Patricia Stephens has no qualms about walking up to a pregnant woman and asking if she might need help after her baby is born.

Stephens, the assistant director of the Santa Fe nonprofit Many Mothers, is only making sure that every mother, no matter her socioeconomic standing, has some help if she needs it. Since May is Mental Health Month, and new mothers experience hormonal changes, sleep deprivation and exhaustion, it's the perfect time to raise awareness of the program, Stephens said.

Having a new baby in the house "does take its toll on women, and most of the women, though they're joyous about this new time in their lives, it's also a very stressful time," Stephens said.

Many Mothers provides volunteers who go into mothers' homes and help them with whatever they need — such as caring for the baby while the mother grabs a shower or entertaining an older sibling so the mother can have time to breast-feed peacefully. Sometimes volunteers will help an overwhelmed mother wash a load or two of laundry or whip up a meal. The added plus, Stephens said, is the bonding aspect.

"Studies show that women who get together release a stress-release hormone called oxytocin," Stephens explained. "When women are together, they are calmer, and we can share ideas and experiences and emote a little bit. We understand where the mom is coming from."

"They mentored me when I was a new mother, and they were an absolute lifeline for me," said Jackie Alshawabkeh, who received help from Many Mothers three years ago when her twins were born. "It helped to have another woman in the house."

Stephens first got involved with Many Mothers several years ago, after reading an article about the organization in The New Mexican. She'd moved here from Princeton, N.J., where she had run a day care center.

"I moved here thinking I wanted to work with a nonprofit, because I knew that there were so many nonprofits in town," Stephens said. After she read the article, she immediately got involved. "For some reason, I've always been lucky enough to get families with twins. I guess they figured if I could work in a day care with many children, I could handle twins."

She enjoys helping women during that time in their lives and notes that the free service isn't just for new mothers — women who have benefited from the service can call on Many Mothers for help with their next pregnancy.

"Each pregnancy is so different, and each infant is so different," Stephens said. "Oftentimes (the mothers) ask for the same volunteer because they get emotionally attached. You develop really cool friendships."

Stephens said many recipients of help become volunteers for the organization.

In addition to providing in-home help (a few hours, a few times a week for the first month and later an hour a week — a time that increases for mothers with twins or triplets), Many Mothers hosts a meeting on the first Tuesday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. at Santa Fe Soul. The Circle Meeting is for all mothers — not just mothers receiving help.

Stephens said the Circle Meeting provides new moms an opportunity to bond with one another.

"Interaction and peer support are very important" for mothers, Stephens said. "It's a free meeting, and it enables people to really reach out into the community. So many of these moms are stuck in their homes and isolated."

At the Circle Meeting, the Many Mothers crew gives mothers information on resources that are available to them in the community, such as the new Macaroni Kid website that provides a listing of events for families in Santa Fe.

Volunteer meetings, held on a regular basis, give old and new volunteers a chance to share their experiences and ideas.

Though the organization has anywhere from 40 to 50 volunteers (who are not all active at the same time), Many Mothers is always looking for more. For more information on how to volunteer, visit www.manymothers.org or call 983-5984.

"The volunteers who work for us are big-hearted individuals from all walks of life," Stephens said. "It works beautifully when women come together to help each other emotionally as well as physically."

"They're just godsends," Alshawabkeh said. "The community is so blessed to have this program. I fully support them and what they're doing because there's such a need for it, and they do an amazing job."

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.