by Jennifer Moll

Created on: May 19, 2009

My son, Andrew just turned seven years old and was diagnosed with autism last year. Most parents find this diagnosis as being devastating at first, but I can honestly say that I have never had that emotion because it is truly a miracle that Andrew is even with us today.

My pregnancy started out as any normal pregnancy, but everything changed by my third month into the pregnancy. My first two prenatal visits were routine, I was given the regular prenatal vitamins to take and I had all the routine tests done at that time.

At my third prenatal appointment, I was shocked when my physician told me that I would need to go for further testing because my baby wasn't developing they way he or she should up until this point. This really concerned me, especially because I felt great!

I had numerous tests done, all showing that my baby was underweight and underdeveloped for his or her gestational age. All the physicians that I have seen up to this point thought that I was not eating properly and explained to me the importance of a healthy diet during pregnancy. I stressed the fact that I was eating great; the only problem I was suffering from at this point was morning sickness. After mid-morning I was able to keep food down, so I always waited until then to have breakfast.

At my fifth monthly appointment, my physician recommended that I be admitted to the hospital for a closer evaluation because at this point my baby's development was so poor that my physician wasn't even sure he would survive the entire pregnancy.

I decided against being hospitalized, but did agree to bed rest at home and weekly visits to my physician. I continued this for the next two to three weeks until I developed such a severe headache that I was going out of my mind! The pain was literally unbearable, so I called my physician right away to be seen as soon as possible. When I got to the doctor's office, I was rushed right into a room and my blood pressure was taken. The nurse explained to me that my blood pressure was dangerously high and I will probably need to be admitted to the hospital.

A few hours later, I was settled in a hospital bed and had many specialists in and out of my room. Once specialist explained to me that I developed preeclampsia and I would be given medicine to protect my brain from having a stroke and my baby will be delivered by c-section the very next morning!

All I could do was cry all night long because I was only six months pregnant! I was so sure the doctors were wrong about my baby being weak and underdeveloped because I could feel the tiny fighter inside of me moving around and at times I swear he was boxing!

Sure enough the next morning I was taken into the operating room and Andrew was born soon after. He was born weighing one pound, two ounces and only measuring ten and a half inches long! I was told that he more than likely would not make it through the first twenty four hours because he was so small and weak. I demanded to be able to see him right away!

I was taken to the neonatal intensive care until to see my baby and to say I was shocked at the sight of him would be a huge understatement! He was lying in an incubator and I could hardly see him because he was hooked up to so many wires that lead to machines that were keeping him alive. He didn't even look like a baby yet! As I cried looking at him, I told him that I loved him very much and needed him to be with me, so fight, fight, fight!

That is exactly what Andrew didfight! He just turned seven years old and I was told he would not make it twenty-four hours! So when he has one of his tantrums, when he is defiant, when he screams, I remember where he came from and autism seems like nothing!

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