Perinatal Support Washington

💜 Today is NICU Awareness Day 💜

For families who welcome a baby into the NICU, the beginning of parenthood can look very different than they imagined. Instead of going home together, parents may face long hospital stays, uncertainty, fear, exhaustion, and the emotional weight of watching their baby receive intensive care.

A NICU experience can affect perinatal mental health in profound ways. Parents may experience anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, guilt, or feelings of isolation.

At Perinatal Support Washington, we believe every parent deserves compassionate, judgment-free support through every part of their perinatal journey, including the NICU and the transition home.

💜 If you or someone you know is struggling, you don't have to navigate it alone. Our Warm Line offers free, confidential support, resources, and connection to help.

📞 Call or text 1-888-404-7763
📧 [email protected]
🌎 Support is available in English and Spanish.

To every NICU parent: Your feelings are valid. Your experience matters. And you are seen.

Our Warm Line is answered by real parents who’ve been there—through postpartum depression, anxiety, birth trauma, and more. Now on the other side, they’re here to walk with you through the struggle of new parenthood.

You don’t need a mental health diagnosis. You just need to be human. Because let’s be honest—parenting is HARD, and none of us should do it alone.

📞 Call or text us. We’re here for you. 1-888-404-7763 or email us at: [email protected] (se habla español).

You are not alone!

Check out this article in Formidable, a publication focused on women's health, featuring our Executive Director, Emma York-Jones.

"We connect our patients to peers,” said York-Jones, “someone with lived experience who has survived their own perinatal mental health challenge and understands what they’re going through.” PS-WA services are designed to be trauma-informed and culturally sensitive, matching patients with staff members of the same race, gender identity, or cultural background. “Mothering or parenting is different across the board,” said York-Jones.

Read the daily feature here:

Home | Formidable News, politics, and business analysis through a women's lens. Join the executive women who rely on Formidable for daily insights that matter to your career and leadership.

📚 Deepen your perinatal mental health expertise this fall!

Our 10-Week Perinatal Mental Health Training Series begins September 30 and is open to mental health practitioners looking to build their knowledge and skills in supporting perinatal families.

Over 10 Wednesday mornings, participants will learn from experienced perinatal mental health specialists through interactive training and case study discussions covering topics including:

💛 Perinatal depression & anxiety
🧠 Intrusive thoughts & OCD
🌙 Bipolar disorder & postpartum psychosis
🌿 Birth trauma
💊 Medications during pregnancy & lactation
🕊️ Perinatal loss
🤱 Breastfeeding & mental health
🏥 Supporting families during and after the NICU
…and more.

📅 September 30–December 2, 2026
⏰ Wednesdays, 9–11 a.m. PT
💻 Live on Zoom
🎓 20 CEUs pending for LICSWs, LMHCs & LMFTs, plus 20 contact hours for RNs.

This training can also be submitted toward advanced/Step 2 training for the Postpartum Support International Certification in Perinatal Mental Health.

Registration starts at $250 for current PS-WA volunteers, with general registration at $475 and member registration at $400.

👉 Learn more and register: perinatalsupport.org/event/10-week-pmh-series-2026

Meet Emily, our new Peer Support Specialist Supporting Perinatal Loss Families through Perinatal Support Washington’s Warm Line!

Drawing from both professional training and personal experiences with fertility challenges and perinatal loss, Emily brings a relationship-centered approach to her work that is informed by somatic and nature-based perspectives. She recognizes that grief is experienced not only in our hearts and minds, but also in our bodies, our relationships, and our connection with the natural world. She believes grief and love are inseparable-that we grieve because we love. No one should have to carry grief alone, and she is honored to accompany parents as they navigate loss while continuing to honor the love they carry.

Please call or text the Warm Line at 1-888-404-7763 for support on your journey.

Check out this Seattle Times letter to the editor written by our Executive Director, Emma York-Jones.

"The trial of Lindsay Clancy has brought maternal mental health and the gaps in health care systems into the national conversation. Behind the headlines are families living through unimaginable pain—and parents who may be struggling, unsure where to turn.

As a mother, I know how profoundly parenthood can change you. Even with love, support and preparation, the transition can be overwhelming. Asking for help should never be a sign of weakness or failure. It should be part of caring for ourselves and our families."

More below.

Seattle Times letters roundup, September 20, 2026 Childcare subsidies: Food for thought Re: “Murray slams Trump plan to pay stay-at-home parents childcare subsidies” (Sept. 9, Education Lab): While I understand Washington U.S. Sen. Patty Murray’s criticisms on the surface, the details of the Trump administration’s proposal to...

📰 Seeing the news about Lindsay Clancy and postpartum psychosis can be incredibly difficult, especially for parents.

Stories like this can bring up fear, confusion, or questions you may not have expected: What if something like this happened to me? Am I okay? What are these thoughts or feelings I’m having? How do I know when I need help?

If the news has left you feeling worried about your own well-being, you don’t have to sit with those questions alone.

📱Call or text the Perinatal Support Washington Warm Line.📱

Our Warm Line is staffed by parents who have been through their own perinatal mental health challenges. We offer a confidential, judgment-free place to talk, ask questions, share what’s going on, and connect with support and resources.

You don’t have to be in crisis to reach out. You don’t have to know exactly what you need. You can simply call and talk.

‼ Call or text: 1-888-404-7763
Spanish support is available

Whatever you’re feeling, you deserve a safe place to talk about it. You are not alone.

🎖️ Military families move. A lot. And every move can reshape the perinatal experience.

For military spouse families, a PCS (Permanent Change of Station) can mean starting over every 2–3 years or even more often. A new hospital. A new provider. A new community. New routines, new relationships, and new unwritten rules.

For families navigating pregnancy, postpartum, or early parenthood, that constant disruption can affect much more than clinical care. It can impact mental health, identity, community, self-care, and the support systems families rely on.

So how can perinatal mental health providers help military spouse families feel supported when everything around them is new?

Join Perinatal Support Washington for:
Land, Look, Listen: A Framework for Perinatal Mental Health Providers Serving Military Spouse Families

This free webinar brings together people with lived experience and leaders from across the perinatal field to explore how providers can better understand the unique experiences of military spouse families.

The webinar will include a panel, Q&A, and conversation focused on building trust, understanding context, and creating more responsive perinatal mental health support.

📅 September 18, 2026
⏰ 10 a.m.–12 p.m. PDT
💻 Online
💚 FREE

REGISTER: perinatalsupport.org/event/military-spouse-webinar-sept2026/

Offered by Perinatal Support Washington through a grant from the Washington State Department of Health.

Every baby deserves to be remembered. Every family deserves support. Please join us for the annual Walk to Remember, a meaningful community gathering to honor babies lost through miscarriage, stillbirth, infant death, and other pregnancy and infant losses.

🗓 Sunday, October 18, 2026
🕤 9:30 AM
📍 Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park, Renton
🎟 Free to attend (suggested donation appreciated)
📝 Register: perinatalsupport.org/events/
💜 Please share this event to help reach families who may need this community.

Events - Perinatal Support Washington EVENTS Join us for the annual Walk to Remember, a cherished community gathering and light walk that brings together families, friends, healthcare providers, and supporters to honor babies lost…