MENTAL HEALTH

If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital emergency room. If you need additional support right now, you can reach out to one of the following agencies:

Health Link BC: dial 811 from any phone
Vancouver Island Crisis Line: 1-888-494-3888 https://www.vicrisis.ca
VI Crisis Text (6pm-10pm PST): 1-250-800-3806 from any mobile device
Talk Suicide Canada: 1-833-456-4566 https://talksuicide.ca
Talk Suicide Text (4pm-midnight EST): Text 45645 from any mobile device
Postpartum Support International Help Line: 1-800-944-4773 www.postpartum.net
Pacific Postpartum Support Society: (855) 255-7999 https://postpartum.org
KUU-US Indigenous Crisis Line: 1-800-588-8717  www.kuu-uscrisisline.com
Kid’s Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 kidshelpphone.ca
Kid’s Help Text: Text 686868 from any mobile device or computer
Alcohol & Drug Information Referral Service (ADIRS): 1-800-663-1441
Victoria Women’s Transition House : (250) 385-6611 www.transitionhouse.net
LGBT Hotline: 888-843-4564 https://www.lgbthotline.org
National Coming Out Support Hotline: 1-888-OUT-LGBT www.lgbtcomingout.org

Is something missing from this list? Let us know! Send us an email at hello@aspiretherapeutics.ca

PERINATAL SUPPORT SERVICES

La Leche League Breast Feeding Support: www.lllc.ca
Dr. Jennifer Wickens Breast Feeding Support: breastfeedingsolutions.ca/home
Latch Lactation Co (Karly Gendron IBCLE): latchlactationco.com
Nesting Doula Collective (BIPOC doula services): nestingdoulacollective.com
VIDA Doulas: vidadoulas.ca
Mothering Touch (parenting classes and groups): motheringtouch.ca
Postpartum Support International (PSI) online support groups:
postpartum.net/get-help/psi-online-support-meetings/
Core Connection Mobile Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy: coreconnectionphysio.com
Step-By-Step Family Law Legal Services (Jamie Fitzel): stepbysteplaw.com
Olive Fertility Services: olivefertility.com
Arbutus Midwives: arbutusmidwives.com
Round House Midwives: roundhousemidwives.com
VI Women’s Clinic (PAPs, contraception, abortion services): viwc.ca
Island Sexual Health Society (gender affirming care): islandsexualhealth.org


Want to be on this list? Let’s talk about it! Send us an email at hello@aspiretherapeutics.ca

Recommended Reads

PREGNANCY AND BIRTH

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth (Ina May Gaskin)
The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians: How to Stay Sane and Care for Yourself from Pre-Conception Through Birth (Rachel Pepper)
Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn (Penny Simkin)
Subversive Motherhood: Orgasmic birth, Genderqueer Parenting, Papas, Trans Parenting, Gynepunk, etc. (Maria Llopis)

POSTPARTUM

Life Will Never Be The Same: The Real Mom’s Postpartum Survival Guide (Anne Dunnewold and Diane Sanford)
The Hidden Feelings of Motherhood: Coping with Stress, Depression, and Burnout (Kathleen Kendall-Tackett)
Real Self Care: Poojah Laksmin M.D.
This Isn’t What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression (Karen Kleiman and Valerie Raskin)
Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts; Breaking the Cycle of Unwanted Thoughts in Motherhood (Karen Kleiman and Amy Wenzel)
Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts: A Healing Guide to the Secret Fears of New Mothers (Karen Kleiman and Molly McIntyre)
Postpartum Depression and Anxiety: A Self-Help Guide for Mothers (Pacific Postpartum Support Society)
Mothering the New Mother – Your Postpartum Resource Companion (Sally Placksin)

PARENTING

The Journey to Parenthood (Diana Barnes & Leigh Balber)
The Baby Owner’s Manual: Operating Instructions, Trouble Shooting Tips, and Advice of First-Year Maintenance (Joe and Louis Borgenicht)
The Joy of Fatherhood: The First Twelve Months Expanded 2nd Edition (Marcus Goldman)
Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads (Gary Greenberg and Jeannie Hayden)
Dear Black Dads: Wisdom for Your Journey to Fatherhood (Jamal J. Myrick)
Finding Time for Fatherhood: Men’s Concerns as Parents (Bruce Linton)
Journey to Same-Sex Parenthood: Firsthand Advice, Tips, and Stories from Lesbian and Gay Couples (Eric Rosswood)

GRIEF/LOSS

Empty Cradle, Broken Heart Revised Edition: Surviving the Death of Your Baby (Deborah Davis)
Unspeakable Losses: Healing from Miscarriage, Abortion, and Other Pregnancy Loss (Kim Kluger-Bell)
A Silent Sorrow: Pregnancy Loss-Guidance and Support for You and Your Family (Ingrid Kohn and Perry-Lynn Moffitt)
Joy at the End of the Rainbow: A Guide to Pregnancy After Loss (Amanda, Ross-White)
Coping with Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy Loss (Amy Wenzel)
Healing Your Grieving Heart After Miscarriage: 100 Practical Ideas for Parents and Families (Alan Wolfelt)

FERTILITY CHALLENGES

Your Future Family: Essential Guide to Assisted Reproduction (Kim Bergman)
The Infertility Workbook (Barbara Blitzer)

BIRTH TRAUMA

When Survivors Give Birth: Understanding and Healing the Effects of Early Sexual Abuse on Childbearing Women (Penny Simkin and Phyllis Klaus)
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma (Bessel Van der Kolk)

Have a book to recommend that isn’t on this list? Reach out! Send us an email at hello@aspiretherapeutics.ca