Somewhere around week six, a lot of the moms I work with say the same thing: I just want to be in a room with other people who get it. Not advice. Not a book. Other moms who are also awake at 3 a.m. and also not sure they are doing this right.
That is what a good support group gives you, and it is worth finding one. The trouble is that most of the lists online are stale. Groups end, organizations change names, links die. So this is a short list, and every entry on it was checked in October 2026. If something here has changed by the time you read it, tell me and I will fix it.
One honest note first. A support group is company, and company matters a lot. It is not treatment. If you are past two weeks of not feeling like yourself, or you recognize yourself in the symptoms of postpartum depression, you need therapy too, with the group alongside it.
Free groups run by people who know perinatal mental health
Nurtured TX. A Texas nonprofit for perinatal mental health, and the first place I would send a mom who lives in Texas. Full disclosure: I am the board president, and I used to facilitate one of these groups myself, so I know exactly what happens in them. They run free virtual support groups led by mental health professionals, "Mamas for Mamas" for moms and "Dads for Dads" for partners, open to anyone in Texas. They also run the Connect to Care program, which covers the cost of perinatal mental health treatment for residents of Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, and Caldwell counties who could not otherwise afford it, and they keep Kristi's List, a free directory of Texas therapists trained in this work. nurturedtx.org, 512-270-0004.
Postpartum Support International. PSI runs more than fifty free online groups every week, on Zoom, facilitated by trained volunteers and clinicians. There are general perinatal mood groups and specific ones: postpartum OCD, ADHD in pregnancy and postpartum, pregnancy and infant loss, NICU, Black moms, queer and trans parents, military families. You create a free account and pick a time that works. PSI online support meetings. Their helpline is 1-800-944-4773, call or text, in English and Spanish. It is not a crisis line. A real person answers and helps you find what you need.
National Maternal Mental Health Hotline. Free, confidential, 24 hours a day, for anyone pregnant or in the first year. Call or text 1-833-852-6262. Good for the night you cannot wait until morning but are not in danger.
Austin groups where you can sit in a room with other new parents
These are new-parent groups, and sometimes that is exactly what you need: a weekly hour where nobody is surprised you have not showered.
- Motherwell. This is the one I recommend first, and I am a regular guest expert there, so I can tell you what it is like inside. Motherwell runs a six-week in-person Postpartum Circle for moms in the first year, and a Bump to Baby circle for moms who are still pregnant, led by Chelsea, a certified doula and childbirth educator. Small groups, the same moms every week, and real conversation about what is actually happening. It is fee-based, and the first consultation is free. motherwelltx.com.
- Partners in Parenting. A great Austin nonprofit, and free. They run facilitator-led groups for first-time parents of all genders across Central Texas, matched by zip code: eight weekly meetings with your baby along, in newborn groups and baby groups up to a year, with Spanish-language groups too. Small, the same people every week, with a trained facilitator walking you through feeding, sleep, and perinatal mental health. Families who need it can also get a grocery gift card. pipaustin.org.
- Bosom Buddies, Ascension Seton. A free weekly group for new parents on feeding, newborn care, postpartum recovery, and general support, led by a lactation consultant and run with Breastfeeding Success. It runs online on Monday afternoons and in person on Tuesday afternoons at Seton Medical Center on West 38th Street, and you do not have to be a Seton patient or be breastfeeding to come. Check the current schedule and register.
- Mama Bloom. Guided six-week postpartum groups for new moms, in person and online. These are fee-based, so look at their calendar before you plan on it. mama-bloom.com.
- Any Baby Can. A long-standing East Austin nonprofit offering parent education, family support, and counseling for families with young children, much of it free or low cost depending on eligibility. 512-454-3743, anybabycan.org.
If your baby was in the NICU
Hand to Hold. Peer mentors who have been through a NICU stay themselves, support groups, and counseling, for families during and after the NICU and for families who have lost a baby. handtohold.org.
If cost is the barrier
Integral Care is Travis County's public mental health provider. Their helpline, 512-472-4357, answers 24 hours a day, and they can connect you to sliding-scale care. And remember Nurtured TX's Connect to Care program above, which exists for exactly this.
For partners
Partners need people who get it too. Nurtured TX's "Dads for Dads" group is free and virtual, and PSI runs groups for dads and partners as well. If you are the partner reading this, I wrote the rest of what I would tell you here.
How to pick one, and how to show up
- If you are anxious, depressed, or having scary thoughts, pick a group built for that, Nurtured TX or PSI, over a general new-mom group. You will spend less energy explaining.
- Virtual means no childcare and camera off if you need it. In person means a room, which some moms need more than they expect. Try one of each.
- The first meeting is the hardest. You do not have to talk. Listening counts, and crying is normal there.
- Give it two or three meetings before you decide. Groups change week to week.
- If it does not fit, try another. That is about fit.
When it is an emergency
Call 988 or go to the nearest emergency room if you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or if you feel confused or out of touch with what is real. That is rare, and it is not something to bring to a group.
When a group is not enough
I'm a licensed clinical psychologist, a certified perinatal mental health specialist, and I work with moms in my office in Austin and on video. Plenty of the moms I see are in a group at the same time, and I think that is a good combination: the group for company, the therapy for the work. If you are not sure which you need, here is how I would choose a therapist, and the first step with me is a free 15-minute call.
You don't have to be "bad enough" to benefit from support. Many of the moms I work with aren't clinically depressed at all. They're dealing with the everyday stress of becoming a mom, and therapy helps with that just as much as it helps with depression or anxiety.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a diagnosis to join a postpartum support group?
- No. Every group on this list welcomes any mom who is struggling after a baby, diagnosed or not. If you are not sure whether what you feel counts, you are exactly who these groups are for.
- What if I cry the whole time or cannot talk?
- Then you will fit right in. Nobody has to speak at a first meeting, and crying is one of the most normal things that happens in these rooms. Listening counts. Camera off counts, on the virtual ones.
- Can I bring my baby?
- To the virtual groups, yes, and you can mute or step away to feed. The in-person new-parent groups like Bosom Buddies expect babies. For a mental-health-focused in-person group, check the group's own policy first.
- Is what I say in a group confidential?
- Groups ask members to keep what is shared in the room, and the facilitated ones take that seriously. It is a promise between people, though, not the legal protection you have in therapy. If you need that guarantee, that is a reason to see a therapist as well.
- Is a support group enough, or do I need therapy?
- A group is company, and company helps a lot. If you are past two weeks of not feeling like yourself, or the sadness, worry, or scary thoughts are taking up most of your day, you need treatment too. Many of the moms I work with do both, and I think that is the best combination.
Dr. Jana Rundle
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
