Undergoing a pregnancy and welcoming a newborn can raise challenges for new parents – from accessing medical insurance to breastfeeding issues, to concerns about a toddler’s speech and motor development.

New and expecting parents are now able to seek help by calling a new Kitsap Public Health District support line. The free service connects parents with local groups focused on child raising.

Lynn Pittsinger, KPHD community health director, said “I’m a pediatric nurse practitioner by trade. I’m all about making sure kids have the best start. However we can help parents to make that happen, that’s a good thing.”

The support line offers referrals to resources including pregnancy care, mental health and substance use support, lactation/early nutrition, early learning, parenting, home visiting programs and support groups. The service can also connect new families with in-home visits to provide services to children needing speech or motor development.

“This is needed to make sure that folks who are at a vulnerable period in their life—that is preparing for pregnancy, pregnant or parenting—can access resources in a timely way,” she said.

Public health officials say reducing the stress of new parents is key for their well-being and the new addition. The Surgeon General of the U.S. recently released an advisory that “calls attention to the importance of parental stress, mental health and well-being, stressors unique to parenting, and the bidirectional relationship between parental mental health and child outcomes.”

The new service also serves medical providers who are having difficulty accessing resources for patients. “There may be a physician, OB/GYN or nurse practitioner who wants to connect their client to services like housing or mental health services,” she said.

Khushnum Sauna is a health educator at KPHD and answers calls. “We listen to their needs and ask questions to understand what resources might be most helpful to their personal circumstances. Then we create personalized recommendations and walk them through options available,” Sauna said. “For example, if we get a call from someone with breastfeeding concerns, we might direct them to Kitsap Supports Breastfeeding, which is a collective of organizations that work together to make lactation more accessible in the county.”

The support line number is 360-728-BABY (2229). It is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Spanish language support is available.