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The birth of a baby brings so much joy, excitement, and hope for the future. However, it takes a toll on new moms. We’re sleep-deprived, overwhelmed, hormonal, and we’re still learning how to care for our new baby.
Thanks to the support of my family and friends, I was able to survive the postpartum period, physically recover, and have my mental health fully intact. This is not always the case for every mom who gives birth.
Some moms may not have their close family and friends near where they live. Some women do not have the finances or the proper home setting to fully take care of their new baby. There may also be some who had complications from giving birth that make it difficult to take care of the baby during the first few weeks.
We all need to do our part to support moms after the baby is born. On the other hand, many of us do want to help but don’t know how. Here are 7 ways you can help a new mom after birth:
1. Prepare Meals for Her
One of the best gifts you can give a new mom is a wholesome meal. She needs something to provide her energy throughout the day and night while providing her and the baby with nutrients if she is nursing.
Cook her favorite dish or prepare freezer entrees so she has it ready in her freezer when she’s ready to eat. Set up a meal train with friends and family to bring a homemade meal each day to get the new family through the first week or so.
If she is breastfeeding, include ingredients to improve her milk supply like moringa. Try to use my chicken tinola with moringa recipe here. This dish is what my friends and husband made for me when my son was born to help increase my milk supply.
If you prefer to buy food, use Uber Eats to deliver mom’s favorite restaurant meals. You can also set up a group gift with other friends and family members with eGifter to get her choice of restaurant gift cards to feed her for several weeks.
For cheaper options, you can get her discounted restaurant deals through Groupon. You could also create a gift basket with her favorite drinks and snacks to nourish her through the night feedings.
2. Treat Mom
Giving birth is hard work but the real work comes during the weeks after the baby is born. Treat the new mother to something delicious or fun to brighten her day and congratulate her for her hard work.
Take her out for a haircut, a mani/pedi, or even just for a walk around the park for fresh air. Give her and the hubby a night off so they can go to the movies or have a date night.
You can also get her a box of her favorite chocolates or bring her her favorite drink from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. You can even send her a box of yummy lactation cookies that will help her produce more milk.
Create a self-care gift basket for her with these fun products:
- 24k golden eye masks to moisturize and reduce dark circles, puffiness, and wrinkles from lack of sleep
- Shower bombs with essential oils to reduce stress even for 5 minutes
- Motivational water bottle to encourage her to drink more water especially when nursing
- Massage gun to get those knots out from sleeping in the reclining chair while the baby is napping
- Amazon gift card because she’ll probably be shopping for last-minute essentials at 2 am while nursing baby
For more gift ideas for new moms, check out my posts 6 Breastfeeding and Pumping Station Must-Haves and Mother’s Day Gift Guide.
3. Subscription Box
A fun way to support a new mama is by providing her with a monthly subscription box. Cratejoy offers a variety of subscription boxes that will help new mothers through the postpartum period and their breastfeeding journey.
Some of Cratejoy’s most interesting new mommy subscription boxes include:
- The Cater to Mom subscription box includes postpartum essentials that are organic, natural, vegan, and cruelty-free.
- The Mama Bird Box provides self-care items perfect for a tired and overwhelmed parent.
- The Mother Snacker subscription box delivers snacks and other unique items. You can have this as a one time present or as a 3, 6, or 12-month subscription.
Subscription boxes are ideal gifts for new moms lives far away from you and you want to surprise her with something special every month.
4. Give Her a Helping Hand
Help a new momma by offering to cook, clean, or run errands for her. Offer to watch the baby for an hour or two so she can get a nap, eat, or shower. If they have other children or pets, take them out for a walk or play with them outside.
Use Meal Train Plus to split up childcare, housework, rides, and other tasks with other family and friends. It makes it easy to schedule and organize errands for new moms at home.
Send her organic and non-GMO groceries through Thrive Market or ready-made meal kits through Blue Apron. I can’t stress this enough how helpful it is to provide new mothers with wholesome meals.
More importantly, ask her if you can do a specific task for her instead of asking her if she needs anything because she’ll have so many things on her to do list, she won’t know what to ask you.
5. Respect Her Wishes
If the new mama wants no visitors for the first two weeks, don’t stress her out by showing up unannounced. If you are allowed to visit, don’t overstay your welcome.
Don’t take or post baby pictures if the new parents haven’t posted anything on social media. The important thing is to ask before you do something.
In these current times, the new mom might ask you to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer before holding the baby. She may even ask that you not visit if you have any sign of a cough or cold.
Respect her wishes to reduce the stress she already has in navigating motherhood.
6. Check-In With Her
According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 8 women experience symptoms of postpartum depression. It’s important to check-in with a new mother to see how she’s doing and managing this new and stressful period in her life.
Being a new mom can be quite lonely especially during the long newborn nights. Send her a text, give her a call, or send her a funny new mom card.
Let her know that your relationship with her hasn’t changed. Include her in events and parties. Just because she’s a parent doesn’t mean she can’t do the same things as before.
Sometimes all she needs is someone to listen to her talk about her struggles. It may not be the same conversation that you used to have or you may not relate to it but it would really help her release some of the tensions, anxieties or worries that she’s been having. Sometimes that can be a gift in and of itself.
If she is experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety, encourage her to talk to her doctor and seek assistance. You could even offer to go to the doctor with her or watch the baby during her appointment.
You should let her know that she should not be ashamed or hide what she is going through.
Be that person she can talk to or count on for support. Make sure she gets the services she needs to be healthy for her and her baby.
7. Let Her Know She’s Doing a Good Job
One of the simplest ways to help a new mom is to know she’s doing a good job whenever you see her. This reminder can really brighten her day and renew her confidence in her new role.
Most of the comments I’ve received since giving birth is about how well my son is growing. Even though I value these compliments, the one that stays with me the most was whenever my friend would look at my growing son and tell me “good job mama!”.
I never realized how rare we moms hear this compliment. We often get unwanted and unsolicited comments or advice. We may sometimes compare ourselves and our kids to others. There are also times we can never get anything right, nothing gets done, and we don’t know what to do.
Get her this fun mug or this cute onesie for the baby so she can be reminded of how well she’s doing everyday.
Telling a woman that she’s doing a good job as a parent is a wonderful reassurance that we have done well to take care of our children despite everything. It reminds us that what we do is good enough. We don’t have to be supermom and we don’t have to have a pinterest worthy family life. We just have to be the best mom we can be at that time.
I hope these tips have provided you some great ideas to support a new mom after birth. If you have anything else to add, please comment below!
Related Pregnancy and Postpartum Articles
- 6 Breastfeeding and Pumping Station Must-Haves (for Small Spaces)
- My Best Friend Malunggay: Moringa for Breastfeeding Moms
- Mother’s Day Gift Guide
