A Sisterhood of Motherhood In Pittsfield, a group of new moms offers companionship, support and a break from isolation

Seventeen new moms have found a way to fight an often-overlooked problem after birth: the isolation and loss of socialization that can come with having a baby.

Pittsfield Stay At Home Moms meets once a week.

“There were days that went by when I did not speak to another adult,” said Jessica Eldridge, mother of 5-month-old Jordan Eldridge.

“I moved to Pittsfield from the Lewiston-Auburn area last November, and I had just had Jordan and I was feeling pretty isolated,” she said Tuesday.

Eldridge was so lonely, she said, that she followed another mom through the grocery store, convincing her to come to the Stay At Home Moms gathering.

“It worked. She came,” Eldridge said.

That mom was Kristine Nichols of Pittsfield. “Jessica stalked me in the grocery store, thank goodness,” Nichols said. “I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to stay at home with an infant. Sometimes, these gatherings are just to get out of the house.”

Nichols moved to Pittsfield from Bangor and uses the group to get to know people in the area. “I had a busy life before [son] Drew. This has been a big transition,” she said.

Post-partum depression, on many levels, is an issue many new moms face. “We’ve all been there, and we can help each other through that,” Eldridge said.

“I was 33 and I was an insurance representative. After the baby, I was feeling a huge disconnect with the adult world,” she said. “My husband is an over-the-road trucker, and I was feeling like a single parent.”

By linking with other new moms through the Web, Eldridge and others have found a way to stay informed, get out of the house and socialize their babies.

Krystiana Marcello, 20, of Detroit said her husband owns his own business and is quite busy as well. “My mom lives in Texas, and my dad is in Island Falls. I was alone a lot,” she said.

The isolation was affecting not just Marcello, but also her 10-month-old daughter, Juliana Marcello. “This group is as much about socializing the children as the moms,” Krystiana Marcello said.

“Julie was also alone a lot of the time and had a really severe attachment to me. Now, she’s coming out of her shell.”

As several of the mothers sat on blankets in a Pittsfield park Tuesday, the children played with toys or mom’s cell phone or just the wheels of their strollers.

The talk, not surprisingly, centered on the children. Topics such as potty training, pediatricians, birth control and school systems filled the afternoon.

Eldridge, who founded the group a month ago, said the women and children are still getting to know each other, so political discussions or controversial topics are out.

“But we’ve planned a spa day together to pamper ourselves, and a family barbecue so the dads can meet each other,” she said.

“Last week, Jessica and I went to the movies,” Marcello said. It was the first time either of them had hired a baby sitter, often a traumatic time for a new parent. Sharing the experience made it easier, the women said.

“We saw ‘Spiderman,'” Marcello said, laughing. “We didn’t care what we saw. I swear, it was the first time I was out of the house since 2004.”

The Pittsfield group meets each Tuesday at 2 p.m. for a couple of hours or until “the babies get fussy.” Age isn’t an issue, Marcello said. “We have the babies in common.” The mothers prefer that the children be under the age of 3. To become a member, visit www.sahm.meetup.com/2213.