7 Unforgettable Ways to Help a New Mama

Those first few days and weeks after baby arrives can be beautiful and messy and crazy and wonderful and oh so many things. Right now, I’m in the middle of it and feeling all the feels. My body has been feeling the full spectrum of tired and my family has been feeling the full spectrum of my hormones I’m sure. 😉 We’ve been packing and moving this past week (with a newborn no less and thus the reason for it being pretty quiet around here!), and wow I’m I noticing the difference in life with kids and a baby! While everything takes longer, can be a little more challenging and tiring, it’s also so beautifully rewarding. With that said, every new mama can use a little help and I’ve been SO grateful for the outpouring of support and help from friends and family. If you’ve got a new mama friend in your life, below are some ways to really help a new mama out and she’ll remember that blessing for a long time to come!

1. Help clean something. Not every new mom with be okay with someone coming in and cleaning up after them, but if you can, offer to help! Just washing a sink full of dishes or vaccuming a room or starting a load of laundry can be a huge help. There is so much to balance with a new baby and trying to heal and take care of yourself after giving birth, that taking care of a house is difficult to manage at times. A helping hand in this department can go a long way. Seriously, a really long way.
2. Bring a meal. Although a new mama needs to eat, the last thing she wants to do is cook dinner. At least this is how I’ve felt. As a nursing mama, I know it’s super important to fuel my body, and milk supply, and I was SO blessed by friends and family that brought meals over that first week we were home. 
3. Babysit the other kids (or the baby). Juggling a newborn and life takes a learning curve, which means getting a shower or even sometimes a break just to use the restroom takes a backseat to caring for the wee ones. Offer to hold the baby while mom can get a shower or a quick nap or if there are other kids at home, see if you can take them out or at least babysit them in another room to allow mama to rest. Even 30 minutes of quite time can make a huge different in how she feels.
4. Run an errand. If you’re in the area, check in and see if mama needs anything. She may not, but it’s also not quite as easy to run out for toilet paper or diapers with a baby in tow, and especially if there are other kids at home. Offer to run an errand (or bring a coffee over or take the older kids to school or an activity) so she can stay home and cuddle her littlest babe. 
5. Bring a movie or something to read. For me, even with a newborn, I can tend to feel guilty for leaving other things undone and just focus on taking care of me and baby… so it’s always nice to have a reminder, and an excuse, to relax. Bring a movie over or a new magazine and remind mama that it’s okay to have some downtime to recover. 
6. Pick up some groceries. In these three weeks at home, we’ve already had days where I’ll go out to the kitchen to make something simple like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a bowl of cereal, but we’re out of bread or milk. With other kids in the house we can go through groceries quickly, and yet the thought of going to the grocery store seems daunting. If you’ve got a new mama friend at home, give her a call to see if there’s anything she needs while you’re out doing your grocery shopping, or just stop by with a few essentials.
7. Drop of paper goods or something for baby. Even if you’re not bringing food, stopping by for a chat and bringing some essential paper goods like paper plates and cups (so no one has to wash dishes for a few days!!) or toilet paper, etc, can take a load off and just may help curb a need to run to the store. Or shoot mama a text and see if there’s something that baby needs. I had a friend do this and we needed a new pacifier… the pacifiers my friends picked up have been a lifesaver!! And if you’re looking for a last-minute gift idea to drop off for the new mama in your life, the HALO SleepSack has been a game changer for us.

That first week with Aria was a backwards schedule, I mean, she pretty much ate and slept ’round the clock, but her awake times seemed to happen more often during the night instead of during the day. It’s pretty on par with most newborns. But as we were able to adjust her schedule, we also had a few tricks up our sleeve with HALO to help keep her asleep.

No more middle-of-the-night wiggling out of a blanket swaddle, since the SleepSack uses velcro to stay secure. It works for arms in (to reduce the startle reflex), hands-to-face (for self soothing, and my girl’s favorite way to wear her sleeper) or arms out swaddling as well. And with an inverted zipper, I can still change a wet nappy at night without having to unswaddle her arms so she can stay calm and fall easily back asleep. There were a few nights that I didn’t use it, just for different reasons… She fell asleep on me and I didn’t want to wake her to put it on, etc. Then I had ours all washed and clean and decided to use it again and that night she slept for 5 hours before stirring to eat again. Meaning FIVE uninterrupted hours of sleep for me too! I’ve used it every night since. 

We’re giving away a HALO Sleepsack Swaddle to one of you on Instagram this week, so head on over and enter to win!!

Another thing that we’ve really been loving is the HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper, since it keeps Ari close to us at night, easy to reach for those middle-of-the-night feedings, the bassinet swivels 360 degrees so I can climb out of bed without disturbing her, and yet when I need to reach her, she’s right next to me. Plus, the vibration button keeps baby girl calm as soon as I lay her down. A perfect addition to our room, since we keep our babes close for the first few months (and a way to totally help me get more sleep at night!). 

I’d love to hear from you!! What are some ways you like to help out a new mama, or if you are a mom, what are things that have really helped you with a newborn?

Aria is five weeks old now (makes me cry!), and I can’t believe how quickly it’s gone by. And especially with moving this past week, I’m ready to settle in and enjoy her some more. I’m definitely grateful for the friends (and the products) that help a new mama make the transition easier, especially with kids already at home. 

XO

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