Motherhood Beyond Bars

08/07/2026

Several members of our program team attended the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network W.A.V.E.S. Conference: three days of community, connection, and empowerment.

For one team member, it was about more than sessions. Walking into a room full of people doing this same work felt like finding, in her words, "my people."

This work is hard. Moments like this make it sustainable. 🩷

08/04/2026

MBB is proud to share our seventh published research collaboration, a qualitative study of 27 mothers in Georgia and Pennsylvania who gave birth during incarceration.

The research examines how these mothers worked to stay connected with their infants and the barriers that stood in their way. Restrictive policies, technology failures, and high communication costs made bonding incredibly difficult, yet mothers persisted anyway. Many still came home to babies who didn't know them, facing grief and a long road to reunification.

These mothers deserve better, and we're committed to ensuring their stories lead to real change. 🩷

Read the full study on our website here: https://www.motherhoodbeyond.org/programs-2-3-1

07/24/2026

It's been storming in Atlanta all day, but it's hard not to smile looking at these.

From a 21-week ultrasound to a brand new baby, our moms are building their families through every stage, rain or shine. That's our own MBB staff member holding this sweet baby, right there with mom in the moment that matters most.

A big thank you to Ebenezer Women's Ministry and St. Luke's for filling the car to the brim with diapers and Begin Box supplies for families in our program. Because a stormy day shouldn't mean going without the basics.

Every box makes a difference. Every mom deserves to know she's not doing this alone 🩷

07/23/2026

🩷 Join us September 24th 🩷

Starting Strong: Pregnancy, Opioid Use, and Transforming Systems of Care is a one-day convening bringing clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and community partners together to build stronger pathways for pregnant women and families across Georgia.

Featuring keynote speaker Dr. Carolyn Sufrin, a leading national voice on incarceration and women's health.

September 24 | Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta
Register now: https://www.motherhoodbeyond.org/events

07/22/2026

1 in 2 U.S. families with young kids can't afford enough diapers. Parents report skipping meals or bill payments just to close the gap, and they're nearly twice as likely to feel hopeless or depressed as a result.

That's not a stat to us. It's the reality for a lot of the families in our program. Diapers are part of the support we provide, so no family has to choose between diapers and dinner, or carry that stress alone.

Source 🔗 https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article313432145.html

07/15/2026

60 cents. That's what Georgia spends per meal to feed people in its prisons, according to new reporting from The Marshall Project. For the pregnant and postpartum women in that system, that number isn't just a budget line. It's the nutrition available to grow a healthy baby, or to recover from birth while separated from one.

Malnutrition during pregnancy raises the risk of low birth weight, developmental delays, and complications that follow a child for life. The women we work with are trying to do this inside a system that isn't built to support it.

This is why we start working with moms before their babies are born, not after. We show up early so a baby's first weeks aren't shaped by what a system failed to provide.

Read the full investigation here:

Georgia spends about 60 cents per meal for prisoners. One man described it as ‘Being hungry all the time, and being fed slop.’

07/02/2026

Thank you for your thoughtful highlighting of our work! 🩷

Read the full article here:
https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/rome/news/local/nonprofit-supports-mothers-in-floyd-county-jail-and-their-babies/article_7a2d350a-9619-400b-846b-e9ec3ea21f89.html

06/26/2026

Sometimes the barrier to treatment isn't what you'd expect.

A pregnant mom we're working with was ready to enter inpatient treatment, but she couldn't just leave her dog, Mya, with nowhere to go. Mya has been by her side through some of life's hardest moments, and finding safe care for her was a very real barrier to getting help.

So our community showed up. Mount Berry Animal Hospital stepped forward to temporarily board Mya and donated her vaccines. A local Zoetis representative offered to cover her medications. One less thing standing between this mama and her recovery.

Mya is 15 years old and has some health needs, but she is safe, loved, and in good hands. And her person is getting the care she deserves.

Mya still needs a foster family while her mom is in treatment — someone in the Rome, GA area who can give a sweet senior girl a soft place to land, even just on weekends. If that's you, please reach out, and we'll connect you.

06/11/2026

🩷 Join us September 24th 🩷

Starting Strong: Pregnancy, Opioid Use, and Transforming Systems of Care is a one-day convening bringing clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and community partners together to build stronger pathways for pregnant women and families across Georgia.

Featuring keynote speaker Dr. Carolyn Sufrin, a leading national voice on incarceration and women's health.

September 24 | Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta

Register now: https://www.motherhoodbeyond.org/events

06/01/2026

At least five states are reconsidering how pregnant and postpartum women are treated behind bars. Utah and Virginia have already signed new laws restricting shackling and strengthening data collection. Ohio and South Carolina are still weighing similar measures.

This momentum matters. But policies vary widely from state to state — and sometimes from facility to facility within the same state. Until every incarcerated mother has access to consistent, basic care, the work on the ground can't stop.

That's where we come in. 🩷

Read the full story 🔗https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more-states-weigh-new-rules-pregnant-postpartum-women-custody