Ep 221. How the Maternity System Is Failing Autistic Women and What Needs to Change
About this episode
Dr Renee White and Dr Abbey Love discuss the challenges faced by autistic women in the maternity system and the need for better support.
Most women who are autistic don't find out until they're sitting in a room watching their child get diagnosed. And then everything clicks. And yet most of them navigated pregnancy and early parenthood without any evidence-based support specific to their experience, often without even knowing why things felt so much harder. In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White sits down with Dr Abbey Love, Educational Psychologist and Research Fellow at Autism Spectrum Australia, to explore the lived experiences of autistic parents through the perinatal period and the research that led to the creation of the Aspect New Parents Hub. Together they unpack what the evidence actually shows about pregnancy, sensory experience, healthcare barriers and what genuine support can look like. The hub was built on Australian research co-produced with autistic parents themselves, and what they found has real implications for every neurodivergent woman navigating this season. This is Part 1 of The Science of Motherhood's three-part autism series, stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3 coming soon. You'll hear about: Why sensory experiences intensify during pregnancy for neurodivergent women How…
More episodes of The Science of Motherhood
- Ep 224. Why Your Joints Feel Loose and Unstable Postpartum
- Ep 223. How OTs are helping Neurodivergent Mothers Navigate the System
- Ep 222. Being an Autistic Mother: Pregnancy, Birth and the Postpartum Period
- Ep 220. Why Is My Hair Falling Out? The Science Behind Postpartum Hair Loss
- Ep 219. Why Does Breastfeeding Protect Against Breast Cancer?
- Ep 218. Why Being Nap Trapped is So Beneficial
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Science of Motherhood podcast page.