Resources for Pregnant and Parenting Students and Employees

Two women walking and talking outside on campus

Here are details on how you can determine specific contacts and resources for your situation, plus, a list of support groups and other parenting resources on campus.

Have questions? Get answers.

Employees: Get the most up-to-date information from the Benefits Office 503-494-7617 or benefits@ohsu.edu). Or, look up who is your HR Business Partner on the HR contact list on O2 (first search for your organization name by acronym, for example: SM, School of Medicine).

Students: Connect with your Program Accomodation Liaison for guidance on your options. You can also reach out to the Office of Student Access at 503-494-0082 or studentaccess@ohsu.edu.

Groups on campus

Parenting is easier with support. Join an on-campus group.

  • New Moms Group. Open to OHSU employees and patients, this group meets on Wednesday afternoons. Currently free of charge and meeting virtually (during the pandemic! Learn more about the New Moms group.
  • Women’s Employee Resource Group. The WERG hosts women-focused events, meetings, networking opportunities, discussions, social gatherings and presentations. It is open to all employees and students. To learn more, email women@ohsu.edu or connect on Facebook. OHSU employees and students can also visit the WERG page.
  • Family Support Group at OHSU. Primarily a Facebook presence, the Family Support Group at OHSU supports medical student parents and students who are interested in starting families while in medical school.

Maternity parking

You have access to long-term maternity parking as an OHSU employee or student. Individuals seeking maternity parking should email parking@ohsu.edu with their request. Doctor’s notes are required for mothers in their first or second trimester. Transportation & Parking will work with individuals to assign them a specific parking spot close to their place of work or where the majority of their classes take place. The spots are marked with a red and white reserved parking sign. Requests typically take one to two business days to process. For additional information about maternity parking, please email parking@ohsu.edu or call the Transportation & Parking office at 503-494-8283.

The maternity parking cost is equivalent to the 1-diamond parking permit rate. For additional information, email parking@ohsu.edu or call the Transportation & Parking office at 503-494-8283.

If you have a personal maternity or other health care appointment, parking is free with validation. 

In general, OHSU employees and students may park in patient parking when visiting OHSU as a patient for personal health care appointments. 

  • If parking on Marquam Hill, you need to call the parking office at 503-494-8283, option 1, to avoid being ticketed (ask to be added to the Do Not Ticket Log for reason of "patient appointment").
  • Outside of Marquam Hill, this doesn't apply because patient parking and validation are set up differently. At these sites, you just park in patient parking and be sure to have your parking ticket validated at your clinic.
  • If you are on maternity leave, you can email parking@ohsu.edu or call the Transportation & Parking office at 503-494-8283 to let them know. They will put you on the Do Not Ticket Log for the duration of your leave so you don’t have to call for every appointment.

For more information, see "Parking as a patient" under General Information at the Employee Parking web page.

If you are a not visiting OHSU as a patient and need access to ADA parking, please email parking@ohsu.edu or call 503-494-8283 for assistance in finding a parking space that meets your needs.

More resources: tips, phone app and websites

More resources for you as a parent of a little one:

  • Baby and Toddler Safety. One of many safety tips pages on the OHSU Doernbecher Tom Sargent Safety Center website. Learn about how to make your entire house safest for your little one.
  • Kohl's Sleeping Safe Program. The OHSU Doernbecher Tom Sargent Safety Center and the Kohl’s Cares Program are partners in this program which provides safe sleeping education and equipment to eligible families. 
  • The Tom Sargent Safety Center at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital is dedicated to keeping your child safe. On the Marquam Hill campus, it provides safety tips for parents and children, a car seat and safe sleeping program, and includes a nonprofit store with low-cost safety supplies and resources.

  • Sign up for Baby Steps weekly emails, if you aren't already signed up. (If you receive prenatal care at OHSU you may already be signed up.)
  • MD 4 Kids is a phone app that is an easy-to-use reference for guiding decisions based on your child's symptoms. 
  • Healthy Families blog. "By experts, for families. OHSU Doernbecher is recognized as one of America's leading children's hospitals. Follow along for tips to keep your family healthy and happy."
  • healthychildren.org. From the American Academy of Pediatrics, this extensive website is full of information about your child's development (prenatal through young adult), healthy living, safety and prevention, family life, tips, apps, and more.
  • 211info. An online guide to health and social services in Oregon and Southwest Washington, including community and child care resources. This is an easy way to find child care options near you and help you determine eligibility for community assistance programs.
  • Oregon Family to Family Health Information Center. For parents of children who have special health care needs, this center serves to help families navigate the complex health care system and connect families from around Oregon to resources and support.

See our Lactation page for information about lactation rooms on campus, and what is considered reasonable accommodation for OHSU employees and students to meet lactation needs.

Perinatal mental health

While most people have heard of postpartum depression, it is probably more common than you realize. And not only is postpartum depression very common, individuals can also experience perinatal depression before childbirth. And fathers can be affected too, according to the Mayo Clinic web page on postpartum depression. Read more about perinatal mental health at the OHSU Center for Women's Health, the Baby Blues Connection website, or call your health care provider to discuss concerns. 

Questions about your rights or responsibilities under the law?

If you have questions or concerns regarding your rights as a pregnant or parenting student or employee, the Office of Civil Rights Investigations and Compliance is a resource available to all OHSU Members (OHSU employees, students, faculty, employment applicants, patients, vendors, volunteers, and visitors). OCIC is also available for managers or administrative leaders who have questions about how to support pregnant and parenting OHSU Members.

 You can call or email OHSU's Title IX coordinator to discuss options, get support, learn about OHSU policies and procedures, or ask questions relating to Title IX compliance or sex/gender discrimination. Learn more about Title IX at OHSU or OCIC at OHSU . 

As a reminder, OHSU policy strictly prohibits discrimination based on any protected class, including, but not limited to, pregnancy, disability, use of FMLA and/or OFLA, and gender. 

In general, prohibited discrimination and harassment is any verbal, visual, physical, or any other kind of conduct that is connected with an individual and based upon one or more protected classes (pregnancy, disability, use of FMLA and/or OFLA, gender, etc) which impacts the terms or conditions of employment, receipt of services or academic activities, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.

Prohibited discrimination violates OHSU policy and is not tolerated.  If you believe you have been discriminated against based on pregnancy, disability, use of FMLA and/or OFLA, gender, or other related reason, please reach out to your HR Business Partner or OCIC.

Resources to learn more about your rights and making reports:

The OHSU Ombuds is a free confidential resource

Unsure about your options and just want to talk to someone confidentially about your situation? That's what the OHSU Ombuds services are for. All OHSU employees, students and volunteers are welcome to talk with the Ombuds about any concern relating to their experience and well-being at OHSU. Conversations may be informal and are always confidential (exceptions to confidentiality are imminent threat to safety and mandatory reporting, such as child abuse). Contact the Ombuds.