Amalia never planned to become a mother. She felt insecure about life in general and especially about whether she could trust someone enough to raise a child together. But last year, she found herself facing an unexpected pregnancy – and, soon after, an even more unexpected reality: navigating first-time motherhood entirely alone.

"It's not easy, especially when you have no one around you, especially when you're not expecting a baby," Amalia said. "You have a baby, and you think, it would be so nice to have someone that's not related, not a family member, that has the time to listen to what you need and what you worry about."

That someone was Celita, one of Waymark’s Virginia-based community health workers (CHWs).

Taking time to listen

Amalia's social worker first told her about Waymark as an avenue for resources for her newborn. But, for Amalia – who refuses to use social media and prefers meeting people face-to-face over texting – trusting an organization that reached out primarily through phone calls and texts was hard. She didn’t respond to Celita’s first attempts at outreach, worrying that, as she said, “Waymark was too good to actually be true.”

But Celita kept calling. And over time, something shifted.

"When we connected over the phone and I heard her voice, I felt that, okay, this is going to be something real," Amalia said. "Celita made it really clear that she was trying to help me. I thought, instead of just wasting my time and being scattered all day, maybe I could afford to have that help."

What Amalia needed most wasn't a checklist of tasks or a series of appointments. She needed someone to talk to about what she was experiencing as a new mother with no support system.

"At that point, I don't have anyone to rely on or look around to," Amalia said. "Someone that's not related or family and that has the time to listen and listen to what you need and what to do and what you worry about, and help you to find a door to do things better. I was grateful."

Finding support in postpartum isolation

In one conversation that stretched over two hours, Amalia shared her feelings about becoming a first-time mom, about the anxiety and uncertainty that came with caring for an infant she hadn't planned for, about feeling isolated and overwhelmed. That conversation opened the door to practical support Amalia hadn't known existed.

When she lost her healthcare coverage after giving birth, Celita didn't just sympathize. She partnered with other Waymark CHWs to provided specific resources: contact information for Cover Virginia to help Amalia check her eligibility and reapply, and a list of clinics in the Richmond area that offered postpartum care to patients without insurance.

When Amalia mentioned struggling emotionally, Celita worked with Waymark’s therapists to find mental health resources and support services for postpartum depression, sending information about local resources that could help and building a list of programs that could support her and her child.

The support extended beyond emotional care and healthcare access. Celita connected Amalia with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) hotline and walked her through the application process. Amalia was approved for SNAP benefits – something she didn’t even realize she qualified for.

"All that information… I mean, you don't know until someone tells you about it and how to log in and look for what you need," Amalia said. "It's important to have someone beside you helping you to do that."

Celita also sent Amalia information about the “New Moms Box" program from CVS and Aetna Medicaid, which provides a box of baby supplies and a monthly $25 credit to spend at CVS. This was yet another resource Amalia had never heard of, despite being exactly the kind of support a new mother managing costs on her own would need.

The pattern was consistent: Celita identified gaps in Amalia's knowledge about available resources and filled them, one conversation at a time. 

“I was just doing this for my son,” she said. “But it turns out that there was help for me that I didn’t expect or know how to find. I would still be struggling if I didn’t know about Waymark.”

From skepticism to advocacy

When Amalia thinks about other people in her community who might receive a call or text from Waymark, she wants them to know what she learned: that the support is real, even if it doesn't look like traditional healthcare services they've encountered before.

"Definitely, if someone contacts you from Waymark, please take the time to hear the conversation and see what they have for you," Amalia said. "If you give a few minutes to the person who’s trying to help you, like Celita, you’ll be able to find a lot of help and support.”

She understands why people might decline the calls. She did it herself at first. But she also knows what she would have missed if she hadn't eventually picked up.

"I totally understand, like sometimes we ignore the calls and don't want to listen to other people, just because you never know what's on the other side of the phone," she said. "So definitely take the time, a few minutes, and listen to that first call because they're here to help you. Working with Waymark is an amazing partnership that has helped my son and me do better in our lives.”