- Meg Hendery
Practical Ways to Ease the Stress of New Mothers
By Bailey Stiner, QCNC Intern
Everyone knows someone who has had a baby at some point. This transition
is exciting, daunting, and something that new parents often feel overwhelmed by
and unprepared for. New parents plan so much for the pregnancy and birth of their
newest addition, but what happens when baby comes and they get to take their tiny
human home?
Most often new moms go home sore, tired, and their baby needs them
immensely. Adjusting to life with a newborn is HARD. New moms may not need to
be prepared entirely, but they do need compassion, love, and support in the
trenches of motherhood. Everyone wants to hold the baby, but who holds the
mother? Here are some practical ways that you can best love on and support a new
mom.
1. Understand that she may not want visitors for a while.
Friends and family tend to swoop in the second the new parents pull into
the driveway with their baby. They claw and paw to get in their baby
snuggles while everyone really just wants to take a nap. Knowing when to
give space to a new mother and backing off until she’s ready for her
mother-in-law, third cousin, or college roommate to storm the house will
be more appreciated than you know. Giving her space after birth, if she
wants it, is a way of saying that you respect her boundaries.
2. Get your own glass of water or cup of coffee.
Ugh. The home of new parents is not a bed and breakfast. The last thing a
new mother should be asked to do is get up and make a cup of coffee for
the visitor that just. won’t. leave. Better yet, make mom a cup of coffee.
She certainly needs it for than you do.
3. Come bearing gifts.
A yummy and nutrient rich meal, a cozy set of nursing friendly pajamas,
her favorite snacks, or a nice bottle of wine. Bringing something along
with you may not seem like a big deal, but it means you took the time to
think about what might make her day.
4. Help around the house.
Offer to do a load of laundry, wash the dishes, pick up the massive pile of
toys in the floor from their toddler. Or if you’re able, hire out a cleaning
service to do a thorough clean of the whole house. This is a gift that
everyone wants to receive – who doesn’t love a clean house?!
5. Hire professional help.
This may be the gift of all gifts for a new mom, whether it’s her first or
fifth baby. The new parent’s family and friends could pool together
enough funds to hire out a Newborn Care Specialist, Night Nurse, or
Postpartum Doula. Integrating professional help to educate and support
new parents is an invaluable gesture that they’ll never forget. This would
make the perfect gift to give at a baby shower so everything could be
planned for before baby makes their appearance!
While none of these are overly extravagant, they all let a new mom know
how loved and supported she is. In order for moms to recover and feel their best,
they must have a tribe of people around them acting as the village that each mother
needs. Her physical, mental, and emotional health should be nurtured in the first
days, weeks, and months after the arrival of a squishy babe. We are all better when
the mothers in our lives feel full and cared for.
#charlottenightnurse #charlottenewborncare #charlottebabycare #newbornbabyincharlotte #newbornnursecharlotte
