Help for women and mothers doing it alone
If you are in danger right now, call 911.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788. Free, confidential, 24/7. Mental health crisis: call or text 988.
Food, rent, utilities and childcare
Call or text 211 anywhere in the U.S. to reach local help with bills, food, housing and childcare. You can also search at 211.org.
Food for you and young children
WIC helps pregnant women, new mothers and children under 5 with healthy food and nutrition support. SNAP helps families buy groceries. Your local 211 can help you apply.
Going back to school
Start with your local community college. Ask about evening classes, financial aid (the FAFSA) and campus childcare. My mother reinvented her career more than once, the last time late in life. It is not too late.
Your safety plan
If you are thinking about leaving an unsafe home, an advocate at 1-800-799-7233 can help you make a plan first. Leaving is often the most dangerous time, so plan with help.
Tough women get screened
Mothers put themselves last. Book these with your doctor or a community clinic. These are general U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for women at average risk; your history may change them.
- Breast cancer: a mammogram every 2 years, ages 40 to 74
- Cervical cancer: screening from age 21 to 65 (Pap test, HPV test or both, on a schedule your clinician sets)
- Colon cancer: screening from age 45
- Blood pressure: at least every few years, yearly from 40
- Depression, including after pregnancy: ask at any visit. It is common and treatable.
Source: uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org. Education only, not medical advice.