FREE Pregnancy Help: Hotlines, Chats, Text & More

If you’re a first-time mother-to-be, pregnancy can be scary. You are venturing into the unknown and carrying a child is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Naturally, you will have many questions: What you should be eating, what vitamins you should be taking and what’s safe for you and your baby. You may also sometimes question if certain symptoms mean you or your baby are unsafe.

While pregnancy is a magical time, it can also cause anxiety. Having someone to talk with, whether a pregnancy hotline, pregnancy forum or pregnancy chatroom, can help to minimize your worries and answer your questions.

The options listed below will prove to you that you’re not alone in the 9-month journey. Read each description and decide which helpline is best for you. Some focus on compassionate counseling while others focus on pregnancy information and support for unexpected pregnancies. All of the help listed below is free.

Many of these resources also answer questions about newborn health and breastfeeding, so be sure to bookmark this page to reference after you’ve given birth.

Pregnancy Hotline

Whether you’re months along in your pregnancy or just found out you’re pregnant, you probably have many questions. Pregnancy hotlines are a quick way to get answers or speak to someone who will provide comfort.

The advice given on pregnancy hotlines may be particularly helpful if you’re looking for confidential information. Pregnancy can be tough and sometimes an anonymous listening ear is all you need.

• 1-608-755-9739— 24-hour hotline staffed every day of the year. (Pregnancy-helpline.net). 

• 1-800-672-2296— Staffed with pregnancy educators but not nurses. This line is open from Monday to Friday, 9 am until 5 pm Central Standard Time. (Americanpregnancy.org). 

• 1-866-626-6847— The MotherToBaby hotline is staffed by Teratology Information Specialists who provide evidence-based information about exposure to medications and other substances during pregnancy or breastfeeding. If you have a question about what is safe, this is the right hotline to call. There are also affiliate locations that you can call. To view the locations and local hotlines in your area, click here. If you’re outside of North America, you can view other locations here. The experts are available Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm local time. The service is free and confidential.

• 1-866-942-6466— The American Pregnancy Helpline is a free and confidential hotline geared towards teens or young adults going through unexpected pregnancies. However, anyone may call and ask their pregnancy-related questions. The hotline is open 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

• 713-680-TEEN— If you are a pregnant teenager or a pregnant woman in a crisis situation, the Maternal Assistance hotline will be able to provide confidential information about heath care, schooling and family support related to pregnancy and childbirth.

• 1-800-230-PLAN— The Planned Parenthood hotline is staffed by experts who can answer emergency medical questions or general questions, such as what to expect during pregnancy and what options you have surrounding pregnancy and childbirth. You can find the number to your local Planned Parenthood here.

• 1-800-848-LOVE— The National Life Center helpline supports girls and women who think they may be pregnant. The experts can compassionately listen to your concerns and provide information about financial help, staying in school and keeping your baby in the event of an unexpected pregnancy.

• 1-800-550-4900— Birthright International has chapters across Canada, the U.S. and Africa. Their non-judgmental experts can provide pregnancy information and referrals. You can call the hotline for encouragement, emotional support, pregnancy and childbirth information, social assistance and housing referrals. After you’ve had your baby, they can also provide information about prenatal care, parenting skills and career development. The hotline is staffed 24/7.

Pregnancy Text Help

• 855-999-3525— If you have questions about the safety of medications, chemicals or other products while pregnant, you can text MotherToBaby. The experts are available Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm local time. The service is free and confidential.

• Text “PPNOW” to 774636— You can also text Planned Parenthood to speak with a health educator about whatever pregnancy-related question you may have.

• 1-800-848-LOVE— The National Life Center can provide compassionate counseling and information related to finances, staying in school and keeping your baby.

Email

• March of Dimes Ask Us Form— All questions are answered by a staff member that has as master’s degree in a health field (public health, health science, nutrition, genetic counseling, etc.). Some staff members are also certified lactation counselors. You may ask questions about starting a family; having a healthy pregnancy; pregnancy complications and risks; birth defects; newborn health; pregnancy loss and more. You can expect a response within two business days. If you speak Spanish, you can email preguntas@marchofdimes.org instead.

• American Pregnancy Helpline— You can email the American Pregnancy Helpline at aph@thehelpline.org to speak with a pregnancy educator. The organization is geared towards pregnant teens and young adults. 

• MotherToBaby Ask An Expert Form— If you question whether a medication or chemical is hurtful to you or your baby, you can get your answer by filling out the MotherToBaby form. The Teratology Information Specialists are available Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm local time. The service is free and confidential.

• Foundation For Life Contact Form— If you have emergency needs or are in a crisis pregnancy situation, the Maternal Assistance Program can help answer your questions and provide you with support. They can educate you on abortion alternatives, how to cope during family crisis situations and can answer health-related questions.

Pregnancy Hotline Chat & Chatrooms

• MotherToBaby’s Live Chat— If you have any questions about the safety of medications or products while pregnant or breastfeeding, this chat will be helpful. Although not staffed by nurses, you can reach experts and Teratology Information Specialists. The experts will inform you about the latest research surrounding your specific question. In the live chat, you simply need to enter your age and select whether your question is about pregnancy or breastfeeding. There is also an option for Spanish speaking individuals. The experts are available Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm local time. The service is free and confidential.

• Planned Parenthood Chat— If you’d rather ask Planned Parenthood your questions by chat, an expert is available Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 11:30 pm; Friday from 9 am to 10 pm; Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm; and Sunday from 12 pm to 11:30 pm. The chat will ask you for your question, age, zip code, ethnicity and how you describe yourself. You can ask questions about anything pregnancy-related; from reproductive health to the accuracy of pregnancy tests, experts have knowledge on a variety of topics.

• OptionLine Chat— If you’re wondering if you’re pregnant or have just discovered you have a bun in the oven, this live chat may be useful. The experts will provide you with information about pregnancy signs and symptoms, your options and how to connect with local help.

• Pregnancy Chatroom— Sometimes talking to other people who are going through the same experiences can be helpful. You can use Healthfulchat.org’s pregnancy chatroom to speak with other pregnant women. The women inside the chat room speak about a variety of topics including fertility, infertility, IVF treatments and maternity peer support.

Pregnancy Forums & Community

• com Forums— Whether you need advice or just want to share your excitement about your pregnancy, the netmums.com forum is a good place to interact with other women. Sub-forums include early pregnancy, birth and labor, natural births, baby names, guessing the sex of a baby and more. If you don’t know any other pregnant women, it can be helpful to bond and share your experiences with the women on this website.

• BabyCenter Forum— One of the most popular pregnancy forums is on BabyCenter.com. Because of the number of users, it will be easy to get replies, comments and advice from other moms-to-be. Topics include questions, sharing experiences and opinion posts.

• What To Expect Forum— The What To Expect pregnancy forum also has a large user base of women for you to connect with. From pre-conception to parenting school-age children, this forum is a great place to reach out for help, encouragement or connection. Pregnancy subtopics include birthing options, 35+ moms, complications and prepping the nursery.

• Contact Becky— Becky created standupgirl.com to help pregnant women who feel scared and alone. During her own pregnancy, she felt worried and that she had no one to talk with. On her contact page, you can write her to ask a question, share your concern or share your story.

When you need pregnancy help, who do you reach out to? Let us know in the comments below! If you have pregnant friends or family members, be sure to share this post with them, too! Remember to bookmark this page to refer to whenever you need help during pregnancy and parenthood.

P.S. Have you checked out our fetal dopplers? These amazing devices allow you to listen to your baby’s heartbeat at home — just like you do during an ultrasound.