But you know I think as parents we can be very quick to take the responsibility for stuff too, ie is something because of us, or because of the advice/information we were given by someone? Sure you can say we're the parents and the book stops with us, it's out job to be informed etc - but as we've discussed the facts are often not easy to find and unpick, many are brought up believing the medical profession are to be trusted implicitly (healthcare generally is v passive), as new parents how can anyone know that they need to question/research themselves and ultimately shouldn't those paid to support be held accountable?

The other thing is, sometimes things aren't down to fault from anyone. I have a good friend who did everything "right" - calm natural unmedicated homebirth, excl bf from birth, AP and yet her son has autism - no answers as to why. Gut healing seems to be having a HUGE impact for them - but as she said do I blame myself for taking lots of antibiotics, birth control pills when younger, being not bf myself etc and on some subjects just not knowing, or do I figure some things are just bigger than we are and instead look to the pharmas and the AF marketing etc.

AA
Thanks for caring and sharing your experience. I believe my son's autism stems from the gut flora he gained from me so I do feel it all comes down to being "my fault". That's just a point of fact for me though, information to work with, not a call for guilt and denial. I don't think it was all fully in my power. I certainly had no power over the huge amount of antibiotics I received as a child,not being BF the gut flora I inherited from my own mother. I also made many positive choices for my son such as a natural birth and full term BFing, but there were things I could I have changed had I known more. One being that I would have held out even longer, or sought donor milk, before supplementing my low supply at 2 weeks old with formula!

But when I raise the point that autism is preventable and curable most mothers don't seem to want to know the details. I don't get it because I switched my guilt off and dove into the information in order to help him.