I had to have an emergency c-section, with my son because his cord was wrapped around his thoart 3x and once around his chest. my mother told me(she's a nurse) that the dotor having to break my waters could have caused it. With both my kids I was in labor for 3 days before they would admitt me, but my daughter (isn't autisic) she also wasn't breathing hen she was born (vbac).

I have wondered about birth trama or pregnancy complications being cause, or even depression, I had all three.

First I know I was depressed durring and after, I hardly ate anything the entire pregnancy. I actually lost weight. I had GD, and at 32 weeks my water broke and I was rushed to a hospital an hour and a half a way from my 2 year old and husband. I was on bedrest in that hospital for 3 weeks before he was born at 35 weeks. Not a c-section, but he was blue and needed oxygen and was in the NICCU for 12 days. He had a spinal to check for any infection and they introduced blood into his spinal fluid when they did it so we had to stay until the jaundice got better. And I have never thought about my older son's birth being a cause of his problems but I suppose it very well could be. I was extremely depressed with him, cried all the time, my dh and i fought a lot and my mom warned me I needed to get control or I would have a very anxious child. She was right. But his birth was very traumatic, at least it was for me. My bp sky rocketed at 34 weeks and I was put in the hospital for observation and then told they would deliver him the next day. I was terified, I had never been in the hospital for anything. Then they decided he wasn't doing well and they told me I was going to have c-section the next day. Even more terified at this point. The whole event was horrible for me. His apgars were ok 7 and 9 I think, he also needed oxygen for a bit, and he was in the NICCU for 2 weeks. I was in bed for 3 days doped up on drugs and couldn't go to the NICCU to see him. I didn't get to see him for about 14 hours after he was born. His whole infancy was stressfull though and Zach's was not near as bad. Joey my oldest has a Tic disorder, OCD,ODD,ADHD and an Anxiety disorder.

It is curious how many autistic kids start out stressed. Don't know if it is relevant to their diagnoses or not.

Jonathan was born through c-section after his head was stuck in my pelvis. I pushed with him stuck that way for over 3 hours before they decided to do th c-section. Also, while I was in labor, they insisted on repeatedly trying to use an internal fetal monitor, and as a result, he was born with a very large open cut on his head which became infected. (my husband and I had refused the internal fetal monitor, and they waited until my husband left to grab something to eat, and then they tried more than 10 times to get it into his scalp.)
I have always wondered if this was the cause of my son's autism. But the only answer I get is that it could not have caused it.

Also, I was given pitocin when my labor stalled. (I was in labor from saturday morning, March 8 '03 until just after midnight on March 11 '03)

OK- last post about the birth of Jonathan- he had a bowel movement inside of me during labor and after he was born I didn't see him for 24 hours because they were checking his lungs and had him on oxygen. I don't know what all has happened with that because no one will tell me. My husband and I were left completely in the dark about it. I have been trying to find answers about what happened with my son during his first 24 hours, but I can't get the records.

Just curious as to how many here had pitocin durring labor.

I had vaginal births with both. I had Pitocin with both, and my youngest had alot of trauma at birth and severe brusing from a bad reaction to the pitocin.

pitocin with both. My Autistic son , and typical daughter.

Pitocin with my son, he has AS. My 2nd child, a daughter, I had nothing with and she is NT. My third child, a daughter, I had pitocin with. I believe she is NT. However, every now and then she displays ghost traits of my son. I believe she does not have AS, but she may have a few sensory issues.

I wonder what all is in Pitocin?

www.psych.yorku.ca/bohr/documents/RisingRAtesofAutism.doc -
www.freedomcrowsnest.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=753054
www.autismtalk.net/showthread.php?t=365
www.autismtoday.com/articles/ATTN_Researchers.htm

Mike was born naturally but he was premature. Laurie was on chemo for breast cancer when she was pregnant. I have often wondered if that could have had something to do with Mike's issues.

My wife had a c-section, and our son (who hasn't been officially diagnosed) is high-functioning autistic. What scares me is the probably of her having another c-section.

I had a c-section because my son was in distress...he also had the cord wrapped around his neck and he had waste in the sac. The pitocin the Dr. gave me was causing the cord to choke him after every contraction.

My son was a c-section baby at 32 weeks..