I'm pregnant with twins and I probably shouldn't have read this "How I Gave My Son Autism" blog but I did. I don't recommend doing it unless you can handle reading that everything you are doing is probably giving your unborn or young child autism.
I admit I found the article interesting. I had never heard the research about the vaccines being given when sick having a link to autism. At the same time I thought it was ridiculous to say there is a link between ultrasounds and autism.
Today, I realized the major flaw in her argument, the 9 item list. Is her son autistic because all of these 9 things occurred? So all autistic children had these 9 things happen? Was it just one of the 9 things? Then she should get rid of the other 8 things on the list. Is it a combination of 2 of the things or 3?
One of the things on her list is ultrasounds. Most pregnant women have ultrasounds so I think we can rule that one out. Another is high fructose corn syrup. Again, most pregnant women consume high fructose corn syrup. She says she had 5 ultrasounds. Was it that 5th ultrasound that gave her child autism? She had coca cola every day. Is it something else in the coca cola?
I understand mom guilt. We all experience it. I can completely understand her searching for answers for why this happened to her precious child. I am sure I would do the same thing. But writing this blog? I don't think she should have done it. I don't think this is helping other moms. It is scaring the heck out of us.
Again, I'm pregnant with twins. I don't need something else to worry about. I don't need a list of 9 things that I can't prevent. I have to have a lot of ultrasounds to make sure my babies are growing the way they should be. I don't need to be scared about it.
As moms we have to do the best we can taking care of ourselves when we are pregnant and after our child is born. If and when we find a cause for autism then let's spread the word.
Hugs friend! Everything will be just fine.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many things I could say about that article. The fact that at the top they call it an epidemic made my skin crawl. I work in education so I've seen all different ends of the spectrum. My mom once asked if I thought there was some sort of rise in it and I think it's because now we have given it a name and we talk about. It's probably existed for many years but 20+ years ago that person was just odd, not talked about or sent away. I think there are so many inaccurate things out there it drives people off the deep end. I don't think there is any rhyme or reason to who is affected by autism. Women can do everything perfectly and still have a child who ends up with problems. I think the article makes the woman sound like she's given her child a death sentence. It's not fatal. Is it difficult, yes. All in all I believe it's really in God's hands. You are a good momma and no matter what you love those babies. You're doing the right thing by following your instincts and what you know.
ReplyDeleteI havent read the post you linked. The timing is weird, I have seen a lot about U/s the past week around. I actually researched u/s a lot prior to this pregnancy- based off our research and personal experiences we made a choice. I don't share my research or my thoughts because I think each parent needs to do their own homework on every issue and I would never want to be the person to cause someone else stress or guilt.
ReplyDeleteAs parents we all make choices and then need to be confident in those choices the best we can. Don't let someone's article get to you. Just keep doing what you feel you need to do for your family and your kiddos.