"Yes, I can bond." Reflections of autistic women's mothering experiences in the early postpartum period.

The autistic mothers in the study expressed love and concern for their babies. Some women described needing more time to recover physically and emotionally before assuming care of the newborn. The stress of childbirth left them exhausted and the demands of caring for a newborn could be overwhelming for some women. Miscommunication during labor affected some of the women's ability to trust the nurses caring for them and, in two cases, left the women feeling judged as mothers.