Postpartum Mood & Mental Health Support in Hampton Roads

Local Parent Resources · Chesapeake, Norfolk & Virginia Beach

If you are in crisis right now

If you are thinking about harming yourself or your baby, please reach out immediately:

Call or text 988 — the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7
Call or text 1-833-852-6262 — the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, free and confidential, 24/7
Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room

You are not alone, this is not your fault, and with help you will get better.

Quick answer

Up to 1 in 5 new mothers — and many partners — experience a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder. It is the most common complication of pregnancy and childbirth, it is not a weakness or a failure, and it is very treatable. Support in Hampton Roads is available through Postpartum Support Virginia, national helplines, and your own providers.

Local & Virginia support

Postpartum Support Virginia. A Virginia nonprofit offering free support groups, a directory of perinatal mental health providers, and peer support from people who have been through it. They coordinate regionally, including Hampton Roads. Visit postpartumva.org or their support groups page.
Your OB and your baby's paediatrician. Both screen for postpartum depression and can refer you to care quickly — tell them honestly how you are doing at your visits.
Virginia Department of Health. Maternal mental health resources at vdh.virginia.gov.

National helplines

National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: call or text 1-833-852-6262 — free, confidential, 24/7, in English and Spanish.
Postpartum Support International (PSI) Helpline: call or text 1-800-944-4773, or see postpartum.net for online support groups.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, any time.

For military families

Deployment, moves, and time apart can add real weight to the postpartum months. Military OneSource (1-800-342-9647) offers free, confidential non-medical counseling, and your base Fleet & Family Support Center has counselors and new-parent programs. TRICARE covers mental health care.

Signs worth reaching out about

Sadness, emptiness, or crying that does not lift after the first couple of weeks
Anxiety, racing thoughts, or scary intrusive thoughts you cannot switch off
Feeling disconnected from your baby, or unlike yourself
Trouble sleeping even when baby sleeps, or sleeping far too much
Anger or irritability that feels out of proportion
Any thought of harming yourself or your baby — call for help today

These feelings are common and treatable. Telling your provider is a strong, good step — not something to be ashamed of.

💛 You matter as much as your baby does

Taking care of yourself is part of taking care of your little one. Reach out early, lean on your people, and know that help works.

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This page is general information, not medical care. Details for each organization are set by them and change over time — confirm directly. Hello Baby! shares these as a community convenience and is not affiliated with them. If you are struggling, please contact your healthcare provider or one of the helplines above.