Tree House Family Resources, located at 850 W. Sharon Avenue, Suite 6, announced it will host two different pregnancy support groups on alternate Wednesdays starting June 17. (Photo courtesy of Tree House)

HOUGHTON — Tree House Family Resources will host pregnancy support groups on Wednesdays, with its Fourth Trimester Support Group the first and third Wednesday of each month, starting June 17, and a Pregnancy Support Group the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, beginning June 24. Both groups start at 8:30 a.m. 

Marketing Manager Gena Daman said any mother who is pregnant or who has recently had a child is welcome to join these free support groups.

“Any mother who feels that they need a little bit of extra support during their journey with a newborn, they’re welcome to attend,” she said. 

According to Tree House, support groups can reduce stress, anxiety, depression and feelings of social isolation. They also are a useful building block for community and camaraderie between new mothers. For privacy reasons, Tree House will be closed to the public during these groups in order for mothers to feel comfortable to share their feelings freely. 

Daman said there is a need for these groups in the Keweenaw.

“There’s currently no childbirth classes in the area,” she said. “We really wanted something where families could come to the tree house and get that extra support and build connections with other mothers going through the same thing.”

Certified birth and postpartum doula Melissa Naasko will run the support groups. Naasko is also a lactation counselor and a mother of 11.

The two groups will focus on different topics. The pregnancy support group will tackle late-late-pregnancy milestones, when to go to the hospital, the progression of labor and pain management options. The fourth trimester support group will talk about breastfeeding facts versus myths, self-care after having a baby, postpartum depression and managing overwhelming feelings. 

“When we had done a focus group for lactation, common feedback that we were getting from pregnant mothers was that they were saying: ‘I don’t really know what to expect,'” she said. 

According to Daman, Tree House was awarded grant money through Superior Health Foundation, which will make these support groups possible. 

“It’s sort of like an open format,” she said. “But it’s also trying to guide towards more resources and knowledge about this kind of stuff, especially for first-time mothers.” 

For more information about the upcoming support group sessions, visit treehouseresources.org. You can also contact Tree House via email at Programs@TreeHouseResources.org or call 906-482-9363.

Tree House is located at 850 W. Sharon Avenue, Suite 6 in Houghton.