West Side Breastfeeding Support Group Celebrates One Year at Presbyterian Rust

Breastfeeding, as the West Side Breastfeeding Support Group knows well, does not end the hard work of new motherhood — it often marks where the real struggle begins. The peer-led community group, which gathers free of charge at Presbyterian Rust Medical Center in Rio Rancho, marked its first year back in the community with an anniversary celebration on March 25.

Denise Kielpinski, a volunteer and practiced nurse with the group, confirmed the anniversary date and noted that outreach has been an uphill challenge from the start. Because the West Side Breastfeeding Support Group is not officially sponsored by any hospital or health business, according to Kielpinski, getting the word out has proven difficult. The group is open to any mom who is breastfeeding, and its weekly meetings run Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon at Presbyterian Rust, commonly called Rust by Rio Rancho residents familiar with the facility off of Unser Boulevard.

The group's peer-led structure means that mothers supporting mothers is the core model, with participants sharing the real-world struggles that often go unaddressed after a baby comes home. The group also maintains a Facebook page that breastfeeding moms can join to connect between sessions.

Without institutional backing, the anniversary milestone reflects what the group has built on its own: a consistent weekly presence at one of Rio Rancho's main medical facilities, sustained entirely through volunteer effort and word of mouth. For a community where young families continue to make up a significant and growing share of the West Side's population, that kind of grassroots support infrastructure carries real weight.