There are few things in life as exciting as finding out you are pregnant (read the story of how I found out here!) or as meeting your new baby in the first minutes of his/her life. The moment I found out I was pregnant and going to be a mother was one of the most exciting surreal moments of my life. The moment I met Rowan, I was overcome with love. My heart was in my throat. At the same time, these two moments in time can also be a bit scary too.
Everything, absolutely everything, changes. From work schedules to exercise schedules to sleep schedules to personal routines… it all gets turned upside down with change. It can be so much to adjust to and handle for new moms. Simply put, we can’t do it alone and that is more than okay. Becoming a mother is a great lesson in learning to accept help!
I recently shared on my Instagram Story a few thoughts on new motherhood. I am currently consumed with how much I love being a mom. My favorite moments of my days and weeks are time spent doing things like rocking my little Rowan to sleep (something I honestly used to dread). I know now that, at the time, I didn’t realize how underwater I was in the first 3 months of being a new mom. Because I was so in the thick of it, day in and day out.
Now, 5 months postpartum, I feel like a completely different person! Rocking Rowan to sleep is a perfect example of the change I’ve felt. I used to dread it because I was so unbelievably sleep deprived and physically weak from my C-section, the baby cries and tears were too much, the whole routine of getting Rowan down to bed was tedious, and the anxiety I felt about how long he would nap for or how little time I had to myself before he woke up was sometimes crippling. It is all SO different now! I literally cherish my time now putting Rowan down and, each time it happens, I don’t want it to end.
The more I regained who I was pre-baby, the more rested and healed I became, the more we got to know each other, the more confidence I got as a mother, and the more my mindset shifted around what I CAN DO with my time while Rowan sleeps versus what I couldn’t fit into my time while Rowan sleeps, the more I’ve loved motherhood and all the routines, nuances, and even struggles. Putting Rowan down for naps and for bedtime is now some of my favorite quiet time we spend together all day long. I wouldn’t have believed you if you had told me I’d feel this way 4 months ago! It is sweet, cozy, and comforting. Nothing in the world can beat when he falls asleep on me!
Getting a baby down to sleep is honestly just one example of how overwhelming things can be for new moms. So it’s so worth it to take a little time out of our days to show new moms how much we care for and love them!
It is really easy for a new mom or a woman who just found out she is pregnant to become anxious, depressed or less interested in things she used to love simply because of things like physical and body changes, hormonal changes, and the natural stress from experiencing something new or of taking care of a teeny tiny person. As such, it’s beyond important that family and friends uplift new moms and show them that they have a circle of loving and caring people rooting for them with the goal of seeing them happy and smiling on the inside and out! If you have a new mom in your life you want to give some love to, then you’ll love my thoughts on how to pamper a new mom to keep her spirits high!
How To Pamper A New Mom
When pampering a new mom, I think the best things to ask yourself are “What will make her life easier?” or “What will make her feel more like herself?” or “what will keep her spirits high?” I’ve keep these questions in mind + my experience in mind when coming up with my tips and gift ideas for how to pamper a new mom.
Drop Off Home Cooked Meals
My most favorite way people pampered us was by dropping off food! In the chaos and sleep deprivation of the initial postpartum period, finding the time or energy to cook full meals can be a challenge. I really wanted yummy, nourishing food though! The lack of sleep and breastfeeding made eating healthy and filling meals that much more important. My parents were amazing with cooking and dropping us off food, which was a godsend! Edwin’s parents, our friends, and our neighbors were also amazing with dropping us off or sending us meals. I can’t stress enough how helpful and wonderful this was! I’m telling you, when it comes to gifts for new moms, the best gift is yummy food!
Create A Meal Train
Sticking with the food theme here… if you live to organize and love taking control of a project, then be the point person that creates your special new mom friend or family member a meal train. Meal trains are incredible because they give new moms the gift of nourishing food while also giving them a schedule so they know when they can expect to receive food. Meal Train is also a fantastic service that easily creates meal trains in an online format, making it even easier for you to create a meal train for a new mom!
Do A Grocery Store Run
Getting to the grocery store as a new mom is nearly impossible. Pamper new mothers by doing a grocery run for them! This can be as easy as going for yourself and doubling up on your grocery store list. A stocked fridge is a fantastic gift for new moms.
Pick Up The Tab On A Month Or Two Of A Meal Subscription
I love this gift idea for new moms! New moms don’t have a lot of time to prepare or cook dinner like they used to. So a great alternative to dropping off food is to gift a new mom a month of a meal subscription plan.
Gift An Uber Eats Gift Card
In a pinch, when new parents are exhausted, there is always Uber Eats (thank goodness for delivery services!). An Uber Eats gift card is extremely useful and helpful. It might not feel like the most exciting way to pamper a new mom. But I promise it will be one of the first gifts she uses.
Gift An Amazon Gift Card
Sure, giving someone an Amazon gift card might not come to mind when thinking about “pampering” but I’m telling you, this is a GREAT gift for new moms, especially if you live in a different location and can’t be there to pamper or help in in-person ways. A few people emailed us Amazon gift cards in the weeks after Rowan was born and it felt like such a gift. I’m sure other moms can relate. But I was shocked at how much I found myself ordering on Amazon as a new mom. There is always something you feel like you need during the desperate middle of the night hours. And always more diapers, wipes, nipple cream, pads, etc. you need. The diaper bag doesn’t fill itself so an Amazon gift card really is a useful and practical way to pamper a new mom.
Offer To Watch The Mom’s Older Kids
If the new mom you are pampering has any older children, then a really wonderful and generous way to pamper her is by offering to watch her older children. I’ve seen friends who have more than one child be so grateful for this! It allows the mom to have time to bond with her new baby, time to see her spouse, or time to rest while the baby sleeps without having to keep up with or entertain toddlers.
Dog Sit
Animal lovers, your love of dogs can really come in handy here! Offer to dog sit or dog walk a new mom’s dogs to take that off the new mom’s plate.
Schedule A Housekeeper Service
Dust bunnies can wait when you have a newborn but the fact of the matter is that the laundry piles up and we all just feel better when we have a clean home. A really thoughtful and helpful gift to give a new mom is to schedule a housekeeping service to come for a cleaning. I think about how much I love having our house cleaned in regular times. And then I think about how incredible it was to have it cleaned in the early postpartum weeks… actual bliss!
Gift A Mani Pedi
For some physical pampering, gift a mani pedi. As a new mom, I can tell you that it felt like absolute heaven the first time I snuck off to get my nails done and to have my feet rubbed. This is a perfect gift! Offer to go with the new mom too so she can have some friend time.
Gift A Prenatal Or Postpartum Massage
Prenatal massages are heavenly while pregnant and a postpartum massage is wonderful after having a baby (when your doctor gives you the okay!). I got a really bad kink in my back after having Rowan from sitting so much after my C-section, while learning how to breastfeed, and while holding the baby in new ways, etc. You just don’t move a ton in the early weeks. So, a postpartum massage is a heavenly way to pamper a new mom.
Gift A Home Care Kit
Send over an at-home care kit or a mom gift basket. This can include things like bath soaks, bath bombs, body wash, belly lotions and oils, foot creams, nipple cream (the best one!), gel nipple cooling pads, chap stick, a large water bottle, sleep masks, silk pillows, and weighted blankets (overnight, I sweat too much in the beginning for a weighted blanket but I loved it for when I took naps. I had so much anxiety falling asleep for naps and it helped me.). It sounds like fun to put together your own mom gift basket full of your favorite mama bear gift ideas or Hatch has a few cute little kits.
Gift A Cute But Practical Outfit
Drop off a gift box with a cute but practical outfit. I think this outfit can be intended for either staying at home or leaving the house. As a new mom, I definitely had a longing to be feeling good and looking put together, even if that meant in a nightgown.
I love the idea of taking care of a new mom by gifting her a pretty nightgown, a nap dress, a sleepshirt, a cute set of maternity pajamas (I’ve lived in these since having Rowan), soft bras (not technically maternity but I love this bra and have worn it a ton since having R), or comfy leggings (my favorite leggings while pregnant and in months after giving birth), a pretty button-up (so key for breastfeeding moms – when I didn’t know what I was doing in the beginning, button-up tops and maternity pjs were so helpful!), or a feminine but loose flowy dress (aka anything that doesn’t hug your body or touch your incision if you’ve had a C-section). P.S. Hill House has a wonderful mama gift set that comes complete with a nap dress, an eye mask, and a silk pillowcase.
Gift Your Green Thumb
Laundry can be difficult to stay on top of after having a baby, let alone your yard! Make a new mama smile but planting some flowers in her yard or spending an hour or two doing yardwork. I must say, I don’t have a green thumb so I wouldn’t offer this up. But if I did love gardening, then I could see this being a fun gift idea to do for a new mom.
Recommend Your Favorite Movies
What they say is true, you watch a lot of movies and tv after having a baby. You honestly don’t get out of bed or off of the sofa that much in the early weeks. I ran out of movies to watch so I loved when friends sent over their favorite movies because it reminded me of so many I hadn’t seen in a while or brought new ones onto my radar.
Wearing a Lake Pajamas Nightshirt
I hope this post gave you some ideas for how to pamper a new mom! Personally, I know that all the love around me was what really got me through some of my most emotional and exhausting moments. xx
