* This podcast is evolving to focus on faith, prayer, and hope for moms raising autistic or medically complex children. Episodes from our earlier parenting-focused series are still here to help, but you’ll now find guidance rooted in Christian faith and prayer.*

Watch episode on YouTube!

Motherhood changes you. Not just in sweet Instagram-worthy ways, but in deep, soul-shifting, life-altering ways. In this raw and honest episode, we unpack how becoming a mother, especially to an autistic child or a child with complex medical needs, rewires your brain, reshapes your identity, and transforms your relationships.

We dive into the science of how pregnancy restructures the brain, the emotional reality of matrescence, and why “bouncing back” is a harmful myth. You’ll hear about the mental load unique to parenting kids with autism or rare diseases, the strain (and strength) it can place on marriages and friendships, and the invisible advocacy work mothers do every single day.

Whether you’re in the trenches of autism parenting, navigating medical fragility, or simply feeling unseen in your motherhood journey, this conversation is here to validate, empower, and remind you: you haven’t lost yourself, you’ve met the most powerful version of you.

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Keywords: motherhood changes, autism parenting, special needs parenting, medical mom, medically complex child, rare disease parenting, matrescence, motherhood identity shift, mental load, caregiver burnout, advocacy for special needs children, autism mom podcast, special needs mom mental health