7 year old with autism, baby due in March

forte16

I have a beautiful little girl with ASD that will be 7 this month and am pregnant with #2 that is due March 27th. This one is a boy and I was told because it's a boy, the odds of another ASD diagnosis goes WAY up. My husband has autism and is fully functional and a wonderful dad and husband. I was scared of having another one with ASD and that is why we waited so long to have #2. Does anyone have any experience with this?

greyt00

I have experience with the fear, that's for sure. I was pregnant with #2 before I knew about any of DS1's issues. DS2 was about 6 months old when I realized that DS1, at age 2, probably had autism. DS1 was diagnosed 6 months later at 2.5 years old. DS2 had just turned 1 and was not pointing or waving. I was really, really worried. DS2 started pointing and waving at 13-14 months and I felt a little better. I know that doesn't rule anything out, but I was still relieved he picked it up without us trying to teach him excessively. DS2 was (and still is) much more typically verbal, aware, and responsive than DS1. I know it's too soon to rule it out completely, but I am much less worried now. DS2 has started to surpass DS1 on almost everything except for math skills. I really don't see any signs. I am not sure what sort of experience you are looking for, but that's my story. The odds are definitely higher but it's not a guarantee. I wish you all the best with with your pregnancy and growing family.

Thetinydancer22

I have 2 boys, my 4-year-old has Autism, my 2-year-old does not. I got pregnant with DS #2 before DS #1 was diagnosed. While I can't relate to the fear, I can tell you how relieved we are that DS #2 doesn't show any signs. I always wonder if we had waited would we have had a second baby after getting the diagnosis. And I can honestly say yes. They are so good for each other! They help each other developmentally and socially. Good luck!!!

mommyarmstrong

Yes! We have four kids, and two of them have ASD diagnosis'. The oldest is 8 and has PDD-NOS, he's improved 10 fold since his diagnosis about 6 yrs ago. Our 2nd son, aged 6 has ASD, SPD and some anxiety issues as well. He's improving with meds, school and therapy...but at a much slower rate. I'm glad that we had 4 kids...because they help each other,  love, play, challenge each other too. It's great most of the time. When we were getting our oldest evaluated, the Dr. said that the best thing for ASD kids is siblings...so I guess we took it a bit literal.  lol Please feel free to message me, I'm right there with you!

nemodancer

My husband and I have one son, a 2-year old, who just got diagnosed with Autism. We're worried, and overwhelmed. And looking for support. We're not planning on having another child, but we already figured that before the diagnoses. Due to financial stuff and medical issues I had after giving birth. I can understand your fears, and I hope everything will be okay! Good luck!!

kyethra

I get it.  I have Asperger's and a nonverbal learning disability.  But after years of intense, hard work, and ongoing hard work I am doing pretty well for myself teaching middle school (I am that rare extroverted Aspie).  But I also have a brother with more severe autism.  I figured that looking at the odds and family history (girl, me, is less severe, etc.) I should have a female and talked to a genetic counselor, etc.  We worked with microsort-- and it didn't work.  We tried naturally, and it didn't work.  So we were about to do ivf and decided to do pgs but I then somehow became pregnant.  My son has autism.  We did exome sequencing and found out that my son has a very rare x linked disorder no one else in my family has, so for kid number 2 we were going to go straight to ivf and pgd plus pgs.  But due to time my infertility progressed to the point of donor eggs.  So I am now a few weeks with a pgs tested female blastocyst from an egg donor.  We will have to see how this goes.  I figure my boy REALLY wanted to be a boy so that on is not on me-- I did my best.  But it does make me consider have a third one down the road-- maybe embryo adoption since egg donor was costly and no left over embryos.  I figure it helps to have a bigger support system for everyone.  But then again, we will see.  The first time around I vowed to only have puppies after this because that pregnancy stuff wasn't fun.  I keep thinking about 15 and 20 and 30 years from now and what that means for my kiddos.

sallhy

Whatever your children will become someday, I'm sure your fully-functioning and unconditional love will served as their pillar to live their life better each day. Good luck to your wonderful parenting journey.

SKMotsinger

We have 4 but only the oldest has Autism he will be 7 in march. He talks, loves to cuddle but does have a sensory issues (loud noise,crowds). We also homeschool due to his cognitive delay. 

stacemom

I have 5 kids - one of them with ADHD, one has ASD/ADHD but is high functioning, one is leaning towards problems with self-esteem and my husband is an ADHD adult. So, yeah. Thanks to HIS tainted blood. LOL.
It will be difficult and you might just ask sometimes - why did this happen? But you know, it's the reality. YOu just have to deal with it and seek for help. The kids are undergoing their individual OT and counseling sessions. Once a week, we also do family therapy as a group. When I feel like crying due to exhaustion or being overwhelmed due to the kids and my h, I go to betterhelp for instant assistance. There are times when the stress is taking a toll on me and I just can't operate. But I have to, you know. We are moms.