Megan Miller Shane became a mother 17 years ago, when her baby boy arrived six weeks early. Her son spent the first five weeks of his life in the neonatal intensive care unit at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital.

It was a scary introduction to motherhood.

“That certainly created a lot of unexpected learning experiences and challenges,” Shane said, “and had me realize how complicated the beginning of motherhood could be.”

Today, Shane is executive director of Connected Nest, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit that supports mothers as they pursue parenthood, become parents and raise their children. She draws on her professional background and her own postpartum experience to guide the organization’s support groups and resources for new and expecting parents across the region.

A recent grant through the Pennsylvania Children’s Trust Fund will help Connected Nest expand that work, bringing support to more families and strengthening the small organization’s operations.

Now a mother of three — including a 5-year-old — Shane had worked with children, adolescents and families in the mental health field before becoming a parent. She already understood how much families need support. Motherhood made that understanding personal.

In 2016, Shane began facilitating new mothers’ support groups through a pediatrician’s office. When the program ended during the COVID-19 pandemic, she continued the work independently, naming her group Empowering Moms.

The grassroots organization grew with help from donations, a few grants, friends and volunteers who believed in her work.

In 2023, the group became a nonprofit and was renamed Connected Nest. Shane joined forces with Alicia Leggett, a mother whose experience with infertility inspired her to help others facing similar challenges. Together, they broadened the organization’s mission to support families at every stage of the parenting journey.

Two new moms' groups meet weekly: one on Tuesday mornings at Discovery Church in Mars and another on Thursday mornings at Hiland Presbyterian Church in the North Hills. A Mom Connection Circle in Wexford meets every other Friday morning at Beanstalk HQ in Wexford.

Attendance varies from week to week, Shane said, but about eight mothers usually participate in each meeting.

“Some women come throughout their baby’s first year; others come during the weeks of maternity leave. I encourage women to come sooner than they think they can. We do not expect them to be pulled together,” Shane said. “They can come tired or in their pajamas. We understand.”

Within weeks, Shane said, a mother who arrived feeling uncertain may feel confident enough to help another newcomer.

Paige Douglas, of West View, knows firsthand the difference those connections can make.

A mother of two, Douglas began attending the support groups about three-and-a-half years ago, after the birth of her first daughter. Concerned about developing postpartum depression, she wanted to find support before problems arose.

Hearing other mothers talk openly about their worries helped ease her anxiety. She also learned that babies develop at different rates and that many of her concerns were shared by other mothers.

“The openness and the honesty within the group is, I think, what has made the biggest difference to me,” Douglas said.

The connections have lasted well beyond the weekly meetings. Douglas said she still exchanges text messages almost daily with mothers she met when her older daughter was a baby.

Now raising a second daughter, Douglas said she approaches motherhood with greater confidence.

“I think the challenges are the same, but my perspective is different,” she said.

Without a meeting space of its own, Connected Nest relies on space provided by churches, libraries, yoga studios and other nonprofits. Mothers can find programs, schedules, locations and other meeting information at connectednest.org.

Gratitude for a new baby can coexist with fear and uncertainty about the transition to motherhood.

“You can feel extreme gratitude that you have what you wanted while also feeling overwhelmed and missing what you felt confident in and understood,” Shane said. “We help normalize those feelings.”

Connected Nest plans to launch a group in Butler, though the timeline depends on finding a facilitator. Shane also has discussed a possible group with Beaver Falls Library.

In September, Connected Nest received a grant from the Pennsylvania Children’s Trust Fund that will provide $50,000 annually through 2029.

The funding supports professional group facilitators, outreach and program coordination, helping Connected Nest reach more families.

It also will help expand weekly and monthly programs including Solo Mom Support, the Calm and Connected group and other parenting programs. Program supplies and welcome bags for new families are provided to participants.

Connected Nest welcomes partnerships with community organizations, healthcare providers, employers and family-serving businesses interested in expanding support for new and expecting parents.

Connected Nest’s annual Family Fest fundraiser took place Sunday, Nov. 8, at Discovery Church, 170 Scharberry Lane, Mars. For more information about Connected Nest and its support groups, visit its website at connectednest.org.

Messages of thanks from grateful mothers reinforce the value of that work. One mother described the importance of having a place to ask questions without feeling judged.

For Shane, that sense of connection is at the heart of Connected Nest's mission.

“The solidarity of that, to me, is kind of the magic of our groups,” Shane said. “It's just, like, knowing, oh, I'm not the only one who has thought that or felt that.