Resources

Pregnancy, Childbirth, & Parenting

Resources for New Families
Breastfeeding
Cesarean Birth & VBAC Support
Placenta Preparation & Encapsulation
Support for Pregnancy & Neonatal Loss
  • HAND of the Peninsula (Helping After Neonatal Death) - San Mateo County, CA. 24-Hour Crisis Hotline - (888) 220-7575(toll free) or (650) 579-0350. Services for grieving parents and their families, volunteers, and health care professionals. There are no fees for HAND services: Peer support groups; Telephone support; Resource information; Newsletter; Lending library; Community education; Training program
    Other chapters (by county): San Francisco,Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, and the Central Valley
  • Grupo Amparo (en Español) - San Francisco, CA. Para más información, llame a Julie Mitra (415) 764-0211. Grupos de apoyo y asistencia telefónica para los padres que hablan español y las familias con una pérdida neonatal o la muerte de un niño recién nacido.
  • Pregnancy After Loss Support Group - San Francisco, CA. Newborn Connections, California Pacific Medical Center, 3698 California Street. Facilitated by Cherie Golant, LCSW, (415) 600-2229 orcpmcnewborn@sutterhealth.org.
  • San Francisco SAND (Support After Neonatal Death) - San Francisco, CA. UCSF Women's Health Building, 2356 Sutter Street. For more information, (510) 204-1571.
  • The Compassionate Friends - Local and online support networks. There are no fees to attend a local chapter meeting. See their brochure on stillbirth, miscarriage, and infant death. Chapters (by city): Burlingame, San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Clara, Walnut Creek/San Leandro, San Rafael
  • KARA - Palo Alto, CA. Grief counseling on a sliding fee scale
  • Mothers in Sympathy and Support (MISS) Foundation
    International organization which provides immediate and ongoing support to grieving families.
  • Subsequent Pregnancy After a Loss Support (SPALS)
    Online community of people who have experienced the loss of a child due to miscarriage, selective termination, stillbirth, neonatal death, sudden infant death, or accidental death. 
  • Our Spirit Babies - San Francisco, CA. Events honoring those lost through abortion, miscarriage, and stillbirth. See this blog post for a reflection on the first ceremony held in SF in December 2011.
  • Exhale - Warmline - (866) 4-EXHALE [Mon-Fri 5-10pm PT; Sat-Sun 12-10pm PT]. Free national talkline provides emotional support, resources, and information to women who have had abortions, as well as to their parents, family, friends, and allies. All calls are completely confidential. Services available in: English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese.

Self Help

Self-help creates space where women can share information about our bodies and health care in a non-judgmental, caring way. Benefit from knowledge about different women's health concerns that has been gathered by self helpers over the years and create your own solution for your wellness.

The Shodhini Institute
Women's Health in Women's Hands
Birthing Our Babies

Check out MY Self-Care, Self-Exam Project

Starting July 17, 2012, I began a self-care project where I assigned myself forty (40) days of self-examination.

I began this project to fully experience forty days of personal awareness of my reproductive health, and have been sharing my experience with the blog-o-sphere so that others can gain what they will from what I learn about myself.

Feel free to drop in and check out what I am (and my cervix is) up to, I would love the company! 

If you would like to learn more about your reproductive health,connect with me about my full-spectrum doula services

The Felt Cervix ProjectCervical Self Exam

Self-examination helps womyn become more knowledgable about their bodies and cycles enabling them to detect signs of ovulation, common vaginal conditions (i.e., yeast), and even early signs of pregnancy.

** To order a speculum or a full self-exam kit,please contact me.
The Shodhini Institute
Women's Health in Women's Hands
Women's Health Specialists
Beautiful Cervix Project

Breast Self Exam

Breast self-examination is one of the most widely used and vitally important health care techniques available to women. Every woman is more familiar with the variations and nuances of her body than any doctor can be at an annual examination. 

Progressive Health Services

Books