Ep 222. Being an Autistic Mother: Pregnancy, Birth and the Postpartum Period
About this episode
Dr Renee White and Linda Hollenberg discuss the unique challenges faced by autistic mothers during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
Nobody tells you that the struggles so many neurodivergent women experience during pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood might be connected to how their brain is wired. Because so often, nobody knows. Not the healthcare providers, and not the mothers themselves. That missing language doesn't just delay a diagnosis. It delays understanding, support, and the ability to make sense of your own experience. In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White chats with Linda Hollenberg, Autistic mother, research advisor, and learning coordinator and parent educator for Reframing Autism, to explore what pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood can look like through a neurodivergent lens. Together they unpack what it means to move through those seasons without the framework to name what you're experiencing, and what changes when you finally have it. This is Part 2 of The Science of Motherhood's three-part autism series. If you haven't listened to Part 1 with Dr Abbey Love yet, it's a great place to start. You'll hear about: Why sensory sensitivity made HG uniquely devastating for Linda How autistic shutdown during labour affects self-advocacy What continuity of care actually…
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 221. How the Maternity System Is Failing Autistic Women and What Needs to Change
- 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
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