Many of us who experience postpartum mood disorders are in desperate need of childcare. It helps if you have a friend or family member who can watch the baby while you attend a support group, meet with our psychiatrist, exercise, etc. But many of us don’t. I know there have been times when I’ve had to miss something important because I just didn’t have anyone to watch the kids.

At the BlogHer conference I went to recently, I met Sheila Marcelo, founder and CEO of care.com. Her service connects people who need caregivers — including babysitters, pet sitters and people who care for seniors — with the people who provide those services. Care.com pre-screens all of their provider profiles, and will provide free background checks for anyone who buys an upgraded membership ($25 monthly membership, $40 for 3 months, or $120 annual membership). You can also join for free, but you’ll get limited access to their providers and no background check.

Here is Care.com’s official description from their website:

Care.com is an online marketplace connecting people seeking care services with a national and local network of trusted providers. The company provides a simple and safe way for families and individuals to manage their care needs. Care.com offers a full breadth of subscription-based services – child care, pet care, senior care, tutoring, and soon other services – to address the lifecycle of specific care needs while providing free background checks and a suite of tools and resources for selecting the best care possible. The company was founded in 2006 and is funded by Matrix Partners, with a mission to help people to achieve a life more balanced through smart care connections.

I have yet to use their services so I can’t vouch for them personally, but I thought this would be a good resource for you. They have providers in most major metropolitan areas.