Hope it's ok to double post this here as I'm worried.
I hate to admit this, but i'm concerned, but I feel stupid for doing so when Halle is so young... and if dh saw this he'd get so upset with me.
Basically Halle was born at 37 weeks due to my pre-eclampsia. She was very jaundiced a few days later and had to be put under lights, as a result she was almost constantly asleep for the first few weeks.
It took a long time for her to show any response to sound, and i did worry she was deaf- but now she will startle at loud sounds and her hearing has been checked which is fine. Then I worried she was partially sighted as she could not acknowledge us at all in the first month or so.... the little times she did open her eyes she didn't seem to see much.... but this improved and now I know for sure she can see fine.
She smiles (see avatar ) and will laugh, but only if laying down or held in the feeding position.... and only for a short while... it's like she will smile then quickly look away- as if she is shy. She can maintain eye contact in this position too for a short while and if you are not looking at her she will really study your face- but if given direct eye contact she can only manage to look at you for a few seconds before looking away.
If she's held upright in a sitting position she will do everything she can to avoid looking into your eyes... that scares me....
She is fascinated by bright sparkling lights and will coo at them for ages if you left her to it.... no problems maintaining eye contact there.
Even while breast feeding, she seems to get uncomfortable sometimes if i look at her and will look away, or arch her back.
Which gets me onto the back arching, we assumed she had reflux and had been treating her for it.... but now.... I'm not so sure. The back arching can happen anytime, not just after a feed, she will go rigid and fling her body back....
Can someone pls give me any advice about if the avoiding close eye contact thing happens and doesn't mean autism??
I know she's so young, and I don't have any contact with other babies her age, but I just can't help but coming back to this thought.
Hubby thinks I'm sick and am just looking for something wrong with our daughter and I really hope I am... but our friends have a severely autistic son, and I know how hard autism can be.
I hate to admit this, but i'm concerned, but I feel stupid for doing so when Halle is so young... and if dh saw this he'd get so upset with me.
Basically Halle was born at 37 weeks due to my pre-eclampsia. She was very jaundiced a few days later and had to be put under lights, as a result she was almost constantly asleep for the first few weeks.
It took a long time for her to show any response to sound, and i did worry she was deaf- but now she will startle at loud sounds and her hearing has been checked which is fine. Then I worried she was partially sighted as she could not acknowledge us at all in the first month or so.... the little times she did open her eyes she didn't seem to see much.... but this improved and now I know for sure she can see fine.
She smiles (see avatar ) and will laugh, but only if laying down or held in the feeding position.... and only for a short while... it's like she will smile then quickly look away- as if she is shy. She can maintain eye contact in this position too for a short while and if you are not looking at her she will really study your face- but if given direct eye contact she can only manage to look at you for a few seconds before looking away.
If she's held upright in a sitting position she will do everything she can to avoid looking into your eyes... that scares me....
She is fascinated by bright sparkling lights and will coo at them for ages if you left her to it.... no problems maintaining eye contact there.
Even while breast feeding, she seems to get uncomfortable sometimes if i look at her and will look away, or arch her back.
Which gets me onto the back arching, we assumed she had reflux and had been treating her for it.... but now.... I'm not so sure. The back arching can happen anytime, not just after a feed, she will go rigid and fling her body back....
Can someone pls give me any advice about if the avoiding close eye contact thing happens and doesn't mean autism??
I know she's so young, and I don't have any contact with other babies her age, but I just can't help but coming back to this thought.
Hubby thinks I'm sick and am just looking for something wrong with our daughter and I really hope I am... but our friends have a severely autistic son, and I know how hard autism can be.