Mothering the Mothers

JK Rowling said during her commencement address at Harvard in 2008, “The strength of a mother is the foundation on which a family thrives.” It’s a sentiment I come back to often in my work because when mothers struggle, the whole family feels it. And when mothers thrive, that ripple effect extends outward in ways touching every corner of a community.

This nurturing, mothering energy is the backbone of any community. It includes all loving souls that take the time to help out a neighbor, nurture friendships and keep everyone connected. This larger maternal energy becomes the heartbeat of our world, quietly providing support for all.

Maternal Mental Health in the Park County Community

May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, and I am so proud of how Cody showed up for it.

For the second year in a row, families, health providers, wellness practitioners, and community organizations gathered for the Maternal Mental Health Awareness Event at the Paul Stock Recreation Center in late April. Every time I looked around that room, I was reminded of something mothers can easily forget in the daily hustle of raising a family: you don’t have to do it alone.

What makes this event meaningful isn’t any single resource, it’s the range. The 2026 Maternal Mental Health Resource Guide reflects just how many people and organizations in Park County are ready to support mothers & families. Together, we cover seven categories: Prevention & Crisis Care, Medical & Mental Health Providers, Health & Wellness, Support Groups & Ministries for Moms, Child Care Providers, Fitness Training with Childcare, and Civic Organizations for Families.

On the medical and clinical side, the guide includes providers specializing in perinatal mental health, pelvic health therapy, physical rehabilitation, and labor, delivery, and postpartum care and more. For families navigating crisis, there are organizations offering pathways through some of the hardest moments, from pregnancy support and domestic violence advocacy to addiction recovery.

Support also comes in more everyday forms. The guide provides information on ways moms can get short breaks – from free weekly play groups for moms of preschoolers, to childcare at various fitness locations. There are also mentoring groups that welcome moms regardless of faith background or parenting experience, and services for children with and without developmental disabilities at no cost to families.

We have rich resources to support the mothers in the area, and bringing them together for this event and in the guide, shows how well this community supports the foundation of families, who are the foundation of the community.

Looking Ahead to Building a Stronger Network

This year also marked a meaningful milestone for me personally: Breathe & Balance became a host of this event for the first time and also provided a vendor table. I have built my practice around supporting families through fertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and beyond. So, stepping into a hosting role felt like a natural extension of that mission, and I am honored to be part of it.

We are already looking ahead to next year, and I want to make sure this event continues to grow into what this community needs it to be. If you attended, or if you couldn’t make it but have thoughts on what would make this more useful for families or local businesses, I want to hear from you. Please reach out with your feedback. This event belongs to us all.

[Community Contributor]

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