The Neurodivergent Birth Podcast

Welcome to week 8 of '8 Weeks to Prepare for your ND Birth'! Today Victoria and Elizabeth of @elizabirth_doula and ND Birth Training Practitioner, talk about feeding your baby and finding what works for you and your family. We cover: Feeding choices: breast/chest feeding, formula, combination Sensory challenges of feeding (touch, smell, sounds, physical sensation) Executive function dema...

Welcome to week 7 of '8 Weeks to Prepare for your ND Birth'! Today Victoria and Laurène Bizarro, founder of @mighty_mama_perinatal and ND Birth Training Practitioner, talk about postnatal experiences through the lens of neurodivergence, including the challenges, the positive and how to access support. You can find out more about Laurène's antenatal and postnatal support services via...

Happy publication day to our ambassador, Kimberly Nixon! She joins us on the Podcast to talk about her new book ‘She Seems Fine to Me’ and why it was so important to write it. This memoir is an open, honest and unfiltered account of her experience of trying to conceive, having a baby, and then the brutal reality of experiencing postnatal OCD. Of all the perinatal mental health conditions, postnata...

Welcome back to '8 Weeks to Prepare for your ND Birth'! Today Victoria talks about preparing for the big event itself; labour and birth. She discusses birth physiology including the role of hormones, the birth environment, and the Four Support Pillars of Neurodivergent Birth - sensory processing, communication, executive functioning and mental health. She also shares tips on  how to comm...

Today we're delighted to share this bonus episode with you which is all about synaesthesia, pregnancy and preparing for birth as a synaesthete; a person who experiences blended senses where one stimulation (e.g. sound) involuntarily triggers another (e.g, colour).  Our guest is Maike Preißing, psychologist and host of the 'Let's Talk Synaesthesia' podcast.  You can find out mor...

Welcome to week 5 of '8 Weeks to Prepare for your ND Birth'! Today Victoria and Aileen White, founder of @mybirthsupportcic and ND Birth Training Practitioner, talk about navigating communication in maternity care as a neurodivergent person. We cover: Common communication challenges (medical jargon, implied questions, rushed conversations) Asking for clear, direct language Processing tim...

Today we're delighted to share this bonus episode with you which is all about neurodivergence, attachment and parenting. Our guest is Julianne Boutaleb, consultant perinatal psychologist and clinical director and founder of Parenthood In Mind, a provider of specialist perinatal psychology and psychotherapy services. You can find out more about Julianne's and the team's wonderful wor...

Welcome to week 4 of '8 Weeks to Prepare for your ND Birth'! Today Victoria explores different options for where to labour and birth, what you might wish to consider from an ND perspective, and what your rights are in relation to this topic. If you are considering birth on a labour ward or midwife-led unit, practical questions to ask include: Can I visit the unit before labour to familia...

Welcome to week 3 of '8 Weeks to Prepare for your ND Birth'! Today Victoria and Aimee Booth, trained nurse, health visitor, hypnobirthing practitioner and ND Birth Training Practitioner, discuss how to understand and communicate your sensory needs to those supporting you during labour and birth. You can find out more about Aimee's hypnobirthing and baby massage services in Mancheste...

Welcome to the second week of '8 Weeks to Prepare for your ND Birth'! Today Victoria and Karen Henry, midwife, lecturer and ND Birth Training Practitioner, discuss how to prepare for your antenatal appointments as a neurodivergent person.  Karen references some amazing videos from the Swansea University 'Autism: from Menstruation to Menopause' study which are linked below: http...

Season 5 of The Neurodivergent Birth Podcast is here!  This season we’re sharing something special…  8 weeks to prepare for your neurodivergent birth. Across the next 8 episodes, founder Victoria White and guests will guide you through some of the most important areas to consider when preparing for pregnancy, birth and early parenthood as a neurodivergent person. Topics include: ✨ Your rights in...

Today I talk with Dr Frankie Harrison. Frankie is a clinical psychologist, a NICU mum and founder of Miracle Moon UK, which provides support and therapy for parents healing after NICU experiences and birth trauma. Frankie talks all about neurodivergent experiences of NICU and how important it is to have conversations antenatally about what it might be like if your baby has to spend any time on the...

In today's episode I speak with Ruby Osunsola, who is one of our new Training Practitioners at Neurodivergent Birth. Ruby shares her personal story of navigating the maternity system as a neurodivergent, Black single parent, with multiple health conditions. This is such an important conversation to listen to and reflect on, particularly if you are a maternity or perinatal professional.  Pleas...

Today I talk to Victoria Warnes, founder and director of The Modern Antenatal Revolution, an award-winning organisation which offers antenatal education and antenatal teacher training with a refreshing focus on emotional wellbeing and mental health. We talk about the importance of feeling safe in antenatal education spaces in order for them to be truly accessible, and how important it is to prepar...

Season 4 is back! And in today's episode I speak with Hayley Morgan and Sara King who are chair and vice-chair of the Maternity Austism Research Group (MARG) in the UK. We talk about their own personal journeys as autistic mothers, their PhD research into autistic experiences of maternity care, and the creation of MARG as a collective of autistic researchers and health professionals. Today (1...

It's pod day and it's also book launch day! In this episode Victoria hosts a live recording of the podcast to celebrate the publication of 'Why Neurodivergent Birth Matters'. You can order a copy here: https://www.ndbirth.com/the-book In this episode we also talk about the work of MP DR Marie Tidball which you can read more about here  https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/20...

Today I talk to April Austin who is a doula, antenatal educator and Neurodiverse & Inclusivity Lead at The Perinatal Academy.  We talk about supporting your sensory processing needs during the postnatal time, and how to navigate societal expectations when it comes to how you spend your time postnatally, whether that be by attending all the baby groups, or spending time at home. You can find ou...

Today I talk to Candy Elsbeth all about asking for support during the postnatal time. We talk about executive functioning challenges during the postnatal time, and how to ask for the help and support you really need. Candy is a neurodivergent person and a Registered Nurse, antenatal and hypnobirthing educator, tongue tie specialist and yoga teacher. She supports parents and pregnant people to navi...

***Pre-order ‘Why Neurodivergent Birth Matters’ by Victoria White here: https://pinterandmartin.com/products/why-neurodivergent-birth-matters  10% of proceeds will go to our Doula Access Fund*** Today I talk to antenatal educator and founder of Better Birth UK, Erin Fung, all about her late-in-life journey to receiving her autism diagnosis and much more. You can follow Erin's amazing birth wo...

Today I talk with Ella Jackson, infant feeding specialist midwife and IBCLC. We have a fascinating discussion about neurodivergence and advocating for your wishes when it comes to skin-to-skin, and the first hour of your baby’s birth aka the golden hour. Ella has completely transformed my thinking of this important time, and emphasis how key it is to watch and wait for our babies to show us they a...

***Pre-order ‘Why Neurodivergent Birth Matters’ by Victoria White here: https://pinterandmartin.com/products/why-neurodivergent-birth-matters  10% of proceeds will go to our Doula Access Fund*** Today I talk to clinical psychologist, author and mother, Dr Caroline Boyd. Our topic today is neurodivergence and the very human expeirnec of anger in the postpartum. We talk about what anger might be try...

Today I talk with registered midwife, adjunct Professor and public speaker Alixandra Bacon, and Master ADHD and pregnancy coach Dusty Chipura, all about supporting your ADHD during the postpartum. They bring their personal stories and professional perspectives to the conversation. You can find more about the amazing resource they have created 'The ADHD and Postpartum Workbook' here: http...

Today I talk to Tania Frogoso, aka The Grateful Doula.  Tania offers doula services, perinatal coaching and trauma-informed counselling in-person in Malaga, Spain, and online worldwide. We discuss her exploration of her own neurodivergence, and why emotional planning for the postnatal time during pregnancy is such a key part of postnatal preparation. You can find out more about the wonderful work...

Today I'm delighted to welcome Dr Sophie Messager, doula, mentor, educator, drummer and author of my favourite postnatal book: 'Why Postnatal Recovery Matters' ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Postnatal-Recovery-Matters-Pinter-Martin/dp/178066625X ). We talk about her own experiences as a mum to neurodivergent children and a late-diagnosed ADHD woman, how to navigate the societal pressure...

Hello and welcome to Season 4! I'm delighted to welcome Sunday Times Bestselling Author, ND Advocate and Content Queen Lisa Lloyd, aka ASD with a G&T, to the pod today. You can find out more about Lisa on Facebook @ASDwithGandT, Instagram @asd_with_a_g_and_t and TikTok @asd.with.a.g.and.t Lisa's book 'Raising the Sen-Betweeners' is available at most bookshops and here: http...