Diagnosed with ADHD In Utero

My son was diagnosed with ADHD before he was born. Well, not really, but he could have been...if I'd known then what I do now.

Baby Boy was my third child. So, I had two previous pregnancies to compare him to. There were marked differences. Here are the major ones;

1. He never slept.
2. He kicked HARD.
3. He was acrobatic.

Let's take a closer look;

1. He never slept: You know what they say, never say never, and never say always. Why? Because they're an exaggeration and therefore rarely true. So, I admit it, saying that Baby Boy never slept is an exaggeration. You'll find that if you're around a mom of a child with ADHD, exaggeration is mandatory - how else can we get our thoughts across, to the uninitiated. From the first time I felt Baby Boy kick, he set out to disturb my every moment, but especially any peaceful ones. He kicked whenever I sat down, tried to sleep, lounged, or just generally relaxed with the expectation of peace. Parents always complain that their already born children have their days and nights mixed up. Oh how I wished life could be so simple. Sleeping during the day and being up all night was just like working the night shift, right? But what if you work the day shift and the night shift? That's what Baby Boy did. I swear to gawd he was onstage doing a tap dance with the Rockettes 24-7. And guess what? Here's what little math I can still figure out; Baby Who Never Sleeps=Mama Who Never Sleeps. Math stinks!

2. He kicked HARD: I remember a particular period of time when Caleb had this thing about kicking my right side, up in my rib. I can feel it now, eighteen years later, whenever I think about it. It felt like he got his foot stuck between my ribs, which served as a starting block for him to kick off of. I'm sure if there had been the right sort of technology, you would have seen my battered and bruised innards, which would have been nice because I finally would have had something to show my apathetic obstetrician. But alas, I suffered in silence...well, except for when I was whining and complaining...crying. Yes, it hurt so bad, I seriously cried on occasion.

3. He was an acrobat: Baby Boy was an acrobat shortly after conception. Of course, I couldn't feel it for a few months. But when I did...man-oh-man! I remember my obstetrician saying that those crazy side-to-side kicks would slow way down in the last month, since Baby Boy wouldn't have space to move that much anymore. Wrong. He would not be cramped by space, nor limited by that darn umbilical cord. When space got limited, I pictured him unscrewing the end of the cord, tying it in a not and shoving it with his foot, out of the way, maybe into an internal organ like my liver or something. Then he held his breath and pushed off the sides like a toddler in a bathtub. Back and forth; swish and slosh. Kicking, pounding with his fists, sticking his tongue out, he raised as much he*# as In Utero-ly possible.

So, looking back, I think I could definitely argue the point, that my child had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder before I even held his wiggly, little baby body in my arms.

Obviously this post is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but all of it is mostly true. Baby Boy was and continues to be...truly unique. Gotta love that!

So, what do you think? Do you have a child with ADHD? When did you know s/he was different? Tell us your story. We'd love to hear it! ~Karen