Parenting Resources and Support Services

Our nation’s most comprehensive resource on free-standing birth centers, is a multi-disciplinary membership organization comprised of individuals and organizations who support the birth center concept. Resources for parents are avilable.

Professional association for CNMs, also locator service on web site for parents.

I wrote a book to help out guys just like you. Guys who want to be an awesome supportive teammate for their pregnant partner, an awesome Dad for their new little baby, and are smart enough to realize they could use a little help and guidance along the way. Offering workshops, consults and ongoing support.

The Green Mama helps to grow greener families through consulting, classes, and inspiration. Worried about toxins in your nursery, daycare, or food? Want to live green and save green? Get answers and get inspired at our web site.

Breastfeed Chicago is a non-profit organization dedicated to making Chicagoland the most breastfeeding-friendly city in the country. Through mother-to-mother support, resource connection, and institutional advocacy, we work to support moms in their choice to breastfeed.

Promotes the Midwives Model of Care™ as the best care for pregnancy and birth. The only national consumer-based group. CfM works to provide information and resources that promote the local midwife, as well as midwives and midwifery care across the country!

The Coalition for Illinois Midwifery seeks to ensure the availability of safe, licensed direct-entry midwifery services for families in the state of Illinois. We support the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) credential as a basis for licensure.

Coalition for Improving Maternity Services, Resources for promoting a wellness model of maternity care, Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative™

Doula certification, training & referrals. Great resources for parents considering hiring a birth or postpartum doula. The oldest, largest and most respected doula association in the world. Founded in 1992.

A not-for-profit family support agency whose mission is to promote the well being of children from birth by supporting and strengthening their families in and with their community. Providing parent support, social and educational programs and child development activities since 1983.

National, nonprofit organization for parents and others interested in natural living and holistic parenting. Helping parents build local communities to learn and support one another. Chapters across the US, including IL.

Infant Massage USA promotes nurturing touch through the training and certification of Parent Educators, and classes and one-to-one instruction for parents and full-time caregivers. List of providers.

The International Cesarean Awareness Network is a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by reducing preventable cesareans through education, supporting cesarean recovery, and advocating for vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).

Locate a leader, meetings or get help with breastfeeding problems, quarterly magazine w/membership, conferences.

Offers comprehensive birth, postpartum and end-of-life doula training and certification. Programs are a hybrid of self-paced and live, interactive learning, all online. Owner Patty Brennan is the author of The Doula Business Guide. She specializes in doula business development.

Information on pregnancy, natural birth, homebirth, midwifery, breastfeeding and other natural-parenting topics. Publishes books, e-books and a quarterly print magazine, Midwifery Today. Offers a free e-mail newsletter and free articles online. Holds 2–3 conferences each year.

A professional organization for midwives founded in 1982. Striving to unify and strengthen the profession of midwifery, thereby improving the quality of health care for women, babies, and communities. Referrals for out of hospital US midwives. Resource for parents wanting to learn more about the midwifery model and how midwives practice.

NPN is a non-profit 501(c)3 that connects a diverse community of families with the resources they need to navigate parenting in the city. Whether online or in person, NPN makes it easy to find support, must-have information and amazing city events.

Offering comprehensive services, serving young moms and their children in Chicago for 35 years. With the same location (former Parenthesis location), continued programming, and expanded housing plans in Oak Park, Committed to seeing existing services continue in Oak Park and suburbs.

Supporting a health care system where every family in North America has access to skilled and responsible midwives. Setting standards for competency based certification, allowing midwives to support a woman’s right to choose her birth attendants and place of birth.

Waterbirth International provides educational workshops and lecture for parents and providers throughout the world and online; consultants for hospital integration of waterbirth; personalized referral services.