Where can a new mom find information and support?

• Support for new mothers: How you can build your own social support network
• National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs, Inc. can help you find a local group, and has message boards, links to state organizations, and tips for new parents of twins and multiples.
• Introduction to post-partum illness—are you feeling blue or depressed?  It’s not uncommon.
• Find support for new moms near you.

What are some sources of information and support for moms?

Working moms:

• Working Moms Refuge has wisdom from other working moms, discusses the “art of juggling,” and more.
• Work at Home Moms can help you get started in an at-home job, and support you if you’re already living the work-at-home life.
• When children treat the childcare provider like Mom—What does it mean when a young child calls the child care provider "Mommy", or treats her like mother?

At-home moms:

• International MOMS Club—a support group for at-home mothers
• Mocha Moms—Stay at home mothers of color—a support group for mothers of color who are altering their career paths to care for children at home.
• The Family and Home Network provides encouragement, information and affirmation to mothers and fathers. Many are at-home parents, some are employed part-time, many will return to paid employment in the future.

Policy/Research/Support:

• Mothers and More:  The Network for Sequencing Women is an international group that supports women who are “sequencing” (altering their career path in order to care for children at home).  Mothers and More advocates for more choices for women in how they combine work and child rearing.  Their local chapters offer support and social events for moms, as well as play groups for moms and kids.  If you feel isolated after the birth of your baby or after a move, this is a great way to start meeting people.
• The National Partnership for Women and Families works to promote fairness in the workplace, quality health care, and policies that help women and men meet the dual demands of work and family.
• The Institute for Women’s Policy Research:  Work and Family is working on issues of early child care and education and family and medical leave.
• The National Association of Mothers' Centers strives to provide information and support, break the isolation of motherhood, advance maternal health, value both the paid and unpaid work of mothers, and provide caring communities for mothers and families.
• The Centre for Research on Mothering, at York University, Toronto, houses the Association for Research on Mothering, and the Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering. The Centre's mandate is to build and sustain a community of researchers—academics and grassroots—interested in the topic of mothering/motherhood.

Related topics on YourChild:

• Parenting Resources
• Fathering Resources
• Balancing work and family life
• Step Parenting
• Single Parenting
  

Compiled by Kyla Boyse, R. N. Reviewed by faculty and staff at the University of Michigan

Updated October 2007

U-M Health System Related Sites:
Department of Psychiatry
U-M Pediatrics

Our editorial policy
The information and links we provide are reviewed by University of Michigan developmental and behavioral pediatricians and child psychologists who are experts in child behavioral health. In choosing the links we provide, we use strict criteria to ensure that the information is accurate, and the source is reputable. As much as possible, we focus on information that is based on research. In areas where there is inadequate research, we include information compatible with prevailing expert opinion.

This website is updated regularly, but because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, we cannot be responsible for misinformation that may be accessed through the links provided. As always, this website is not a tool for self-diagnosis, and is not a substitute for professional care.

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