Before you show up to the doorstep of your friend that’s just given birth, here are a few tips that will make the visit to the new mom enjoyable for everyone.
1. Wait. Yes, wait.
Give the new parents a few days or possibly weeks before you visit. Even if you are best friends, chances are she will still feel like she needs to “host” you when you show up to visit.
2. Don’t come empty-handed.
Bring food. Yummy food. Find out if the family has any dietary guidelines they are adhering to and if mom is nursing, avoid spicy foods and foods that may cause gas for the new baby. Also, consider bringing snacks just for mom — nuts, fresh fruit, granola, juices. A breastfeeding mom is hungry ALL THE TIME !!
3. Give mom a break.
Ask mom if she would like to take a bath, shower or nap while you hold the baby. She will be grateful for some time to relax and unwind.
4. Bring gifts
Gifts Just for Mom
More than likely, she has received a ton of burp cloths and onesies for her new precious bundle. What she has probably not received is something just for her. Bring momma a gift card for a manicure or pedicure to remind her to pamper herself one in a while.
Gifts of Service
One of the best gifts I’ve given a new mom friend of mine was a clean house when she returned home from the hospital. Get your friends to chip in for a maid service for the new momma to take one more worry off her mind. I promise she will thank you!
5. Bring relief during the witching hour.
If you’ve never heard of the witching hour, either you’re lucky or you don’t have children. Somewhere between 4 pm and bedtime, it is a known fact that every child goes crazy. My mother-in-law shared with me one of the best gifts she received after the birth of her third child. One of her friends came to her house around 4 pm and picked up her other two children and took them to the park, fed them, bathed them and returned them clean and exhausted just in time for a goodnight kiss from mom and dad. My mother-in-law also did this for me and t is probably the greatest gift a mom of more than one young child could receive.
6. Give Grace
I always say, “New moms are not allowed to write thank-you notes.”
My final thought is to just listen to her. Listen to what she is saying and what she might not be saying. If you don’t hear from her, check in with her spouse or mother to see how you can help. And give her heaps of grace. If she doesn’t call you back for a few months, it’s only because months seem like days when you have a newborn. Just know that whatever you do to help her will be greatly appreciated!