First Born & Many Mothers Collaborate To Enhance Services

Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on May 29, 2025
- 11:00 am

Program Director Anita Castillo, CLC, left, of Many Mothers in Santa and Executive Director Ellen Specter of the First Born Program Los Alamos discuss their new collaboration during a recent interview at the Los Alamos Daily Post. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com

The First Born Program of Los Alamos is embarking on a collaboration with Many Mothers in Santa Fe, which is expanding its service in Los Alamos and seeking local volunteers. Both programs are free of charge and offer support services for mothers and families.

“We are complementary organizations,” First Born Executive Director Ellen Specter said. “Many Mothers can come in for 3 hours a week for 12 weeks for moms with babies up to six months old and it’s very much physical, practical and emotional support. First Born can go from prenatal to when the child starts kindergarten.”

First Born Program of Los Alamos believes that the best way to support the happy, healthy development of children and families is to make sure parents and caregivers have as much support as possible in the child’s first 5 years of life. The 501(c)(3) non-profit organization states that “every family deserves the best beginning”.

Along with home visits, the First Born program provides lactation counselors, infant massage, car seat safety, baby wearing, CPR training, and holistic sleep coaching.

Specter explained that in pre-modern times, a new mom had eight to 10 relatives helping her with the baby and even for the first few years. Nowadays, a new baby generally has two adult caregivers at best. She mentioned that a large number of families in Los Alamos are expecting babies in the next few months. Once the baby is born, the mom is tired, healing and the parents need help.

The First Born office is in Suite 216 at 190 Central Park Square in downtown Los Alamos. For more information or to inquire about services, email welcome@firstbornla.org.

Many Mothers Program Director Anita Castillo, CLC, said Many Mothers’ volunteers provide that additional help to new parents including spending time with a toddler in the home. “This program offers great holistic support for the whole family. It gives parents options and flexibility for the type of support they need most. Volunteers can assist with the baby, play with older siblings, help around the home, and most importantly, relieve some of the stress, loneliness and fatigue that comes in the early weeks and months of welcoming a new baby.”

Volunteers in the program receive extensive training as well as ongoing support, she said. Many Mothers is encouraging local adults to apply to become volunteers.

“We need local volunteers and will be having a training session 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 24 at the First Born office here in Los Alamos,” Castillo said. “Having local volunteers makes it much easier to reach more families in the area. We’ll also be offering training in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.”

Many Mothers is also a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization. Its mission is to provide in-home services and wraparound care to achieve health equity and wellbeing for babies and their caregivers in Los Alamos and Northern New Mexico. The Many Mothers’ office is in Suite 207 at 4001 Office Court Drive in Santa Fe.

Many Mothers’ vision is to provide a caring community that nurtures and supports the health, well-being and happiness of all mothers, infants, toddlers and their families.

Many Mothers provides free, in-home support to Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Rio Arriba families with new babies by:

assisting parents in transitioning to this new chapter of family life with a newborn;
encouraging family members in welcoming the newborn and adjusting to the new family structure;
supporting all parents through a non-judgmental presence, validating their new challenges;
helping out with light chores to reduce parental stress; and
focusing on the parents’ needs so they may enjoy well deserved respite.

How to Get Started

Due to the sensitive nature of the work volunteers do with families, there are a few steps that need to be taken before a volunteer and family match can be made, including:

meeting with a staff member to discuss your interest, our organization, and how we might best work together;
committing to supporting each assigned family for 3 hours per week for 12 weeks;
attending our Volunteer Training and Orientation;
providing three character/work references;
allowing permission to participate in a national background check.

Anyone 18 years of age and older interested in volunteering can go to the Many Mothers website at manymothers.org/volunteer to apply and begin the process.