Fundraiser celebrates wisdom of Many Mothers
Organization offers help to moms with trying conditions
At 21 months, Annabelle is a bringer of joy. She is the apple of her mother’s eye and a constant pleasure. That was not the case, however, when Annabelle was a week old.
In the throes of severe postpartum depression, her young single mother had begun to think she was crazy: not bonding with her infant, worried about getting back to her teaching job and overwhelmed by sleep deprivation, problems with breast-feeding and the thousand-and-one responsibilities of motherhood.
Enter Missy Newman, a volunteer with Many Mothers, a nonprofit, donor-supported program that provides emotional and physical support for new mothers in Santa Fe County. Missy calmed Melissa Briggs down. Having experienced post-partum depression herself, Newman was able to reassure Briggs that help was available and that she would eventually be able to bond with Annabelle. She gave her some tips to make breastfeeding easier. Most of all, she gave her a break — Briggs could go take a shower and spend some time alone to work on her career issues.
Many Mothers’ help “definitely” made a big difference in her start on mothering, Briggs said recently.
“It was nice to get advice from somebody who’d done it before, and who was in regular contact. Sometimes we sat and talked. Sometimes literally I just would hand Annabelle over and go get my work done. It was a way to get a break. Sometimes new moms don’t feel like they get a chance to take some time for themselves. If you want it, she’s someone you’ve got with you so that you have some support. Sometimes simple things feel really overwhelming. It’s a chance to have that extra support, and particularly helpful where there might not be family on the scene to give a new parent a break.”
Many Mothers is sponsoring a fundraiser tonight at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Pavilion on Paseo de Peralta. The $40 ticket gains entrance, wine and appetizers, a silent auction for donated goodies ranging from facials and massages to a dental-cleaning-for-two.
The main event will be a panel discussion on mothering and the Many Mothers services moderated by Valerie Plame Wilson, a mother of twins and community activist known as the former CIA agented outed by the Bush administration in a fit of pique over criticism of the Iraq War by her husband.
Other panelists include Native American mother, sculptor and gallery owner Christine McHorse, Mothering magazine publisher and author Peggy O’Mara, mother of four and grandmother of two; businesswoman and mother Guadalupe Goler and National Public Radio journalist and mother of three boys Anne Goodwin Sides.
We are pleased to have Valerie Plame Wilson joining us for what should be a very exciting and intriguing panel discussion.
The event will help us reach our fundraising goals and achieve our mission of contributing to a healthy and vital Santa Fe community,” event chair and former board member Lucy Newman said.
Many Mothers has a shoestring annual budget of around $70,000, the board’s secretarytreasurer Richard Tyner said. It is supported by donations and grants and receives no government funding. He said the organization hopes to net $8,000 from this event.
Many Mothers has been in operation for 18 years, an outgrowth of a similar program called “Muchas Mamas” that was founded by the late Anne McCormick.
The mothers it serves are sometimes referred by health care professionals or social workers and are sometimes self-referred.
Many Mothers’ services are entirely free to families and the organization plans to keep it that way. In its 18 years, Many Mothers has served more than 561 moms, 579 newborns (38 sets of twins, two sets of triplets and two older adopted children) and 270 siblings.
The families have been Anglo, Latino, Native American, Asian and African American.
The program’s volunteer care providers include doulas, midwives, lactation consultants, infant massage therapists, social workers, teachers, nurses, day care providers, mothers, and grandmothers.