ST. PETERSBURG, FL — When Sophie Moenter had a difficult time during her pregnancy, she knew she didn’t want to cope with it alone.

“I heavily struggled with being pregnant and had a hard time emotionally, so I reached out to my community during that time,” she told Patch.

The photographer started hosting small mom meetups at her studio, which quickly took off and led to her opening the women-centered hub, Paloma House, in January.

“One thing led to another, and that small meetup with moms turned into multiple meetups a week and grew into what is now Paloma House,” Moenter, now the mother of a 1-year-old, said.

The facility, which sits on two acres in north St. Petersburg, “pretty much operates like a collective,” with providers offering a range of services from different businesses – coworking space, fitness and wellness classes, mental health counseling, lactation consulting, resources for expectant mothers. And there is free on-site childcare for women partaking in any of these services.

“Paloma House, in a nutshell, is a social house for women,” Moetner said, adding, “Essentially, it’s a place where they go and get the support that they need.”

Since opening three months ago, hundreds of women have come through the doors of Paloma House.

“It’s honestly very overwhelming and exciting,” she said.

Women can join as members or pay piecemeal to attend an event or access a service.

While Paloma House offers a full schedule each week, it will host a Mother’s Day celebration that’s open to the public on April 26, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and would be a great introduction to the facility, Moetner said. The event includes breakfast, bubbles, journal crafting, florals, shopping and more.

Though the space has only recently opened, Moetner already sees the impact it’s had on local women and is thinking about the future.

“I think that there is a need for a space like Paloma House in every area and I would love to take this to different areas in the future. For now, I’m focused on making this one as best as we can,” she said. “I know from my own experience how isolating and lonely being a new mom can be. I want to change that trajectory for moms.”