Resources for Mothers

Get the Support You Need

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Support for all mothers

Call 855-550-6667 for breastfeeding support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Remember to look for urgent maternal warning signs during pregnancy and a year after.

 

    • The Every Body Texas supports family planning clinics throughout Texas that provide confidential reproductive health care, including birth control, pregnancy testing and counseling, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and preconception health services. Services are on a sliding scale based on income. Find a clinic near you here.

    • The WIC Lactation Care Center of Dallas provides breastfeeding support to mothers who’ve recently given birth. These services are free to all mothers who are eligible for the WIC program, regardless of income. 

    • Planned Parenthood affiliates around Texas offer prenatal care, birth control, pregnancy tests, postpartum care, and screenings for diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. There is also a Greater Texas Virtual Health Center for virtual visits.

    • The International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) has chapters in Austin, College Station, El Paso, and Houston. The organization works to promote cesarean awareness and improve outcomes for moms and babies.

    • La Leche League, which operates in more than 70 communities across Texas, provides resources to women who are currently breastfeeding, about to start, or trying to stop. They have local support groups and meetings.

    • Women's and Men's Health Services of the Coastal Bend offers preconception and early prenatal health care; family planning and reproductive life planning; pregnancy tests; screening and treatment for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol and women’s annual exams, including screening for breast and cervical cancer.

    • The Community Wellness Clinic in Conroe provides high- and low-risk prenatal care, and all qualifying patients are placed on Medicaid during their initial visit. Next-day appointments are available, and same day is possible for new prenatals. The clinic also participates in the Texas Family Planning Program.

    • The Legacy Community Health Clinic, a United Way-affiliated agency, provides health care including adult primary care, pediatrics, dental care, vision services, behavioral health services, OB/GYN and maternity care, vaccinations and immunizations, health promotion and community outreach and comprehensive HIV/AIDS care to Houston and Harris County residents.

    • AccessHealth offers comprehensive prenatal care, including health education and family planning. It also offers pediatric services, behavioral health services, nutrition counseling and HIV care management. It has locations in several Texas communities, including Richmond, Missouri City, Weimar, El Campo and Prairie View.

    • San Antonio-based Family Service Organization is a nonprofit offering job training, counseling and early childhood education services for Texas families. 

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For lower-income families

Find and compare the providers near you. Visit www.medicare.gov/care-compare/

 

    • Need help in paying for medical care? Texas has numerous programs that provide lower income and uninsured women with access to free medical care. The Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies has created this reference sheet on the public healthcare coverage programs.

    • Medicaid, a joint federal and state health coverage program, supports families with little or no health insurance. Through its services, pregnant women may be eligible to receive prenatal and postpartum care (up to 60 days). Healthcare costs are covered as long as care is received from a Medicaid provider. For any uninsured pregnant women ineligible for Medicaid, CHIP Perinatal is another viable option. It provides prenatal visits, and labor, delivery, and postpartum care. Visit the Texas Health and Human Services website to learn more.

    • The Nurse-Family Partnership empowers first-time moms to create a better future for themselves and their babies. The nonprofit has specially trained nurses who partner with expectant moms, starting early in the pregnancy and continuing through the child’s second birthday. The organization offers services to women in 43 counties throughout Texas.

    • The Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) provides federal assistance to lower-income women during and after pregnancy as well as to infants and children up to age 5. Find a local WIC agency here. For eligibility information, visit the Texas WIC website.

    • Lactation care centers in Houston, Austin, Dallas, and McAllen provide breastfeeding support to mothers who have recently given birth through the Texas Ten Step program. Their services are free to mothers who are eligible for the WIC program.

    • Jewish Family Services, which assists people of all faiths, has locations in Austin, Dallas and Houston andoffers free individual counseling sessions for lower-income families. They also have a food pantry and offer classes and counseling for women seeking career advice.

    • Some local fire stations and police departments will give mothers free or reduced-priced car seats.

    • Central Health helps lower-income Travis County residents get access to affordable healthcare. They also provide assistance to those suffering from substance abuse disorders and mental illnesses.

    • For Austin-area women, Giving Austin Labor Support is a nonprofit volunteer organization that provides free, on-call doula services to mothers and has partnered with the Travis County Correctional Facility to provide doula services to incarcerated pregnant women.

    • The Foremost Family Health Center in Balch Springs offers health services on a sliding scale based on income.

    • The Maternal Infant Outreach Program provides free services, such as health education, one-on-one home visits, and labor and delivery support to lower-income African American women in Travis County.

    • The Central Texas Food Bank provides mobile food bank services to all of Central Texas. It also provides social services and SNAP enrollment support.

    • Dell Children’s Simply Safety Store offers everything from safety seats and life jackets to portable cribs and childproof locks at cost or a reduced cost. They also offer financial assistance for car seats for qualifying families.

    • The Network of Community Ministries in Richardson offers baby clothes and bill assistance. 

    • For Dallas area residents, the nonprofit ChildCareGroup provides early childhood education services to children and parents. It also supported Help Me Grow North Texas for parents and families to find resources such as family support services, parenting programs, and early education and child care programs.

    • The Houston Food Bank helps women apply for SNAP — the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

    • Community Family Centers provide family support services and early childhood education to lower-income families living in Houston’s Greater East End.

    • Houston's Star of Hope is dedicated to meeting the needs of homeless men, women and their children living in the Houston area. They offer health clinics, parenting classes, on-site day care and counseling.

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For domestic abuse survivors

National Domestic Violence Hotline

The National Domestic Violence Hotline can provide confidential support 24-7, 365 days a year. They will connect you with an advocate who will provide safety plans, options, and resources in your area.

  • Call: 800-799-SAFE (7233)

  • TTY: 800-787-3224

  • Chat online: thehotline.org

  • Text: “START” to 88788

 

    • The SAFE Alliance in Austin (formerly SafePlace and Austin Children's Shelter) provides housing and support for individuals and families affected by domestic violence, sexual assault and exploitation.

    • The Austin Shelter for Women and Children serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to mothers and children (boys no older than 17) and has case managers available for residents.

    • In Austin, LifeWorks helps assist children and families facing homelessness, trauma and abuse.

    • The Family Place in Dallasprovides shelter for women leaving abusive relationships.

    • In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, CHETNA supports members of the South Asian community impacted by domestic violence.

    • Hope's Door New Beginning Center, which has several locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,specializes in intervention and prevention services for those affected by family or domestic violence.

    • Expectant or current mothers in Plano can visit Emily’s Place, which provides weekly counseling sessions, addiction recovery programs, vocational assistance and employment assistance. It is faith-based organization that requires an up-to-24 month commitment for their residents. The mandatory classes cover topics such as life and job skills, financial training, parenting and etiquette.

    • In Kaufman, Forever Families serves women who are, or have been, in abusive relationships and women with substance abuse issues. Victims of domestic violence in Kaufman can also find housing, counseling, parenting classes and job services at the Genesis Center.

    • Bay Area Turning Point provides several resources, including shelter, to families and victims of violence in the Houston area.

    • The Houston Area Women's Center offers counseling and shelter to survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their non-offending family.

    • Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse in Houston provides domestic violence victims with free legal representation by their trauma-informed staff attorneys. They also offer psychoeducation counseling for abusers.

    • Katy Christian Ministries offers counseling services and shelter referrals for those affected by domestic violence. It also offers limited financial assistance, food pantry referrals, Christmas assistance and more for  eligible families living in the Katy and west Houston areas. 

    • Mujeres Unidas in McAllen supports female victims of domestic assault and sexual abuse.

    • The East Texas Crisis Center, which has offices in Smith, Henderson, Van Zandt and Wood counties,provides safety, shelter and education for victims of family violence, sexual assault and other violent crime.

 

For those struggling with mental health or substance abuse

Need support? New moms and their families can receive immediate and confidential help through the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline. Call 1-833-TLC-MAMA/1-833-852-6262.

 

    • Call the suicide hotline at 1–800–273–8255 or text 741741 from anywhere in the U.S. to text with a trained crisis counselor. The lifeline provides free and confidential support 24/7.

    • The National Association on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization. It has a toll-free HelpLine open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.

    • The website MannMukti helps encourage an open dialogue about mental health issues in the South Asian community to remove stigma and improve self care. They also have a national resource guide that includes services available to South Asian women living in Houston, Dallas and Austin. 

    • Nurtured TX is a non-profit dedicated to increasing support for families struggling with perinatal mood or anxiety disorders — including depression, anxiety, OCD and psychosis — in Central Texas.

    • Golden Crescent Management of Opioid Risk in Mothers (GC-MOMS) is a free educational home visiting program that supports pregnant women, postpartum mothers, and their families in DeWitt, Lavaca, Jackson, and Calhoun counties. GC-MOMS reduces the incidence and impact of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and improves systems of care, family supports, and social determinants of health.

    • In Corpus Christi, South Texas Substance Abuse Recovery Services offers substance abuse programs for Coastal Bend residents. Most services are free.

    • In Dallas County, Metrocare provides services and support for people dealing with mental illness or developmental disabilities.

    • In Mesquite, the Nexus Recovery Center offers services for mothers or expectant mothers with addiction. It offers programs for adult women and teenage girls ages 13 to 17.

    • In El Paso, Emergence Health Network helps residents with mental illnesses, intellectual or developmental disabilities or substance abuse issues find resources and treatment to help with their disorders and disabilities.

    • The South Texas Behavioral Health Center, with locations in Brownsville and Edinburg, teaches people how to  cope with varying behavioral health conditions and addictive disorders.

    • The Dignity Women’s Center in San Antonio has several counselors available to help victims of abuse, anxiety, spousal abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder.

    • The Mommies Program in San Antonio supports pregnant mothers with substance use disorders and offers recovery services to their babies.

    • The Center for Health Care Services in San Antonio assists people with mental health disorders, substance use challenges and intellectual and developmental disabilities.

    • The University Health System in San Antonio offers gynecology services for expectant mothers and new moms and provides services for babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome.

    • UT Health East Texas offers behavioral health assistance — including treatment provided by experienced therapists, counselors, and nurses — to those dealing with mental illness. 

    • Lakes Regional Community Centerserves 15 counties in Northeast Texas with mental health, mental disability and recovery services.

Read the latest Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (MMMRC) and Department of State Health Services Joint Biennial Report, which estimates 80 percent of the pregnancy-related deaths in Texas were preventable.

The Texas State Health Plan examines the factors affecting health equity in Texas. It makes recommendations concerning access to care, rural health, teleservices and technology, and the state’s mental health and behavioral healthcare workforce.

Looking for housing help or food assistance? These government programs may help you pay for food, housing, utilities, and healthcare.

The March of Dimes reports offer a comprehensive overview of maternal and infant health in Texas. They provide comprehensive data and illustrate where resources are needed to reduce the complications of pregnancy during delivery and postpartum.

 

This exceptional guide provides resources for mothers, lower-income families, domestic abuse survivors, and those struggling with mental illness or substance abuse. Originally created by Alex Samuels of The Texas Tribune and expanded by Save Texas Moms.