Have you ever had something completely turn your life upside down? That’s what having a baby is like. Now, most moms out there will be like, “Yeah, we knew that already,” but I’m here to tell you a story about how having a baby changes your life when you have Autism.

I had my daughter, Maureen, 8 months ago and let me tell you, my world got turned on its head! Prior to having a child, I would use the evenings to mentally decompress. As someone with Autism, engaging in society can be extremely tiring for me. I am constantly trying to read different social situations and always checking myself to make sure I don’t have a “social klutz moment” as one of my friends says.

See, people with Autism tend to struggle with social cues and for women on the spectrum this can be particularly challenging because women thrive on tight-knit friendships and relationships with each other. So, after spending 8 hours a day, 5 days a week engaging in society and trying to navigate social situations in a professional setting (a.k.a., work) while also maintaining those friendships you just naturally form while “on the job” I was drained. Hence, my evenings used to consist of dinner and binge watching whatever show I was currently addicted to at that time.

Now, my evenings look a little different… obviously. Rather than spending my days engaging in society via work, I am now a stay-at-home mom raising Maureen and running a household. It has its own challenges - for example, when Maureen has an especially fussy day - and I am still drained at the end of the day. I can’t just zone out while binge watching my favorite show in the evenings anymore though. As any parent knows, your job is never finished… even after the kids go to bed.

If you’re interested in finding out more about what my days look like now that I have an 8 month old baby girl in the mix, I invite you to check back for my next post where I will share a bit of the schedule I try to keep from day to day during the week.