- The fluorescent lights, background noises and lack of quiet, private spaces to recover after birth could be distressing.

- The overwhelm of medical examinations/interactions with multiple health professionals, including not being asked for consent before being touched.

- Navigating visits from family and friends.

"The noise, the constant touching and being needed, the dichotomy of having extensively researched and understanding what is best for my baby and family eg breastfeeding or responsive parenting, and then feeling trapped, overwhelmed and the sense of relentlessness that this brought." Anon (COPE, 2026).

- The sensory demands of caring for a newborn could be overwhelming. This  included the baby's crying, feeling touched out, the sensation of breastfeeding and the bright colours and sounds of toys.

- Some parents, however, reported feeling as though their own experience helped them understand their babies' needs.

"I feel like there's an inherent ability and special connection between neurodivergent parent and baby, in that I'm able to live in my space that is already set up to reduce stimulation, I'm able to do things for baby to reduce his overwhelm in the world." Anon (COPE, 2026)

- Expectant parents reported feeling misunderstood, dismissed or not taken seriously by health professionals.

"I know I was somewhat obsessed with information about infant development and my child's condition. Not knowing what was to come was so hard, and yet again I was dismissed many times as the first time mum with anxiety." Anon, COPE, 2026).

- Loss of predictability and increased uncertainty due to the demands of meeting their baby's needs.

- Cognitive overload.

- Inability to use normal coping strategies (such as withdrawing for alone time) while caring for a baby.

- The impact of sleep-deprivation and disruption to typical routines.

"Sleep deprivation and broken sleep exaggerated my emotional dysregulation and made it harder to function with lagging skills. [My] ability to manage capacity was reduced and therefore harder to control oneself when things unexpectedly go wrong, as a baby has many unexpected changes that make it impossible to stick to a routine that many autistic people need to manage their anxiety." Anon, (COPE 2026).

- Autistic parents experienced difficulty with multitasking and attending numerous medical appointments/baby groups with different health professionals.

- Some reported feeling judged and worried about disclosing their diagnosis for fear of stigma or having their baby removed/child services involvement.

- Autistic people reported using coping strategies such as masking when engaging with health professionals/other new mums hiding or downplaying distress.

"People pleasing and masking with midwives and health professionals. I became 'the perfect patient.'" Anon (COPE, 2026)

- Not feeling comfortable in parenting groups/activities which increased the isolation of early motherhood.

"Transitioning to being home with a baby to care for rather than at work. Struggling to connect with mums groups or group social settings. Trying to fit into 'the perfect mother myth." Anon, (COPE, 2026).

- Challenges managing friends and family who didn't understanding their needs and boundaries, for example visiting after the baby arrived. 

- Difficulty knowing where to seek help and how to ask for it.

"Ensuring there were actually people to support our family especially in the early days instead of just braving it alone and thinking I should have been able to manage myself." Anon (COPE, 2026)

- If you can and feel able to, it can be helpful to speak to your health professional early on about your diagnosis and your communication and sensory needs during pregnancy. 

- Taking in and processing lots of new information can feel overwhelming. Ask your health professional to repeat or explain things, or to present information in other formats such as visually. They are there to inform and support you.

- Have a trusted support person attend appointments to help you advocate.

"Consider your sensory needs and how they will be impacted with a pregnancy, during labour, when feeling vulnerable and postpartum. Seek support to understand these needs and to plan to better work with your neurodivergent brain rather than against her." (COPE, 2026)

- Minimise sensory overload by creating quiet spaces for activities such as breastfeeding.

- Use headphones and sensory items to help you regulate.

- Speak to your health professional about support for breastfeeding if you need it. Research has shown that sensory sensitivities, as well as finding the feeling of let-down uncomfortable or painful can make breastfeeding more challenging. Some women have found using nipple shields helpful, as well as distractions such as watching television, reading or using your phone.

"The sensation of baby's body against mine is wonderful and very calming but I struggle with little hands touching my skin so I wear nursing tops that cover most of my skin now." (Grant et al., 2023).

- Many autistic parents note that their ability to hyperfocus and research aspects of parenting/child development is a key strength when it comes to making informed decisions.

"I’ve persevered with the breastfeeding and kept on doing that, that’s been something that’s really important to me. And people have commented that me being so stubborn about it is probably in part because of my autism and I made it into a bit of a special interest and was reading everything and researching everything." Morgan, (S.Hampton et al., 2022)

- Some autistic parents describe feeling strong attunement to their baby's needs, which can help with bonding.

"Babies are very sensory-oriented, which I fully understand. In some sense it makes it easier for me to anticipate his needs, like, oh he probably just wants to be held, he needs that contact to feel secure." Lydia (S. Hampton et al., 2022)

It can be difficult to prioritise self-care and what this looks like will be different for everyone - depending on your needs, your energy levels and any other responsibilities or demands you're managing postpartum.

Some people find peer support helpful and validating, whether it's linking in with forums online or in-person parent groups.

"I wore the same clothes over and over because they were comfy and they didn't increase overwhelm. I created regulation plans and had these written down of things I could work through to help (walk with dog, walk without dog, sleep, re-watch comfort tv show etc) and build time in after appointments or hard things to regulate." Anon, (COPE, 2026)

You can find more detailed self-care tips in this resource from Aspect here.