As a mom of three littles of my own, I know the days after having a baby can feel like the longest, and yet shortest days of your life. There is nothing like the weight of making sure a new tiny human eats, sleeps, and uses the bathroom the “right” amount of times in a day. This is why I wanted to share some helpful tips for the friend of that new Mom. Knowing how and where to help can seem daunting, but just know that any effort is appreciated and more often than not, extremely needed. 

Offer Ways You Can Help
The first step to helping your new mom friend is to reach out. I don’t mean a text that says “congrats, let me know if you need anything.” Instead, start with congratulations but also share with her your helping gesture. New moms are busy. From the outside looking in, it may seem like she is calm, cool and collected while she lounges on the couch all day soaking in newborn snuggles. But the truth is, she has been meaning to take a shower or actually eat something all day. Go ahead and make your favorite meal, or even better, her favorite meal. Let her know you will drop it off on her porch at a set time. She may want you to come in, but be prepared to just drop it off as she may be too busy with the baby to have you stay and chat. 

Watch Her Other Little Ones
Another way you can help a Mom friend who has just had a baby is to offer to watch her older kids if she has any. This was huge when I had older little ones. Make a plan and offer to do something fun with her little ones for a set amount of time. By letting her know what you will be doing and when you will be back, you save her from having to worry during what should be a little break. Remember, don’t just offer to watch her kids sometime in the non-existent future, actually make a plan and follow through so she knows your gesture is genuine. 

Help Inside Her Home
If your new mom friend wants to have company, there are two ways you can help while you are there. First, offer to hold that adorable baby while Mom takes a nap or a shower. It may seem like a small job, but honestly, it is the best one. You get to enjoy that sweet newborn baby and mom gets a little time to feel human again. The second is to throw in a load of laundry or do the dishes. Keeping a clean house is hard as a new mom. If your mom friend has invited you into her house, she trusts you enough to let you see the mess, so grab the laundry basket and start folding. 

Give Her a Day Out
Finally, if your new mom friend feels up to it, you can help by offering to get her out of the house. The benefit of living in Detroit is there are a lot of quick trips that don’t take you far from home. Try a new restaurant, grab a hot chocolate, get a pedicure, or even drive around and have a full conversation while wearing clothes that do not have spit up on them.

You may be amazed how easy it can be to help your new mom friend during this transition period of her life. Whether she has had five kids or this is her first, welcoming a new baby into the world requires an army and she will be grateful you are part of hers!

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