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Peer Support

Peanut

A free social networking app for parents. Provides a safe space for parents, expectant parents, and those trying to conceive to build friendships, ask questions and find support. Peanut connects you to others nearby who are at a similar stage in life, and provides access to a community of parents who are there to listen, share information and offer valuable advice. Whether it’s understanding IVF, adoption, pregnancy, first years and beyond, Peanut is a place to connect.

Perinatal Wellbeing Ontario

WELCOME! We help people struggling with a Perinatal mood and anxiety disorder, connect to supports as soon as possible that are either low-cost or free. The Perinatal period includes trying to conceive a baby, being pregnant and welcoming a baby into your family.

Postpartum Depression

Created by a parent who was diagnosed with postpartum depression in 2016, the website contains information on Postpartum Depression, information for support persons, additional resources, and treatment options.

Running in Triangles

Started in 2017 by two sisters with the aim to provide a safe platform for parents to share their postpartum depression stories. The blog contains topics on Postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, COVID-19 resources, pregnancy and birth, breastfeeding, sleep deprivation and general lifestyle topics. 

Mindfulness & Meditation 

Calm 

An app with free resources on meditations, sleep stories, mindful movement exercises, journaling, music, and nature scenes and songs. There are meditations for Frontline Healthcare Workers, for children, there are also resources in various languages available.

Headspace

Meditation app with free content on the following meditation sessions: Basics (first 10 sessions); Everyday Headspace/Today's Headspace (3 sessions); Falling Back to Sleep Wind Down. Offering free Headscape plus to those who are unemployed. Resources for healthcare professionals, workplace environments, educators and more.

Insight Timer

Free meditation app with sessions: on sleep; on anxiety; on stress; with timer; with music; for parents. Offers insightful talks and courses on various topics on mindfulness.

 

UCLA Mindful App

Free mindfulness app through UCLA. The app provides basic meditations for getting started; wellness meditations for people suffering from challenging health conditions; videos; weekly podcasts; and a timer to meditate to.

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Insomnia Coach App

Insomnia Coach can be used as a stand-alone education and self-care tool, or as a supplement to professional mental health care. This app is based upon scientific research about how people can change their behaviors and thoughts to improve their sleep.

Insomnia Coach is designed to be used daily for 5 weeks by following the Training Plan. After that, you can continue to use the app to track your sleep and maintain good sleep habits.

 

Prana Breath App

 A free app on breathing technique and meditations that are 7-15 minutes a day. Use the power of breathing and meditation to increase your mindfulness and live a better life, whether your focus is Yoga, dieting, or diving.

 

Balance App

Improve your stress, sleep, and more with the world’s first personalized meditation program. Balance is your personal meditation coach. Each day, you’ll answer questions about your meditation experience, goals, and preferences. Using an audio library of thousands of files, Balance then assembles a daily meditation that's perfect for you. The more you share over time, the more personalized and effective your meditations become.

 

Moodkit

MoodKit is a one-of-a-kind app designed to help you apply effective strategies of professional psychology to your everyday life. With four integrated tools, MoodKit helps you to engage in mood-enhancing activities, identify and change unhealthy thinking, rate and chart mood across time, and create journal entries using custom templates designed to promote well-being.

 

Buddhify

Buddhify focusses on mobile or on-the-go meditation, which you can do wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. There are traditional formal meditations, for when you have more time. meditations are categorised by what you’re doing or how you’re feeling. So you’ll find guided meditations for Walking, Stress & Difficult Emotion, Work Break, Going to Sleep, Waking Up and many other different categories. 

 

Beating the Blues

Beating the Blues is an online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) program for individuals with mild to moderate depression and anxiety. This online CBT course enables users to work through modules to learn about and apply the principles of CBT at a time and place to suit each individual.

 

Moodgym

Moodgym is like an interactive self-help book which teaches skills based on cognitive behaviour therapy to help you to learn and practice skills which can help to prevent and manage symptoms of depression and anxiety. Moodgym consists of five interactive modules which are completed in order.

 

Fitness & Physical Health

FarOut Fitness

Offers different classes including: Strong Moms Workout with Baby, a unique mom and baby fitness class specifically designed and dedicated to making moms strong after having a baby. Also offers livestream classes, outdoor classes, and zumba. Located in St. John’s.

Hot Mama Health + Fitness

Offers a Momma and Me program, this format is a great class for you to bring non-mobile babes to. They stay right with you on a mat, blanket, or snoozing in their carseat. Also classes for postpartum period and for just moms as well depending on location. Located in St. John’s.

MAX

MAX is an arts, athletics, and wellness centre with several locations in St. John’s and Mount Pearl. They offer childcare, after school centres, as well as Movin’ Mommies- a training program in St. John’s that is carefully designed to help postpartum parents recover and rebuild after pregnancy.

The Little Gym

Children's gym in St. John’s offering activities for kids including: parent/child classes; kids dance; gymnastics; sports skills; and karate. They also have a blog featuring posts on: self-care tips for parents at home; keeping your family routine while stuck at home; stress relief for kids.

YMCA

A charity offering Health, Fitness & Aquatics; Children's Services; Employment & Enterprise Services; Volunteer Development, and Opportunities to give to members of all ages. Options are available for those in financial need. Located in St. John’s and Marystown. 

The Health Improvement after Pregnancy (HIP) Program

A free resource developed by the MotHERS Program to help parents make healthy lifestyle changes in the postpartum period, it includes an exercise plan as well as nutritional advice. The program is designed to be completed at home with minimal equipment. 

Books & Podcasts

You Are Not Alone: An anthology of perinatal mental health stories from conception to postpartum

  • This anthology is about more than postpartum depression. It’s about preconception and pregnancy, too. This book contains stories that span the spectrum of perinatal mental illness including infertility, miscarriage, disability, tokophobia, stillbirth, prenatal and postpartum anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, and psychosis, along with what it’s like to struggle with a perinatal mental illness during an unprecedented global pandemic. This anthology is filled with 49 stories for people across the 49th parallel—and beyond. Perinatal mental illness knows no boundaries. Each author bravely tells their story of their own lived experience in their own words, and many of them have gone on to become fierce advocates themselves. In addition to the personal stories are chapters written by top perinatal mental health experts who were more than happy to contribute their knowledge, expertise, and advice.

Myself Again: The PARENTS Postpartum Survival Guide

  • “I just don’t feel like myself.” Postpartum depression and anxiety affect 1 in 5 new mothers and 1 in 10 new fathers, making them the most common birth complications in the U.S. Myself Again is the ultimate survival guide to help navigate emotional challenges after a baby comes home. If you’re a parent with a new baby, you might be exhausted and have little time to yourself. You may only have a few minutes available for reading so the focus is on quick and accessible information to help you through new parenthood. The PARENTS method is uniquely created by the authors to give you straightforward, practical strategies in self-care and emotion management, so that you can get back to feeling like yourself again.

The Little Blue Rocket Ship: A Story About Postpartum Depression

  • The Little Blue Rocket Ship: A Story About Postpartum Depression is told by a boy who sees changes in his mom after she has a baby. As the boy explores his own feelings and questions, he is reassured by his mom’s continued love for him. Blending together fiction storytelling with supportive communication strategies, The Little Blue Rocket Ship encourages open dialogue about postpartum depression between family members.

Beyond Postpartum Podcast

Beyond Postpartum, the official podcast of the Pacific Post Partum Support Society, shares stories of resilience and recovery from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Pacific Post Partum Support Society has been supporting mothers and their families experiencing postpartum/perinatal distress, depression and anxiety in Vancouver for over 45 years. 

Perinatal Wellbeing Podcast

Welcome to The Perinatal Wellbeing Podcast. The goal of this podcast is to talk openly and honestly about Perinatal Wellbeing including Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, fertility challenges, traumatic birth, neonatal, infant and pregnancy loss as well as any challenges that birthing people, their partners and families experience during the Perinatal Period. This will also include physical, emotional and sexual health.

Mommy Brain Revisited

A podcast for parents, health care providers, scientists and anyone interested in current research on ‘mommy brain’ and brain changes with parenting. Talking with leading researchers in the field.

Mom & Mind: for Pregnancy and Postpartum Mental Health 

Dr. Kat, Psychologist and specialist in perinatal mental health, interviews moms, dads, experts and advocates about how to cope, manage and recover from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. 

Happy as a Mother: Do Motherhood Differently

Erica is a registered psychotherapist, sought-after maternal mental health specialist, and is the founder of Happy as a Mother. She has been practicing for over 10 years and is a regular media contributor. Erica helps women adjust to and manage the load of motherhood with her popular Happy as a Mother podcast, Instagram platform, and online therapy services. She is passionate about supporting moms and helping them embrace their motherhood journey. Erica is a Toronto based mother to three rambunctious young boys that can often be found sharing insights in her Instagram stories. Erica’s work has been featured in the Toronto Star, Scary Mommy, Medium, Pop Sugar, and Romper. Her graphics have been shared by celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Ashley Graham, Nia Long, Hilaria Baldwin, Christy Turlington and Adrienne Bosh.

Helpful Books

  • Behind the Smile: My Journey Out of Postpartum Depression- By Marie Osmond, Marcia Wilkie, and Judith Moore

  • Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety Workbook- By Pamela Wiegartz

  • Pregnancy Blues, What every Woman Needs to Know About Depression During Pregnancy- By Dr. S. Misri

  • When baby brings the blues, Solutions for Postpartum Depression- By Dr. A. Dalfen

  • Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts - By Karen Kleiman

  • Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing - By David A. Treleaven

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Also click on the link for Postpartum Support International's list of books on Postpartum mood disorders.

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