New baby, So very scared... | Autism PDD

Having a baby is never easy, under the best circumstances.  My first was born four months early and is multiply handicapped but not Autistic.  My second was developing normally until 15 months when I realized all was not right.  He was diagnosed with Autism at three.

I just had my third son and can't stop thinking/worrying about the chances of him having Autism.  He isn't the easiest baby, which just strokes my fears.  He is five weeks old and isn't making great eye contact.  He makes it but only some of the time.  He has smiled a couple of times, never for me though and I can't be 100% certain that it wasn't gas.  He wants to be held most of the time (he will sit for short periods and that has gotten better since birth).  He arches his back sometimes.  He prefers to be held during sleep (he does nap during the day on his own).

He does have reflux which he struggles with (which could explain the arching and fussiness).  He was also born three weeks early and just didn't seem "cooked" (I had a lung maturity test with him, passing was 2.4 and he was 2.7)

How do I relax?  How do I enjoy his babyhood?  How can I assume that there is a possibility that he does NOT have Autism? 

Thanks for any words of encouragement.

I understand why you're scared, and I don't blame you!
however, there is no way to tell right now, all you can do is try to enjoy your son and not let these fears get in the way right now. There is nothing you can do about it either way right? So give him all he needs and nurture and teach him all you can. Sometimes autism gets in the way of us actually just enjoying having our kids! Autism or not they are blessings and it's still wonderful to watch them develope and learn and love...
if you knew he was autistic now what would you do differently?
Do all you can, but love these days of him being little, and learning all he can. So much can change and WILL change, and the more you believe the best in him the more he will become that.
God picked you for these kids mom for a reason. Remember that! He knew you were what they would need
Hi rockys, Welcome!
I am going through this now too.

Nina is nearly 10 months old and I worry all the time about every little thing she may or may not do at the right time or in a typical way.
People say not to worry because she is a girl, but tht doesn't exactly make me feel better considering Sharlet.

Nina was a VERY sooky young baby who had to be held or breastfed to sleep.  Her birth was very, very complicated and traumatic for both of us.

She rolled over late, but then caught up and is doing all the things she should be doing now.  So I know that she is not like Sharlet but now I worry she will regress like some kids do.  I haven't immunized her.

I just try to take things one day at a a time and relax.  If she does turn out to be autistic, I don't want to have wasted the beautiful time I have with her now while she is little, because of worry.

Please try to enjoy your new baby o.k

I'm glad you have come here and I think you should keep coming for support.
I just wanted to add that the statistics for siblings of someone with autism is 1 in 10 will have autism, therefor 9 in 10 will not, so the odds are very firmly on the side of your baby boy being NT.

I think about this when I'm trying to convince myself that there is a chance of Nina being NT.

I would also suggest that if your autistic son is getting EI services, you should see if they can see your baby son every 3-6 months, just so if there are any signs that develop, you can catch it as soon as possible.  Also if there aren't any signs it can be very reassuring to hear it from a professional, it helps to stop you talking yourself into seeing possible symptoms all the time out of worry. (I'm not sure how it works where you are, but this is what is happening where we are)

Good Luck and take care

I can also relate.  I have a 3.5 asd who was 2 when my twins were born.  He was newly diagnosed and i was learning all about autism.

After that I kept waiting for the bomb to drop and it did.  One was not self feeding cherrios at 8 months so i had him evaluated by EI.  HE was delayed across the board, especially with play skills and found eligible.  We started services and four months later he was discharged because he caught up.  Had i not been exposed to the symptoms, i would have missed it and he probably would have had more delays.  He is now a typical developing child.

At least as an experienced mom you know what to look for and can have intervention started as soon as you see symptoms, if you see any at all.

He does have some speech delays and our dev ped said it is because he sees his older autistic brother and that is what he is imitating since he doesnt have the typical speech.  keep that in mind as they get older.  Make sure you bring the youngest child around typically developing peers so that he can model them as well as your older children.

I also understand as you can see I have boys that are ASD and am waiting to give birth now. BUT you can't do1 thing about it ifit is it is if it isn't it isn't the only thing is you may notice things faster.  I would just love your little boy just for being your little boy NT or not

 I have been doing the same thing from the time my daughter was born and I dont know when i will be rest assured she is NT,cause u always seem to worry. Well she will be 2yrs this week and met all her milstones and talks like a song bird and is very smart. I also has choosen not to immunize her,well she has only gotten 3shots so far so she is way behind but i am taking it slow,this is still a concern for me but so far so good.right now my only concern is that my daughter models my sons behaviors too much, I am afraid of one day it will be too confussing for both of us and possible misdiagnosis cause of this. others things she will grow out of it when she start school and is around NT kids more.

Also my son did regress around 15mths and she is pass that but I have a fear it could happen latter. but believe me i know how u feel, I just dont know how or when you will be at ease.as you can tell I am still not at ease just not as worried as i used to be in her baby years.

I also understand what you're going through.  I am still watching my 21/2 yr old since my first son is on the spectrum.  (PDD-NOS)

I wouldn't worry so much this early though.  I don't think 5 week olds make much eye contact yet.  I also don't think they really interact until about 4 months old.  I have my second son in EI services since he was speech delayed.  He is 2 1/2 now and is talking quite a bit.  He is very social but has some behaviors that are kind of suspicious.  (hand flapping and jumping  up and down)  It's hard to tell if some of this isn't learned from my first son though.  I have also talked to a lot of parents that noticed just a few of the traits in siblings (probably not enough to be diagnosed with anything -just enough to make you wonder)  It doesn't hurt to keep an eye out but don't miss out on the joy of your baby. 

Take care,

Laurie

beleive me i know how you feel my second is 8 months old and im constantly watching for every little thing, like he loves to rock he rocks all the time and he will roll back and forth on the floor just seems to love it. I know the chance is there but right now there is nothing that can be done so i observe and try not to jump on anything. I am expecting our third in may and I know its going to start all over again, but no matter what im ready.
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