Ep21. AuDHD, Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum with Claire

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of postpartum depression and anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and a brief reference to maternal mortality statistics. Please take care of yourself while listening.

Summary:

Bri sits down with Claire Britton, occupational therapist, university lecturer, founding director of Neuroinclusion, mum of two (nearly three) and proudly AuDHD, for a conversation that genuinely hasn't been had enough. Claire shares how she didn't receive her diagnosis until she was 28, and how it was the stillness of newborn life during COVID lockdown that finally made everything click. From there, the conversation opens up into the under-researched world of neurodivergence and the perinatal experience: why so many AuDHDers get diagnosed for the first time around pregnancy or postpartum, what sensory and executive functioning changes actually look like across trimesters, and why Claire (a self-described catastrophiser) genuinely loves giving birth. This one's warm, funny, practical and genuinely eye-opening.

Takeaways:

• Big life transitions (pregnancy, postpartum, puberty, perimenopause) are often when neurodivergence becomes impossible to ignore - not because something has gone wrong, but because the scaffolding that masked it has shifted.
• Sensory sensitivity in pregnancy is one of the few times society validates and honours sensory differences without question. Claire uses this as a powerful entry point when educating parents about their children's sensory processing.
• Many AuDHDers actually cope well with labour because it's predictable, time-limited and has a known outcome - it's the uncontrollable unknowns (like finding a car park) that are harder on the nervous system.
• The relationship with your care provider matters more than the model of care. Safety, consistency and feeling genuinely understood are more therapeutic than any specific clinical approach.
• Knowing your needs before you're in crisis (ideally written down) gives your support network something to actually work with. "I need to survive" is not a helpful answer in the moment, but you can get there ahead of time.
• The stigma that neurodivergent people aren't equipped to be parents does real harm. For many, having children provides structure, purpose and motivation that genuinely improves their functioning.

Find Claire on Instagram at @neuroinclusion.au, or search Neuroinclusion on Facebook and LinkedIn.