10 Triangle resources to support moms and parents

Nine years ago, I was a mom white-knuckling it through every minute with her baby. In 2014, after the birth of my first child, I fell into a deep and dark hole. Food tasted like cardboard. My body buzzed with anxiety. I would beg my husband not to leave me alone with our colicky baby girl. I felt like I’d made a terrible mistake. I wasn’t cut out to be a mother.

What I didn’t realize was that this wasn’t motherhood: this was postpartum anxiety and OCD, and I was paralyzed by my symptoms. One night my husband persuaded me to attend a local support group for moms. I was skeptical. How could these moms help? But I got there and I saw, well, just a bunch of moms. They looked normal. They weren’t “crazy,” and some of them were even getting better. And it wasn’t like a light switch turned on, but slowly I found some hope, felt less alone, and got on medication because these other mothers normalized taking medication as a tool for recovery. I am positive that the group saved my life.

Once I recovered, I became a volunteer for Moms Supporting Moms (MSM), a local organization, then the program coordinator for MSM, and now I am the Support Groups Manager for Postpartum Support International, an international non-profit. I’ve focused on supporting pregnant and postpartum parents for the last eight years, and I’d like to share some of the resources that I have learned about along the way.

The Triangle area has a wealth of resources to support moms, birthing people, and new families during one of life’s biggest transitions: having a baby.

In honor of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, I want to highlight the resources we have for expectant and postpartum parents. We know that experiencing a mental health challenge is the #1 complication from childbirth and that 15-20% of moms experience anxiety and/or depression during pregnancy and/or postpartum (the perinatal period). While these challenges are common, they are also very difficult.

In the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, there are so many organizations, businesses, and providers who are ready to help and trained in perinatal mental health. The three main tools for supporting pregnant and postpartum moms who are experiencing anxiety and/or depression are medication, therapy and peer support. All of those tools are available in our area:

1. The UNC’s Center for Women’s Mood Clinic in Chapel Hill has an inpatient psychiatry unit dedicated to pregnant and postpartum people. North Carolina is home to 1 of 3 units like this in the entire country. At the UNC Women’s Mood Clinic, pregnant and postpartum moms in a mental health crisis can find expert, inpatient care, which is a rarity in our nation.
2. Anchor Perinatal is an outpatient intensive program focused solely on perinatal clients. Moms (or parents) can receive therapy and support group sessions from therapists trained in perinatal mental health and then go home to their families each day. Anchor also has a free, walk-in clinic for screening for perinatal mood challenges. The founding therapists are all extensively trained in perinatal mental health. This is an amazing resource!
3. Moms Supporting Moms (MSM) is the longest running, free peer support group for pregnant and postpartum moms in the Triangle. Moms Supporting Moms meets every Thursday evening (virtually), so that moms can join together and know they are not alone. MSM also provides free, volunteer mentors to new moms. An experienced mom volunteers to guide a new mom through the first-year of her baby’s life. Support groups and mentors help fight against the stigma of perinatal mental health challenges, and the connection MSM provides is a wonderful tool to help moms get on the road to recovery.
4. Equity Before Birth (EBB) serves Black families by providing financial support for pregnancy-related services and needs. EBB pays birth workers and educators to support pregnant black birthing people. We know that this type of support can save lives and can help decrease physical and mental health complications.
5. Triangle Area Parenting Support (TAPS) provides a 10-week session (virtual) with other new parents in each area of the Triangle, so parents connect with those in their city. The sessions focus on information but also support and connection. These groups can help decrease isolation and increase parent confidence with new skills and education. Sessions are in English and Spanish.
6. Family Connects Durham is a free nurse home visiting program for all parents of newborns, regardless of financial need. Registered nurses support all families in Durham County by providing no-cost postpartum home visits. Nurses can help identify a perinatal mood challenge and connect parents with resources to help them cope and decrease feelings of isolation.
7. Emerald Doulas provides birth and postpartum doula care, support groups and classes. Emerald Doulas have support groups for pregnant parents, new moms, LGBTQ+ parents, and moms of color.
8. HER Health Collective is a supportive community for all moms, with in-person and virtual events to help moms connect. HER also provides women’s health information from experts via their events and podcasts. You can check out my interview on their podcast if you want even more information on perinatal support in the Triangle area.
9. Rosenberg Perinatal & Waypoint Counseling are two group practices focused on perinatal mental health in the Triangle. Rosenberg Perinatal is a group of mental health clinicians supporting the emotional wellbeing of pregnant and postpartum parents, individuals experiencing fertility challenges and adoptive parents. Many of their clinicians also speak Spanish! Waypoint Counseling is a team of mental health professionals with a special focus on postpartum anxiety and depression, birth trauma, NICU parenting, and much more. Waypoint can also help with medication management.
10. MAAME (Mobilizing African American Mothers through Empowerment) empowers Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color during pregnancy and postpartum. MAAME can help to navigate systems, offer resources, services, and support. MAAME also has a maternal mental health program for parents of 0-5 year old children. In this program, mothers or birthing people can find a support group, individual peer support, and therapy sessions.

For parents in any area, PSI’s Provider Directory can guide pregnant and postpartum parents to therapists in their area who are specifically trained in parietal mental health. Having a therapist or provider who knows the ins and outs of perinatal mental health is a vital tool in the recovery journey for many moms and parents. PSI also has a free postpartum planning class so that expectant parents can learn about and plan for their emotional wellbeing during the postpartum period.