Resources, links, reading

Resources and support services

• Emergency telephone contacts
• 24-hour helplines for parents
• Breastfeeding Associations
• Support Groups
• Aboriginal services
• Multicultural services
• Other support services

Links

• Australian national
• Australian States and Territories
• International

Readings

• Books
• Articles

Emergency telephone contacts

Given our primary geographical focus (NSW, Australia) we have concentrated mainly on NSW-based organisations, but our aim is to gradually include organisations across other Australian States and Territories.

Ambulance/Fire/Police	000
Lifeline	13 11 14
Child Abuse Prevention Services	(02) 9716 8000 or 1800 688 009
Family Crisis Service (after hours only)	(02) 9622 0522 or (02) 9622 0313
Poisons Information	131 126
Domestic Violence Helpline	1800 656463

Back to top

Parenting Issues - 24 Hour Helplines

Karitane Family Services: advice for new parents , group and individual counselling, psychologist available for CBT, day stays for feeding, settling, & parenting issues, postnatal depression group, family care cottage
Phone: Sydney metropolitan area (02) 9749 1852 or outside Sydney metropolitan area 1800 677 961.

Tresillian Family Care Centres: advice for new parents , outreach home-visiting service, residential service (covered by Medicare), family care centres.
Phone: Sydney metropolitan area (02) 9787 0855 or outside Sydney metropolitan area 1800 637 357

Back to top

Breastfeeding

Australian Breastfeeding Association - The helplines are available 7 days a week

Postnatal Depression Support Groups

NSW: POSIE - Perinatal Outreach, Support, Information & Education. (Hornsby area)

ACT: Post and Antenatal Depression Support and Information (PANDSI)
Phone: (02) 6232 6664

NT: Frangipani Buddies (Team Health)                                        
Phone: (08) 8981 4128

Qld: North Queensland Postnatal Distress Support group (NQPNDG)
Phone: (07) 4728 1911

SA: Helen Mayo House
Phone: 1800 182 252 or (08) 8303 1183

TAS: Postnatal Depression Support Group                               
Phone: (03) 6266 3497

VIC: Post and Antenatal Depression Association Inc (PANDA)
Phone: 1300 726 306 (1300 PAND 06)

WA: Postnatal Depression Support Association (PNDSA)
Phone:  (08) 9340 1622

Back to top

Aboriginal services

Aboriginal Medical Service: Health services for indigenous families (based at Redfern). Psychiatrist available
Phone:  02 9319 5825

Aboriginal parents in SESAHS: Support services
Phone:  02 9319 5823

Aboriginal Child and Family Health Nurse (Royal Hospital for Women)
Phone:02 9382 6783

Back to top

Multicultural services

The Booklet “Emotional Health During Pregnancy and Early Parenthood” has been translated into Vietnamese and Arabic. See the beyondblue website listing below for the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS).  The service provides translations of a range of health information. This includes the document “Antenatal support for women from non-English speaking backgrounds”. See the MHCS website listing.

Back to top

Other services and supports

Perinatal Depression Clinic Royal Hospital for Women (Randwick, NSW)
Phone: (02) 9382 6665

Australian Multiple Birth Association (AMBA)
Phone:   (02) 9875 2404     Branches in every state (see website listing below)

NALAG  (Association for Loss and Grief)      
Bereavement Counselling
Phone: (02) 9988 3376

Caritas
Bereavement Counselling 
Phone: (02) 8382 9594

SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Support Society)
Bereavement Counselling
VIC Phone: (03) 9899 0218
QLD Phone: (07) 3254 3422 Outside Brisbane: 1800 228 655
SA Phone: (08) 8277 0304

Mothersafe Statewide Service
Telephone counselling service for women and their healthcare providers about exposure to drugs in pregnancy/lactation.
Monday to Friday 9-4.30pm
Phone: (02) 9382 6539

Child and Family Health Centres
(See White Pages telephone directory under 'Early Childhood Centres' or your local Council Service Directory)
The early childhood health centres provide a free service to parents of children from 0-5 years. They also provide mothercraft advice and counselling for the parents and monitor the growth and development of the babies and toddlers. New Mothers Groups are available at some centres.

Back to top

Links

Australia - National

Australasian Marcé Society

Australian Association for Infant Mental Health

Australian Multiple Birth Association

Beyondblue

Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Support Society

Austprem

Back to top

Australia - States and Territories

NSW

Multicultural Health Service
Mental Health Association of New South Wales Inc. (NSWAMH)

VIC

Better Health Channel - Postnatal Depression
The Parent-Infant Research Institute
Raphael Centre - Berwick
Raphael Centre - Geelong
PANDA (Post and Antenatal Depression Association)

WA

Raphael Centre - Subiaco

Overseas

Postpartum Support International
The International Marce Society

CANADA

Motherisk

USA

Massachusetts General Hospital Centre for Women's Mental Health
Depression after Delivery Inc. (US)

UK

Midwives Information and Referral Service (MIDIRS)

New Zealand

Trauma and Birth Stress - PTSD after childbirth (TABS)

South Africa

The Postnatal Depression Support Association of South Africa (PNDSA)

Back to top

Books

Stephanie Brown, Judith Lumley, Rhonda Small, Jill Astbury (1994) Missing Voices.The Experience of Motherhood. (Oxford University Press, Australia)

Lisa Fettling (2002) Postnatal Depression: A Practical Guide for Australian Families. (IP Communications Australia)

Lisa Fettling and Belinda Tune (2005). Women's Experiences of  Postnatal Depression. Kitchen table conversations. (IP Communications Australia)

Michael Lurie (2007) My Journey to Her World : How I Coped with My Wife's Depression (Grosvenor House) Visit the author's website

Susan Maushart (1997) The Mask of Motherhood. How motherhood changes everything and why we pretend it doesn’t. (Random House Australia)

Gordon Parker (2004) Dealing with depression. A common sense guide to mood disorders. (Allen & Unwin Australia)

Brooke Shields (2005), Down came the rain. A mother’s story of depression and recovery. Michael Joseph (Penguin Books Australia)

Gwendoline Smith (1997) Sharing the Load. (Random House NZ)

Nicholson J, Henry AD, Clayfield J, Phillips S. (2001) Parenting well when you're depressed. (New Harbinger Publications, Inc. California)

Back to top

Articles

Austin M-P, Priest S.R (2004) New developments in perinatal mental health. Guest Editorial. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 242(110):321-322.

Barnes C, Mitchell P (2005) Considerations in the management of bipolar disorder in women. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 39(8): 662-673.

Back to top