
“Although your anti-epileptics aren’t associated with any specific complications, all anti-epileptics can lead to a
slightly increased chance of birth defects. It’s only slight,” Dr Robinson said. “But taking a higher dose of folic
acid will help provide the necessary vitamins for correct bone development.”
Charlie glanced at me, worry dulling his normally bright eyes.
“It’s just a precaution, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Yes, of course,” Dr Robinson replied. “Try not to worry, Charlie. The vast majority of omegas with epilepsy who
get pregnant go on to have perfectly healthy babies.”
“The vast majority,” Charlie repeated in a quiet voice.
“There are always risks involved with pregnancy and childbirth,” Dr Robinson said. “Our job is to minimise those
risks.”
Charlie breathed in slowly. “What are the chances of our baby having epilepsy too?”
“Very low,” Dr Hunt replied. “There’s only about a five per cent chance of your baby inheriting epilepsy from you.”
“Five per cent. That’s tiny,” I said, trying to reassure Charlie.
“What about my seizures?” Charlie asked. “Will they get worse?”
“For a lot of omegas, they actually get better,” Dr Hunt said, smiling. “For some, they don’t change at all. For a
very small percentage, they can occur more frequently.”
Charlie’s shoulders slumped.
“There’s no reason to think you’ll be in that small percentage,” I said.
“There’s no reason to think I won’t be either.” He laid his head on my shoulder. “I don’t know why my thoughts are
running riot.”
“Because you’re nervous,” Dr Robinson said. “All prospective parents are.”
I wrapped my arm around Charlie’s shoulders and squeezed him gently. “Is there anything we can do to reduce
the risk of seizures while Charlie is pregnant?”
“Make sure you get plenty of rest,” Dr Hunt said. “And avoid stress. They’re both known triggers for you, but
pregnancy can often lead to a lack of sleep and heightened tension.”
Charlie lifted his head. He was smiling for the first time since we’d walked into the office. “Oh, so what you’re
saying is that I’ll need to spend my entire pregnancy putting my feet up while everyone waits on me hand and
foot?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“It’s what I heard.”
I laughed. “Charlie.”
“What? Isn’t that what you heard too?”
I kissed his cheek. “I will gladly wait on you hand and foot if it keeps you happy.”
“Aww, you’d really spoil me?”
“Yes.”
Charlie chuckled. “I’m gonna hold you to that, especially when my belly’s too swollen for me to want to move.”
“Staying mobile during your pregnancy is good for you,” Dr Robinson said in a slightly alarmed tone.
“He’s joking,” I assured the obstetrician.
“Am I?”
When Dr Robinson’s face fell, Charlie burst out laughing.
“Austin’s right, you know. I am kidding. Mostly.”
Dr Robinson spread his hands on the desk, clearly composing himself. “You’ll need to give birth in a hospital so
we can closely monitor you and the baby. But as long as all is well, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able
to give birth naturally.”
Charlie looked at his neurologist. “So there’s no reason I shouldn’t get pregnant?”
“None whatsoever.”
Charlie grinned at me. “Okay…so…how do we go about it?”
“You’ll need to choose a sperm donor,” Dr Robinson said. “Obviously, it’s an anonymous service, but you’ll be
able to know their height, weight, eye, and hair colour, along with where and when they were born, and, of course,
what animal they are. For some, that’s the most important factor. So if you only want to select from sperm
donors of a specific animal, we can do that.”
“It should be an arctic fox,” I said without hesitation, remembering how important it was to Charlie’s dads that he
should breed true.
Charlie scowled at me. “We don’t need to decide now, do we?” he asked the doctor.
“No. But you will need to have chosen a sperm donor before you’re ready to go ahead. Once you’ve done that,
you’ll need to check into our reproduction facility for a heat. During your heat, we will introduce sperm from your
donor into your uterus.”
Charlie raised his eyebrows. “Could you explain that less clinically?”
Dr Robinson smiled. “It can be done one of two ways. Either by a cannula, straight into your uterus, or via a
specially designed dildo. A lot of my patients prefer that method, as it’s a lot more natural,
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