Is anyone a midwife ? Questions about ASD and ANC

[questionsandNervous]

What happens when a pregnant woman has ASD? I’m just wondering do I need to say at booking appt ? Will I have extra appts or will there be a different pathway? Or will it just be standard set care ?

Also does everyone have to have a glucose test or only at risk patients as I have ARFID and won’t be able to tolerate the drink ?

My youngest is 14 now so things may have changed but I don’t think you would get different care due to your ASD but also, it wouldn’t hurt to let the MW know.

And I didn’t have the glucose test in any of my pregnancies but again, I guess it could have changed.

You might find Alexis Quinn's book "Autistic and Expecting" useful.

Your glucose gets tested, along with other routine bloods, at your 28 week appointment (I think). You get referred for the glucose drink test if this result is high. I've had 2 babies but no glucose drink test.
I can't help with your other questions, sorry, but definitely worth a conversation with your midwife about what to expect, and if you might need adjustments later on /during labour.

Think they just check your wee sample at each appointment to establish if gd is a risk. Other tests are blood screens.

I’m worried they’ll make me have extra appointments and I really hate hospital also i hate to deviate from my routine too much as well so was worried in case they did extra last but hopefully it will be just the same schedule as everyone else.

I’m assuming you’re talking about autism here not atrial septal defect, if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick let me know!

Definitely mention it at your booking appointment, you’ll be asked about communication needs so if your autism affects your communication or you have different access/communication needs let them know so they can adapt things for you. There is generally a pathway in place for ladies who might need extra support for various reasons, depending on how your autism affects you you might meet the criteria for that (it’ll be different in different trusts but that might mean longer appointments or more frequent check ins etc).

Not everyone needs a glucose test, it depends on factors like BMI, ethnicity, medical history, close relatives with diabetes etc or if you have high levels of glucose in your urine as others have said. If the drink is going to be a problem you could ask for home blood glucose monitoring as an alternative. It’s not as accurate as the glucose tolerance test but better than not having it if you need it!

I can understand that but I would just be aware that your pathway could change at any point depending on what happens. I would absolutely advise your MW so that they help you.

You only have the glucose test as standard if you’re over 35. I didn’t have it with either pregnancy under this age. They look for other risk factors too though, like BMI and other health conditions I think.

My autistic (PDA) dd had a baby 6 weeks ago.
There were no extra visits or appointments as a result of being autistic. But, what I would really recommend is asking if your health authority has something like a 'health passport' . I can't remember exactly what it was called (and it wasn't offered as standard). But it's a document that goes through how a health issue or disability impacts on you and most importantly what you need as a result.
It should cover anxiety, or senory needs or things like your arfid.
For my dd, it really helped clarify why she was so averse to induction and how her sensory needs meant that she could become overwhelmed in a stressful environment like a busy ward etc. It really informed her birth plan.
I completely understand why you are anxious but I would advise bring upfront and advocating for your needs. In my dd's experience it was at best really helpful and the rest of the time made no difference to how she was treated, by which I mean no extra 'supervision' because she's autistic.
She found Siobhan Miller's book "Practical ways to make your birth better" really helpful.
I wish you all the best!

Apart from scans or if you need a referral, antenatal appointments are community/gp based. I doubt they would insist on any extra.

Oh and there are alternatives to the glucose drink test if it turns out that you do need it testing.

My autistic daughter has had 2 babies in the past 3yrs - the most recent only 2 weeks ago.
Definitely tell your midwife and they can make notes on your records to highlight it to other staff caring for you.
My daughter couldn’t do the glucose test either but she phoned the hospital and they let her do 5 days of glucose blood monitoring at home, so that could be an option for you.
My daughter had quite specific wishes during the birth as she couldn’t cope with skin to skin or breastfeeding due to sensory issues. We made sure it was clear in her birth plan so midwives were aware.
In her first birth the midwife wasn’t aware of her needs and the midwives thought she was being difficult and not bonding with her baby and did a safeguarding referral!
With more planning and awareness with the 2nd birth it was much more positive and even though my daughter reacted the same way, the midwives were very supportive this time and helped her.
There may be a specialist nurse at your hospital who can advocate for you and help you create a plan.
The other thing is to make sure your birth partner is fully aware of your needs and areas you might find difficult so they can advocate for you at any time.
good luck!

Yes autism

Thanks so much this is so helpful I’m so relieved there is an alternative to the glucose drink as I honestly think I’d be sick of if I had to and I doubt I’d even have been able to swallow any of it. I was so stressed about that