Reaching Survivor Moms in the U.P.

For women in the Upper Peninsula carrying a history of childhood maltreatment or sexual trauma, pregnancy often arrives with more than physical change. It can surface old wounds at one of the most vulnerable moments in life. Until recently, no program designed specifically for these mothers existed anywhere in the region.

Thanks to a Fall 2024 Proactive Grant from Superior Health Foundation, that gap is closing. Growing Forward Together (GFT), an Ann Arbor based nonprofit, brought the Survivor Moms' Companion™ (SMC) to the U.P. in partnership with Doulas of Marquette, Postpartum Healing Lodge, UP Health Consortium, and the Perinatal Quality Collaborative Region 1.

SMC is a trauma-specific psychoeducation program for pregnant and postpartum women parenting children up to age three. Think of it as a co-pilot for the hardest legs of the journey: someone trained to recognize the signals, help a mom name what she's feeling, and keep her on course.

The plan was simple in principle. Reach the women who need it. Train the providers who can deliver it. Build something that lasts.

What the grant built:

• 14 certified SMC tutors across Alger, Chippewa, Delta, Marquette, Menominee, and Schoolcraft counties

• 6 additional providers trained in trauma-informed care, with a continuing education course now free to nurses region-wide

• Indigenous birth workers trained through Postpartum Healing Lodge to deliver SMC with cultural adaptations grounded in community practice

For the women this program is designed to reach, that means care delivered by someone from their own community who understands their reality. The goal is to improve maternal mental health and interrupt intergenerational cycles of trauma. In the U.P., the providers working toward that goal are now in place.

Read more grantee stories like this one in our 2025 Annual Report.