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I've been reading Reesa Zuber's interesting responses to the question
of whether or not celiac disease can skip generations.  Let me push
this question a little further in a slightly different direction.

Many of the respondents said that one must have the genetic
predisposition to have celiac disease, but must also have a trigger
of some sort if celiac disease is to develop.  Yet we all know, from
reading this list, that there are very young babies who are diagnosed
with celiac disease. The question, then, is whether or not that
trigger can happen in utero.  That is, can an unborn baby be affected
by something during pregnancy that can cause the baby to be born with
celiac disease. Can that trigger happen to the mother of the unborn
baby and can it be emotional or psychological in nature, or must it
be something that directly, physically, affects the baby?

I ask, because our first born was hyper-active way before he was
born, and I now realize that he was celiac from the first day of his
life.  His reactions to milk formula and Pablum left no doubt about
his being a celiac.   He was, however, not on a gluten-free diet
until he was 28 - and when he changed his diet, his physical and
psychological changes were dramatic.  He is now in his late 40's and
would not dream of a chance bite of anything containing gluten. No
point in going into all his symptoms.  I was not ill with celiac
disease during the pregnancy - at least not that I knew - but as a
person of small stature, with lousy teeth and a dreadful disposition,
it is quite possible that I was an undiagnosed celiac all my life,
too.  I finally went gluten-free at 52 and felt reborn in a matter of
weeks.

For me, the question of a pre-natal trigger is important, because I
have always guilted myself for having been tense and unhappy during
that pregnancy and therefore having caused his symptoms.  Anyone have
any light to shed on the topic?  Our second son has never developed
celiac disease.  His pre-natal life was without trauma.  Just curious
to know if anyone else has had a similar experience.

Gayle Kennedy
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