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Perinatal Resources

 Perinatal Resources 

Local Crisis Resources

If you require immediate attention or support please contact the following crisis lines or visit your nearest hospital or call police at 911:

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Suicide Crisis Line: 988, text: 988

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Canada Crisis Number: 1-833-456-4566, text: 45645

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Toronto Distress Centre: 416-408-4357

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Gerstein Centre: 416-929-5200

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The Assaulted Women's Helpline: 416-863-0511

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Translifeline: 1-877-330-6366 

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Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/ Multicultural Women Against Rape: 416-597-8808

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Mental Health Crisis Line (Canada Wide): 1-888-893-8333

Perinatal Mood Disorders

Postpartum Support International

1-800-944-4773

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Perinatal Wellbeing Ontario (support groups and "pay what you can" therapy)

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Toronto Public Health

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Mt. Sinai perinatal mental health program: 416-586-4800 x8325

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Women’s College Reproductive Life Stages program:
416-323-6400 x5635

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MGH Center for Women's Mental Health

Local Pregnancy &
Postpartum Supports

Birthmark offers accessible prenatal, birth, and postpartum supports in the GTHA

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La Leche League provides free one-on-one and group breast- and chestfeeding support

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Find a Doula (Association of Ontario Doulas)

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Find a Lactation Consultant (Canadian Lactation Consultant Association)

Miscarriage, Pregnancy
& Infant Loss

Resources and Support Groups:

PAIL Network Ontario

PAIL Network support groups available here.

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Return to Zero

Register for RTZ Virtual Support groups here

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Baby's Breath Canada

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Perinatal Hospice

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Bereaved Families of Ontario

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PSI: Loss & Grief in Pregnancy & Postpartum

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Miscarriage for Men

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Books:

  • Empty Cradle, Broken Heart by Deborah L Davis (about all kinds of pregnancy loss)

  • Through Not Around: Stories of Infertility and Pregnancy Loss by Alison McDonald Ace, Caroline Starr, and Ariel Ng Bourbonnais

  • Grief is Love: Living with Loss by Marisa Renee Lee

  • An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken

  • ​It’s OK that You’re Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture that Doesn’t Understand by Megan Devine

  • When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron

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Podcasts:

Mom and Mind with Katayune Kaeni

Beyond the Loss by the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Centre

Miscarriage Stories with Arden Cartrette

Parenting

Books:

  • Impossible Parenting by Olivia Scobie

  • Parenting from the Inside Out by Daniel Siegel and Mary Hartzell (or really any of Dan Siegel's parenting books!)

  • Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts by Karen Kleiman

  • Raising Good Humans By Hunter Clarke-Fields

  • The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsabary

  • The Highly Sensitive Parent by Elaine Aron

  • The Gentle Parenting Book by Sarah Okwell-Smith

  • The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

  • Healing Your Lost Inner Child by Robert Jackman

  • Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids, by Dr.Laura Markham

  • How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids: A Practical Guide to Becoming a Calmer, Happier Parent by Carla Naumburg

  • Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay Gibson

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Podcasts:

Mom and Mind with Katayune Kaeni

Perinatal Wellbeing with Christine Cunningham

Unruffled with Janet Lansbury

Mommy Brain Revisted with Jodi Pawluski

Good Inside with Dr. Becky (also on IG)

Mom Rage (no new episodes since 2020, but still worth a listen)

The Good Enough Mother with Sophie Brock

Perinatal OCD

International OCD Foundation: Perinatal OCD

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Postpartum Support International: Obsessive Symptoms

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Could I have Postpartum OCD?

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About Perinatal OCD

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Maternal OCD

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Books:​

  • Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts by Karen Kleiman

  • Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts by Karen Kleiman and Amy Wenzel

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Podcasts:

All the Hard Things with Jenna Overbaugh

The OCD Stories with Stuart Ralph

How Do You Know if You Have OCD? CBC

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YouTube:

Postpartum OCD: Causes and Treatment by Nathan Peterson

TFMR (Termination for Medical Reasons)

Ending a Wanted Pregnancy:

has many resources on the site, and also runs a private support (you can apply to join here).

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Terminations Remembered:

They also run a private Facebook group (application here):

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Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) Network Ontario:

Booklet

PAIL network also offers a support group specific to TFMR.

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Pregnancy After Loss has a support group for TFMR.

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Return to Zero

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TFMRmamas offers support groups and private facebook groups

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Books:

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Podcasts:

Time to Talk TFMR

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The Worst Girl Gang Ever (numerous episodes)

Birth Trauma

What is Birth Trauma? (Birth Trauma Association UK)

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Prevention and Treatment of Traumatic Childbirth (PATTCh)

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EMDR for Birth Trauma and PTSD

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Books:

  • Why Birth Trauma Matters by Emma Svanberg

  • Healing Your Birth Story: releasing the unexpected by Maureen Campion

  • Birth Trauma by Kim Thomas

  • When Survivors Give Birth by Penny Simkin & Phyllis Klaus

  • The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk

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Podcasts:

The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast with Kayleigh Summers

What We Can Do About Obstetric Violence and Birth Trauma with Cristin Pascucci with Dr. Nicole Rankins

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Instagram:

@thebirthtrauma_mama

@theteaonbirthtrauma

Relationships

Postbabyhankypanky: Postpartum Sex in Relationships

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Books:

  • What About Us? by Karen Kleiman

  • And Baby Makes Three by John Gottman & Julie Schwartz Gottman

  • Hold Me Tight by Sue Johnson

  • Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski

  • How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn

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Podcasts:

Where Should We Begin with Ester Perel

Sex Birth Trauma with Kimberly Ann Johnson

Maintaining Intimacy After Kids with Vanessa & Xander Marin

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Blog Posts:

Nurturing Intimacy 

Rebuilding Connection and Intimacy After Baby

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Instagram:

@psychedmommy

@loveafterbaby

Morning Mist over Forest

You can feel better.

"The best way out is always through." Robert Frost.

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