Postpartum Anxiety: Crisis Line, Warmline, and Clinical Resources
2026-04-20 · Hey Susan · 2 min
This is not medical advice. If you are in crisis right now — thinking of hurting yourself or your baby, feeling unable to keep either of you safe, hearing or seeing things that are not there, or unable to sleep at all for more than 48 hours even when the baby is sleeping — please stop and contact one of the crisis resources below right now.
If you are in crisis right now
- 988 — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US); 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline (Canada). Call or text. 24/7.
- National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (US) — call or text 1-833-852-6262 (1-833-TLC-MAMA). Free, confidential, 24/7, staffed by counselors trained specifically in pregnancy and postpartum mental health.
- Samaritans (UK, ROI) — call 116 123. 24/7.
- UK — call 111 and choose the mental-health option.
- Or your local emergency number (911 in the US/Canada, 999 in the UK).
Warmline and peer support
- Postpartum Support International (PSI) — HelpLine 1-800-944-4773, text HELP to 800-944-4773, text in Spanish 971-203-7773, postpartum.net. Note: the PSI HelpLine is a warmline, not a crisis line — calls and texts are returned within business hours (8am–11pm ET). Free, confidential support groups and a therapist directory by state and country.
Clinical and authoritative resources
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) — Screening and Diagnosis of Mental Health Conditions During Pregnancy and Postpartum (Clinical Practice Guideline No. 4, 2023).
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) — Incorporating Recognition and Management of Perinatal Depression Into Pediatric Practice (2019, reaffirmed).
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) — Perinatal Depression consumer page.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) — Postpartum Mental Health resource hub.
- Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) — a 10-item screening tool used by clinicians. If you'd like to be screened, ask your OB, midwife, family doctor, or a perinatal mental-health specialist to administer and interpret it with you.
This is not medical advice. If you are in crisis or having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, contact a crisis line or your local emergency number right away, and please tell someone you trust. You deserve support, and reaching for it is strength, not failure.
Last updated: 2026-08-11.
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