9 Ways to Help a New Mom

I recently gave birth to a tiny little sweetheart via C-section and was definitely not prepared for the healing process. I could hardly get out of bed or stand up straight, and walking/standing required resting after just 5-10 minutes of activity. Thus, anything that didn’t involve feeding or changing the baby was the furthest thing from my mind.

Nine Ways to Help a New Mom | Houston Moms Blog

Regardless of whether a mother has her baby naturally or via C-section, moms need a break once they are home. Especially because relaxing in a hospital is kind of a joke when you are awakened every couple hours to feed your baby, have your blood pressure taken, take medication, etc. Mom needs her rest, but everyone wants to meet baby. So how can you ensure mom is getting enough recovery time when you visit?

There are a variety of ways to help new parents! Please feel free to steal an idea or two {or three} from the list below…

1.} The most popular, and delicious, way to help new parents is bring them a dish or two. Cooking is the last thing on a new parent’s mind, and all that’s left in their fridge is probably stale bread and a few eggs. Okay, maybe that was just me… And if the mom is anything like me, she tried prepping meals the week before that were devoured in a couple days. Oops.

2.} If you aren’t into cooking, or simply don’t have time, order takeout. A friend of mine recently offered to order us Chinese food, which was awesome because we were able to wait until the food in our fridge was consumed. A very considerate option for you busier pals!  {Want specific ideas and details on this? Check out Brittney’s post Feeding New Parents.}

3.} Clean the house. It’s the biggest relief ever when new parents can come home to an already clean house. If you aren’t up for the challenge, get a few friends to pitch in and hire a cleaning service to get into every nook and cranny. Best surprise ever! An easier task is to take care of a couple chores during your visit. Maybe vacuum, take care of the dishes, or both!

4}. Take over baby care whenever present. This includes diaper changes and fussy/cuddle time so mom can shower/eat/nap. I was amazed at how difficult it is to take a relaxing shower if there is no childcare present. My parents came over one evening when I was alone for the first time and the baby was being a crazy little fuss bucket. They completely saved me. I was able to shower and eat my dinner in one sitting.

5.} Walk the dog{s}. Between taking care of the baby, mom, the house, and working, dad might be just a wee bit tired, too. My husband has been great and makes time to walk our dog almost every day, but sometimes her walks get put on the backburner as we adjust to our new lives.

6.} Delay your assistance. Folks are around plenty for the first couple weeks, but don’t forget about the next few! Food is running out, the baby is becoming more aware, and fatigue is hitting mom {and dad} like a punch in the face!

7.} Run errands. Does mom need a refill on her meds? Maybe the aforementioned pup needs a refill on his meds. Or maybe they ran out of time and forgot to pick up that mosquito net for the stroller {whoopsie!}. My husband took a couple weeks paternity leave, but once he went back to work, errands became a tad more complicated. Here is where you, super awesome friend, come in.

8.} Bring your own antibacterial. Basically just self-regulate. It’s awkward enough asking if you’ve had your flu shot {or whooping cough shot}. If you plan to hang around baby often, get your shots. If you plan to touch/hold the baby {stay away from hands and face please}, slather up with hand sanitizer. And wear clean clothes! Also, please understand that if you are sick you should not hold him/her.

9.} Keep it short … especially if you are one of the first or second week visitors. Mom is exhausted. And if she’s breastfeeding, she might be twice as tired. I embarrassingly fell asleep multiple times while a nurse was trying to explain a procedure to me. Your new mom friend is likely so happy and grateful to see you, but after a long day of {possibly multiple} visitors and feeding, she and baby are wiped out.

In my extremely biased opinion, this list is incredibly helpful to me, but I have friends who simply texted or called to check on me too. I appreciated their concerns so much! It truly is the thought that counts when your friends are going through a bit of a transition.

Oh, and moms, if someone asks to help, SAY YES.

What else can a friend do to help out?  Keep the list going in the comments below!

4 COMMENTS

  1. Great ideas! I’ll have to remember for next time a friend is preggo…and maybe not be so pushy about in the hospital 🙂

  2. Yes to all this! My daughter is almost 6 months old and I had a cesarean as well. It was tough! And we have 2 very needy dogs lol. My mom brought over take out food every night for a week and it saved us. We didn’t cook fir a long time in the beginning! Having food was the biggest help to me. Also having an extra set of hands a few hours a week. I can always use an extra set of hands!

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