Mental Health Resources

The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project offers a suicide hotline and crisis care to folks in the LGBTQIA+ community. Call (866)488-7386. Visit the site here.

The Veterans Crisis Line

The Veterans Crisis Line offers a suicide hotline and crisis care to veterans. You do not need to be enrolled in VA benefits or healthcare to use this service. Call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online. Visit the site here.

Iowa In-Person Services

Unity Point Behavioral Health Urgent Care: (515)263-2632

Broadlawns Behavioral Health Urgent Care & Crisis Observation: (515)282-5742

Clive Behavioral Health: (844)640-0504

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) Disaster Distress Helpline

Call (800)985-5990 or visit SAMHSA’s website.. SAMHSA is dedicated to providing 24/7 crisis counseling and support to those experiencing distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.

Non-Emergency Resources

Iowa Support Services

Heart of Iowa Community Services

Find a detailed list of free and low-cost community and healthcare organizations, services, and resources here.

Mental Health Support Groups in Des Moines

A list of support groups in the Des Moines area can be found here.

Postpartum Support International (PSI) Iowa

A non-profit organization that helps support parents experiencing perinatal mood disorders. Find resources here. 

National Support Services

Postpartum Support International (PSI) Helpline

English: Call (800)944-4773 and press 1 or text (800)944-4773

Spanish: Call (800)944-4773 and press 2 or text (971)203-7773

Postpartum Support International (PSI) Online Support Groups

Find available groups here.

Postpartum Support International (PSI) Provider Directory

Find a list of providers here.

Postpartum Support International (PSI) Chat Option for Moms  

Speak with an expert for moms here.

Postpartum Support International (PSI) Chat Option for Dads

Speak with an expert for dads here.

National Maternal Mental Health Hotline

(833)852-6262 or (833)TLC-MAMA

Postpartum Stress Center

Get support for prenatal and postpartum anxiety and depression here.

Websites & Blogs

Mindful Mamas Club
Mindful Mama
Daring to Rest Academy
A Loving Kindness Meditation: For Moms
A Loving Kindness Meditation: A Radical Act of Love

Mediation Apps

Insight Timer
Calm
Headspace

Mama-Centered Podcasts

Mom & Mind

Psychologist and specialist in perinatal mental health, Dr. Kat, interviews parents and gets real about concerns like postpartum depression and anxiety, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and more. Listen here.

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood

Real stories of parenthood that might make you cry, laugh, and learn something new. Listen here.

The Birth Hour

Stories of childbirth as told by women willing to share one of the biggest, most intimate moments of their lives. Listen here.

Books on Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders

“Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts: A Healing Guide to the Secret Fears of New Mothers” – Karen Kleiman and Molly McIntyre (2019)

“This Isn’t What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression” – Karen R. 

Kleiman and Valerie Davis Raskin MD (2013)

“The Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety Workbook: Practical Skills to Help You Overcome 

Anxiety, Worry, Panic Attacks, Obsessions, and Compulsions” – Pamela S. Wiegartz, Kevin L. 

Gyoerkoe (2009) 

“The Pregnancy Workbook: Manage Anxiety and Worry with CBT and Mindfulness Techniques” –  Katayune Kaeni (2021)

“Birth Trauma: A Guide for You, Your Friends and Family to Coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Following Birth” – Kim Thomas (2013)

“Heal Your Birth Story: Releasing the Unexpected” – Maureen Campion (2015)

“Daddy Blues: Postnatal Depression and Fatherhood” – Mark Williams (2018)

Books on Postpartum

“The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother” – Heng Ou, Amely Greeven, and Marisa Belger (2016) 

“Birth in Four Cultures: A Crosscultural Investigation of Childbirth in Yucatan, Holland, Sweden, and the United States” (4th edition) –  Brigitte Jordan and Robbie Davis-Floyd (1993)

“Zuo Yuezi: An American Mother’s Guide to Chinese Postpartum Recover” – Guang Ming Whitley and Kai Tsu Easlon (2016)

“What No One Tells You: A Guide to Your Emotions from Pregnancy to Motherhood” – Dr. Alexandra Sacks and Dr. Catherine Birndorf (2019). 

“Strong as a Mother: How to Stay Healthy, Happy, and (Most Importantly) Sane from Pregnancy to Parenthood: The Only Guide to Taking Care of YOU!” – Kate Rope (2018).

“The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality Paperback” – Kimberly Ann Johnson (2017).

“The Postpartum Plan Workbook” – Erin Huiatt (2019)

“Build Your Nest: A Postpartum Planning Workbook Paperback” – Kestrel Gates (2016)

Books on Relationships

“To Have and to Hold: Motherhood, Marriage, and the Modern Dilemma” – Molly Millwood (2019)

“How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids” – Jancee Dunn (2017)

John and Julie Gottman are world-renowned relationship experts who have published several books and other tools, including an app, on the subject of relationship satisfaction and success.

Childbirth Books & Additional Resources

“Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide” – Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, Ann Keppler, Janelle Durham, and April Bolding (2018)

“Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong and What You Really Need to Know” – Emily Oster (2013)

“Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth” -Ina May Gaskin (2003)

“Nurture: A Modern Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, Early Motherhood and Trusting Yourself and Your Body” – Erica Chidi Cohen and Jillian Ditner (2017)

“Babies Are Not Pizzas: They’re Born, Not Delivered” –  Rebecca Dekker (2019)

“Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering: A Doctor’s Guide to Natural Childbirth and Gentle Early Parenting Choices” – Sarah J. Buckley (2005)

“Creating Your Birth Plan: The Definitive Guide to a Safe and Empowering Birth” – Marsden Wagner (2006)

“The Positive Birth Book: A New Approach to Pregnancy, Birth and the Early Week” –  Milli Hill (2017)

Online Resource

Evidence-Based Birth is a resource that informs and empowers expecting parents as well as birth-care practitioners around the world. Visit the site here.

If you are concerned about taking medications while breastfeeding or pumping, please consult your physician. Here is a list of additional resources you may find helpful:

LactMed

This app provides free and up-to-date information, including access to their database, a resource from the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Download here.

Infant Risk Center

A team of specialists from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center provides up-to-date lactation support. Find resources here. They also have a helpful app, which you can find on that page.

E-Lactancia

A helpful resource to help you find whether certain medications, foods, and more are compatible with breastfeeding. Start your search here.

Every Step

This Des Moines group offers support for those experiencing perinatal and infant loss. Find support here.

No Foot Too Small

Based in Coralville, Iowa, this group brings families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss together. Find support here.

Fletcher Foundation

This group, out of Ankeny, Iowa, helps support families grieving the loss of a child emotionally and financially. Find support here.

National Support Groups

Postpartum Support International (PSI) Support Groups

There are several virtual support groups available through PSI, including a weekly perinatal loss group. Take a look at the options here.

Books on Grief & Loss

“Empty Cradle, Broken Heart: Surviving the Death of Your Baby” – Deobrah L. Davis (2016)

“A Silent Sorrow: Pregnancy Loss – Guidance and Support for You and Your Family” – Ingrid Kohn (2000)

“Beyond Tears: Living After Losing a Child” – Ellen Mitchell, Rita Volpe, Ariella Long, Phyllis Levine, Madeline Perri Kasden, Barbara Goldstein, Barbara Eisenberg, Lorenza Colletti, Audrey Cohen, and Carol Barkin (2009) 

“Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief” – Martha Whitmore Hickman (1994)

“Pregnancy After a Loss: A Guide to Pregnancy After a Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Infant Death” – Carol Cirulli Lanham (1999)

“An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination: A Memoir” – Elizabeth McCracken

“Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow: Finding Light Beyond the Shadow of Miscarriage or Infant Loss” – Teske Drake (2012)

“I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy” – Angie Smith (2010)

Additional Resources

Love and Logic Parenting Online

A webinar that covers parenting techniques, including practicing empathy, ending bedtime arguments, and more. Sign up here.

Understanding Health Coverage & Medical Terms

This PDF glossary explains many of the terms you may encounter when dealing with insurance and healthcare. Download here.

Mood Links

We’re proud to provide our clients with the MoodLinks app for free. This app allows us to keep the lines of communication open with you. In-app support includes strategies for trigger management, ideas on scheduling positive activities, and more. Please ask your Bloom provider for more information.