POEM

💜 October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.

Pregnancy and infant loss can bring profound grief, and every family’s experience is different. During this month, we honor the babies and pregnancies that have been lost and the families who continue to carry their love and memories.

At POEM, we believe families experiencing loss deserve compassion, understanding, and support. Our Perinatal Loss Peer Support Drop-In Meetings offer a welcoming space for families to connect with others who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss, share when they’re ready, and find support from people with lived experience.

You don’t have to navigate loss alone. 💜

Learn more about POEM’s perinatal loss peer support and other support groups: https://mhaohio.org/poem/

💙 Make a difference with POEM!

There are many ways to get involved and support parents through some of life’s most challenging (and meaningful) moments.

We’re looking for volunteers to serve as:
✨ Peer Mentors
✨ Support Group Facilitators
✨ Child Watch Helpers

We’re especially seeking volunteers in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Central Ohio, as well as bilingual volunteers!

“I will forever be grateful for my mentor helping me through the hardest but greatest time of my life.” -POEM Mentee

Interested in getting involved? Learn more and volunteer at https://mhaohio.org/poem/poem-volunteer-application/

A score on a screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis and not a conversation. The number tells you something is there. What comes next is what actually changes outcomes.

Asking one more question, leaving one more pause, naming what you're noticing out loud — that is where parents decide whether to trust you with the rest of the story. Screening without conversation can feel like being checked off a list. Conversation is the care.

Learn more at moretoourstoryohio.com.

✨ POEM Rise Support Groups ✨

Pregnancy, postpartum, parenting—you don’t have to navigate it alone. POEM Rise is a supportive space for Black moms, by Black moms, to connect, share, and find community with people who understand.

📅 View the full schedule & register: https://mhaohio.org/poem/poem-support-groups
💬 Free, confidential, and led by trained peer facilitators
🧡 Step into support—your mental health matters

💙 You are not alone. Support is available.

Pregnancy and the postpartum period can bring big emotions, unexpected challenges, and moments when you need someone to talk to. If you or someone you love needs support, please reach out.

📞 POEM Support Lines
Central Ohio: (614) 315-8989
Cincinnati: (513) 202-4611
Dayton: (937) 660-9220

📞 Maternal Mental Health Hotline
Evening & weekend support: (833) 852-6262

📞 988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline
For 24-hour crisis support, call or text 988.

Reaching out for help is a sign of strength. You deserve support, care, and someone to listen. Please save and share these numbers with a new or expecting parent who may need them. 💙

Sometimes, getting through the day is an accomplishment all on its own.

If all you did today was hold yourself together, take a breath, and keep going, you did enough. Give yourself the same compassion and encouragement you so freely give to others.

You’re doing better than you think.

POEM is here to remind moms that every step forward counts even the small ones.

Stop by and say hi to the POEM team! 💙

We’re grateful for the continued partnership with Aliyah's Light PAILS and the work we’re able to do together to strengthen support and resources in our community.

We’d love to connect with you, share more about our work, and talk about how partnerships help build stronger, more connected communities.

A Taste of Wellness
📅 Date: October 3, 2026
🕐 Time: 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM
📍 Location: 905 Mt Vernon Ave, Columbus, OH 43203

Come say hello, learn more about POEM, and connect with our team! We can’t wait to see you there.

Black moms and birthing people deserve spaces created for healing, honesty, and community. 🤍

Be Well: Sacred Circles of Healing & Wellness is a supportive space for Black moms in Ohio who are pregnant or up to two years postpartum. Led by Black experts with lived experience, these gatherings are designed to help participants heal, connect, and thrive.

Presented by Ohio Women's Alliance in partnership with POEM Rise for Black Moms.

Register here: https://loom.ly/prMBbSY

Be Well Sacred Circles — Ohio Women's Alliance Be Well: Sacred Circles of Healing & Wellness are open to only Black moms and birthing people who are pregnant or up to two years postpartum who live in Ohio. Presented by Ohio Women's Alliance in partnership with POEM Rise for Black Moms, all events are developed and executed by Black experts wit...

The version of you that smiles in the hospital photos isn't the whole story. Neither is the version that cries in the car. Both are real. Both deserve attention.

Perinatal behavioral health covers everything you might be carrying right now: the worry, the heaviness, the thoughts you haven't said out loud, the grief, the ways you've been getting through. There is more to your story than what people see, and naming that is where support starts.

Learn more at moretoourstoryohio.com/

POEM was proud to be represented at the Fatherhood & Infant Vitality Summit, where leaders and community partners came together to strengthen fatherhood and promote healthier outcomes for babies and families across Ohio.

POEM Program Director Hailee Childs, IMFT, PMH-C, and POEM Senior Operations Manager Cass Woodard, MSM attended this inspiring event focused on supporting dads, strengthening families, and improving infant well-being.

Creating healthier beginnings starts with recognizing the important role fathers and supportive caregivers play in the lives of babies and families. We’re grateful to be part of conversations that help build stronger, healthier communities across Ohio. 💙

Special thanks to the Urban Family Development Center for hosting the event!