As a new mom your emotions are running high and your energy is at an all time low. While you want to show off your precious bundle, you may have older kids at home adjusting to the new dynamics, you are recovering from labor and/ or surgery and quite frankly – having a parade of (well-meaning) loved ones might not be what you NEED right now. But that doesn’t mean that you couldn’t use a helping hand – or two.
There are many ways that loved ones can step up and help the new parents – without sitting on your couch expecting detailed accounts of which breast he nursed from last. Share my list of “Ten Ways to Help a New Mom!” with your friends and relatives – they ARE willing to help, but may just need some direction.
Ten Meaningful Ways to Help a New Mom (Without Sitting on Her Couch):
1. Deliver a meal! Bring the hungry mama a good healthy meal. Don’t forget to add something for the kids and husband to eat as well. Ask about dietary restrictions ahead of time.
2. Coordinate a meal train from friends! leave a cooler on her porch for easy delivery. mealtrain.com is a wonderful interactive website to set up a running schedule of meals, times and special instructions.
3. Host playdates for siblings, away from her house, as long as your kids are healthy! I might just repeat for extra effect: as long as your kids are healthy – the last things the new mama needs is to wrangle sick kids and try to keep a baby healthy!
Read the rest of my list over at Tales of Beauty for Ashes where I am guest blogging today. While you are there, read Becky’s latest articles about her pregnancy journey. She is a great story teller – with an incredible tale to tell!
I was so thankful when family members brought over meals. It’s just one less thing to worry about and it’s so nice.
Left my comment there, but fully agree that visiting isn’t always ideal!
Yes, so agree! Although for me personally, I NEVER minded visitors. I felt like it always helped me, even emotionally, to have friends around during those first few weeks when my hormones were out of control.
I agree with Laura; I think I wouldn’t have been so depressed if I had more visitors, but no, I wouldn’t want somebody around that would cause some friction that Stephanie mentioned : ).
This is a wonderful read. If all works out and I get to deliver around my edd, I agree the last thing I want is people visiting, especially for several days. As of right now, my inlaws are flying in the day after my edd to see the baby and spend a week with us. I love them to death, but seriously doubt I can handle my mil after giving birth as we butt heads.
GOOD LUCK! My best advice: hide in bed with the baby and let her clean! (works like a charm!) 🙂
That is fantastic advice!!!
Great advice. A meal train helped me out so much! I definitely didn’t want visitors right away!
These are great ideas. I’m hoping my friends will do a meal train for us when baby goes home from the hospital. Heaven knows we are going to need it!
Gift hard would be better you could mail them to the new Mom and dad ex.subway card
The best gift was when friends took my son for a few hours so I could have time with the baby. He loved it and was such a big help to me
I love ‘deliver a meal’ one- such a great surprise for a new momma! I hope you will share your helpful advice with our Link Up – Idea box:
http://milaslittlethings.com/2015/04/idea-box-thursday-link-party-8.html
xx
Mila
Thank you so much for stopping by. I will definitely check out your link up!
Awe I loved the visitors who wanted to listen to me ramble on about my birthing experience. But meals and babysitting older kids were amazing! Also, come hold baby while mom takes a shower!!
I wish more people would have a better awareness of how to best help a new mom.
Just read your whole guest post and loved it! My favorite was a basket of strawberries. People love to bring you carbs and dinners (which rocks) but I always run out of fruit and vegetables so it was great to get that as a gift, especially since when I send my husband to the grocery store he calls me a dozen times. (“What’s a roma tomato?”)
Great post! If you don’t live close to the new mom and you want to help her out with a meal, you can send a gourmet meal from http://www.MealGifts.com. I send these meals to my friends who live close as well because I’m not a great cook 🙂
I have never heard of these – what a great idea. Thanks for sharing! (I am not a good cook either!)
It will only show me 3 ways to help a new mom?
There is a link at the bottom of post. It will take you to all the rest of them… check it out!
There should be an unspoken rule about not having visitors for the first 3 weeks, especially for new moms. It should be a time for mom and baby to bond. I had my baby on December 5, 2017. I had a really hard time with the string of visitors that lasted a month and a half. It was really hard to breastfeed when visitors were around and of course visitors are present during the day when a newborn sleeps the most! I could’ve used that time to sleep myself but no, I couldn’t, because I had visitors. When I figured this out the first week, after a friend came over for a 3 hour visit with her husband and 2 toddlers, from then on I told my friends I will let them know a convenient time to visit the baby.