Mothers struggling with mental health before, during and after pregnancy have free access to the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The hotline, which was launched on May 8, recently received additional funding through the 2022 Comprehensive Appropriations Bill passed in December.
Call or text 1-833-943-5746 (1-833-9-HELP4MOMS).
The Maternity Mental Health Hotline is not a crisis response line and should not be used as a substitute for emergency services (People suffering from immediate threats such as suicidal thoughts should contact 988, Suicide and Crisis Lifeline ). However, there is no limit to the number of times someone can call the hotline or hang up.
read more: Alabama Task Force Launched to Address Maternal Mortality and Mental Health Challenges.
When someone calls the hotline, they are connected to a licensed or certified counselor who provides the caller with information, support, and resources. Counselors are also trained in “how to provide culturally appropriate and trauma-based support,” according to the U.S. Health Resources Services website.
“Mothers or their loved ones can contact the hotline as often as needed,” an HRSA spokesperson said in a statement.
Hotline counselors include:
- nurse
- doctor
- mental health clinician
- Doulas
- childbirth educator
- peer support specialist
If necessary, hotline counselors can also provide callers with referrals to local or telemedicine services. An HRSA spokesperson confirmed that the caller’s gender, ethnicity, age and language preferences are taken into account when making referrals.
“It helps Alabama because, if you think about it, we have many different cultures and high rates of substance use disorders. One of the factors is mental health and substance use in the state during the first year of pregnancy,” said Honor McDaniel, Alabama director of Maternal and Child Health Initiatives at March of Dimes. “Having this mental health hotline would be a big thing for our entire state.”
Alabama has the third worst maternal mortality rate in the United States and the sixth worst infant mortality rate. A recent report points to women suffering from substance use disorders and cardiovascular health, revealing that the majority of women who died within the first year of giving birth were on Medicaid. .
The HRSA website lists the following symptoms of depression and anxiety that are most common in pregnant and new parents:
- Feeling sad or hopeless most of the time
- Loss of interest in things you used to enjoy
- Lack of interest in personal care (dressing, styling hair)
- can’t concentrate
- have trouble coping with daily tasks
- always worried about the baby
- sleeping or overeating or overeating
- Feeling extremely anxious or tense
- Unexplained irritability or anger
- unwanted or frightening thoughts
- Feeling that you are not a good mother
- thoughts of harming yourself or the baby
The Maternal Mental Health Hotline offers email or phone service in both English and Spanish, plus interpreting services in 60 languages.
McDaniel said additional funding from the 2022 Omnibus Spending Bill will make more promotional resources available to inform new parents of the hotline.
“The budget for this item will be: more people culturally and linguistically aware, more people understanding substance use disorders,” says McDaniel. “We’re going to increase the amount of awareness campaigns, so women know, ‘Hey, there’s a maternal mental health hotline that I can call and get information and talk to someone about.’ You will not be punished for it.”
