The Neurodivergent Birth Podcast

Kristy Forbes is an Australian based autism & neurodiversity support specialist. She supports neurodivergent people and their families; and professionals who wish to support them. Her work is informed by her extensive professional experience as an educator, but her most valuable insights come from lived experience. Kristy is formally identified autistic, attention deficit hyperactivity disorde...

Welcome to episode 7 of season 2! Today I talk to Sarah Fitzsimmons, an independent midwife and ADHDer. Sarah has worked both within the NHS and independently as a midwife since 2008. She shares her own experience of discovering her neurodivergence whilst working as a midwife, and her experience of supporting neurodivergent people perinatally. You can find out more at https://www.myindependentmidw...

Hello and welcome to episode 6. Today I interview Jaely Turner. Jaely is a late diagnosed autistic ADHDer, doula and founder of Our Village Circle birth services and podcast. She shares her perinatal experiences with us, her late diagnosis story, and how hyper focus led her to pursue birth work. You can find out more about Jaely and the services she offers at www.ourvillagecircle.com. If you are a...

Welcome to episode 5 of season 2! In this episode I talk to Emily Snape, doula and neurodivergent & human rights advocate. You can find Emily on Instagram at @theneurodivergentmomsclub. We talk about her experiences as an AuDHDer and mum of 3, and discuss intersectionality and neurodiversity. Thank you for listening! Join the conversation on Instagram @neurodivergentbirth and at ndbirth.com.

Welcome to episode 4! In this episode we talk to the amazing Laura Spence, known all over the internet as The ADHD Midwife. Laura has been a great friend to ND Birth since the beginning, and she is doing amazing work to better understand the ADHD perspective of perinatal experiences, and to educate her fellow health professionals on the topic. Give her a follow @the_adhd_midwife to find out more....

In today's episode I interview You Tube vlogger Purple Ella. Ella is an autistic parent, neurodivergent content creator, and a fan of all things purple. She shares with us her perspective of navigating pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period as someone who is both autistic and has ADHD, and reflects on the overlap and interplay between the two neurotypes. You can access Ella's content...

Karen is a midwife, researcher and lecturer in midwifery at the University of Suffolk. She has 5 children and was diagnosed as autistic alongside her fourth and fifth children in 2009. In 2019 Karen was nominated for a Florence Nightingale scholarship and was supported to create a series of communication support plans for autistic people. Karen completed a Master of Arts in autism in 2022 and is p...

Welcome to Season 2! It's great to be back. The theme of this season is to ask the question 'why does supporting neurodivergent birth matter'?  We kick things off by exploring this with Hayley Morgan who is an autistic mother, researcher and author. Hayley began writing about the autistic birth experience in 2015. Pregnant with her second child, her formal diagnosis of autism meant...

In this final episode of Season 1, Victoria interviews Diane Fox - Autism Specialist Midwife, Researcher and Neurodevelopment Consultant (ADIR and ADOS trained).  Website: https://www.dianefox.uk/ Vice Chair, Maternity Autism Research Group (MARG) https://www.maternityautismresearchgroup.co.uk/ Member of the Royal College of Midwives Neurodivergence Acceptance Toolkit Steering Group.   Expert by E...

In this episode Victoria interviews Caro Tasker; writer, ambassador for baby loss charity Tommy's and neurodivergent mother and ally. You can check out Caro's Instagram page @spikey where she shares her amazing insight into the Pathological Demand Avoidance profile of autism, and also listen to the wonderful baby loss support podcast hosted by Caro, Elle @feathering_the_empty_nest and Je...

This week Victoria interviews Alexis Quinn; educator, autism advocate and author of 'Unbroken: Learning to Live Beyond Diagnosis' and 'Autistic and Expecting: Practical support for parents-to-be and health and social care practitioners'. You can follow Alexis on Twitter @AQuinnUnbroken and download her maternity passport birth planning resource here:  https://www.autisticparent...

In this episode Victoria interviews Georgie Watson, a birth and postnatal doula based in Cornwall. Georgie is an AuDHDer, and started to explore her own neurodivergence and that of other members of her family, following her son's autism diagnosis. She shares some fascinating insight into the understanding of neurodivergence within the NHS maternity services, and how small changes and a focus...

This week Victoria interviews Nanny Kimbo, co-founder of The Queer Parenting Partnership @parentingqueer. They talk about their autism diagnosis, the perinatal experience from a neurodivergent perspective, and gender diversity and neurodivergence. You can follow Kim on Instagram @nannykimbo. Thank you for listening! Join the conversation on Instagram @neurodivergentbirth and at ndbirth.com.

In this week's episode we talk all about perinatal anxiety and neurodivergence, including ways to support ND struggling with anxiety. We finish off the episode with an exercise on self-compassion.  Thank you for listening! Join the conversation on Instagram @neurodivergentbirth and at ndbirth.com.

In this episode we interview Georgia Andrews. Georgia is autistic and identifies as neuroqueer. They work as a simulation actor with Sim Actors ( https://simactors.co.uk/about ), predominantly working with  midwifery students, and they bring their neurodivergence to this role to help students learn about some of the challenges neurodivergent people can face perinatally, and how to improve communic...

In this episode Sam and Victoria interview Sara King. Sara is a PhD researcher specialising in understanding autistic experiences of maternity services. She also chairs the Maternity Autism Research Group; a collective of health professionals and researchers working together to improve maternity care for autistic women and people. You can find out more about their work at https://www.maternityauti...

This week Victoria interviews Frankie Gulliver; a postnatal doula and mental health and neurodivergence advocate. Frankie shares her perinatal experiences as an ADHDer with dyslexia and dyspraxia. You can follow Frankie and find more about her work on Instagram @meandmindhub. Thank you for listening! Join the conversation on Instagram @neurodivergentbirth and at ndbirth.com.

In this week's episode, Sam and Victoria discuss neurodivergence and challenges with communication during pregnancy, birth and postnatally.  Thank you for listening! Join the conversation on Instagram @neurodivergentbirth and at ndbirth.com.

In this episode Victoria interviews fellow doula Martine Mensink about her experiences of pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period from the ADHD perspective. You can support Martine by following her on Instagram @martinethedoula. Thank you for listening! Join the conversation on Instagram @neurodivergentbirth and at ndbirth.com.

In Episode 4 Victoria interviews bestselling author of 'Your Child is Not Broken'; Heidi Mavir, about her neurodivergence, late diagnosis, and the experience of her pregnancy, birth and postpartum 18 years ago from a neurodivergent perspective. You can find more about Heidi and her brilliant work at https://www.heidimavir.com/ and follow her on Instagram @heidimavir. Thank you for listen...

In this episode Sam and Victoria discuss neurodivergence and sensory processing issues in the context of pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. Thank you for listening! Join the conversation on Instagram @neurodivergentbirth and at ndbirth.com.

In today's episode Victoria interviews Zoe Gardiner of Postpartum Matters, about her late ASC diagnosis and the experiences of her pregnancies, births and the postnatal period following the births of her 2 children, with the benefit of hindsight through a neurodivergent lens. You can find out more about Postpartum Matters at  https://postpartummatters.podia.com/  and you can follow Zoe on Ins...

In this episode, doulas Victoria and Sam introduce themselves and the podcast, and talk about why they feel there is a great need for improved awareness of some of the challenges neurodivergent people can face during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period, and how we can work together to improve support and outcomes for neurodivergent people and their families. Thank you for listening! Join the...