New parents always remember the moment where you're discharged from the hospital, get home and suddenly realise it's just you and your baby and that sudden realisation of "now what do we do". But those feelings of confusion, isolation, and sometimes distress are even more acute for autistic mums as they navigate motherhood.
Kathryn Williams, remembers finding even the set up of a maternity ward distressing. Then when she had her first baby, poor coordination made the tasks which fill almost all hours of those early days - the nappy changes and breastfeeding - particularly hard.
"I had very poor coordination after I gave birth. All parts of having a new born can be far more difficult for autistic women than I think it is for the average new parent, so even changing nappies I found incredibly difficult."
