Table of Contents

1. Your rights in pregnancy and childbirth
2. Autistic identity
3. Ready for a baby?
4. Getting pregnant
5. Conception, fertilisation and the beginning of life
6. Diet
7. Medication
8. Exercise
9. Sleep
10. Preparing for appointments
11. Feeling baby move
12. Finding out the sex of your baby
13. Where do you want to give birth?
14. What to pack for hospital
15. What is it like to give birth?
16. Writing a birth plan
17. Care after birth
18. Miscarriage, stillbirth and grief
19. Mind, emotions and wellbeing
20. Feeding baby
21. Being a new parent
22. Fourth trimester plan

About the Author

A school teacher of over ten years, former professional athlete and now author of her ground-breaking memoir, Unbroken, Alexis is Manager of the Restraint Reduction Network. Activists all have a story or defining moment that propel us into action. Alexis Quinn's began with a crisis after she birthed her first child and her youngest brother died. She asked for help from services, responded autistically to the 'help' and was detained under the Mental Health Act for three and half years before escaping to Africa.
On conceiving her second child, Alexis reasoned that autistic mothers should not have to enter pregnancy and birth worrying about being misunderstood, marginalised and traumatised. She set about connecting with other autistic mothers and was saddened at the scarce resources for autistic women. Determined not to repeat what had happened in the past, Alexis took matters into her own hands. Assuming a human rights approach to her second pregnancy, Alexis succeeded in having an entirely uneventful, and 'perfect' autistic birth experience. Her new book, Autistic and Expecting was then born.