As exciting as it is to become a new mom, it is just as exhausting as it is exhilarating. 

As exciting as it is to become a new mom, it is just as exhausting as it is exhilarating. New moms are embracing a completely different lifestyle, and it is not always an easy adjustment. So if your sister, daughter, niece, friend, or even a coworker is a new mom, she may need some help. We have plenty of suggestions for how to spoil her, and trust us; she will greatly appreciate it. Here are 8 great ways to pamper a new mom:

1. Offer a few hours of free babysitting so she can get out of the house.
   Since her newborn has arrived, she probably hasn’t left the house much. If she has, she probably hasn’t left without her baby. Offering free babysitting will allow her to leave and get the peace of mind she needs. She will appreciate the baby-free time, whether it’s running errands, meeting up with friends, or just spending it catching up on sleep. Bonus points if you do a load of the baby’s laundry for her while she is out!

2. Take her out for a girl’s day.
   Once again, a girl’s day is a good option for pampering a new mom. Take her to get her nails done and on the way maybe stop for some lunch. She needs some adult social interaction and a relaxing girls day is the perfect way to make her feel special.

3. Get her a massage gift certificate.
   If you don’t have much time to offer, don’t sweat it. Everyone loves massages, and what’s better than a gift card for one? A nice massage will help her relax and release stress. Kudos if you offer to babysit so she can actually use said gift certificate! Another option, get her an in-home massage and then take that baby out for a walk so she can truly relax.

4. Offer to clean the house.
   Speaking from personal experience, cleaning the house definitely takes a backseat when a new baby arrives. Offering to clean her house will be a huge help that she will appreciate tremendously. If you are not the cleaning type (if we are being honest, I am not), offer to organize a housecleaning service to come to her house.

5. Drop off some food.
   In addition to cleaning, cooking healthy meals is something that tends to fall by the wayside when baby arrives. Offer to bring her some homemade food or food from her favorite carryout restaurant. She will thank you for a meal she has to put zero effort in to preparing. Another option (and one that was a HUGE lifesaver for me) – organize a Meal Train for the new parents. I suggest setting it up for a few months a couple times a week. I was enormously grateful to all of the friends who joined my meal train and made sure I had nutritious food during the transition period.

6. Offer to take some family pictures.
   If you’re handy with a nice camera, this could be a special way to pamper a new mom. Hiring a professional photographer for newborn pictures can get pricy. Offering up your time to take some pictures enables her to get photos with her whole family instead of just her baby and husband or vice versa. These will be sentimental to her for a very long time. Huge thanks to my good friend, Jodi Lister, for stopping by my house and taking what is now my favorite family photo. She even got Buttercup the dog to pose nicely!

7. Keep your visits short and sweet.
   Although all moms are different, it can be overwhelming when a new baby comes along and the house is flooded with guests coming in and out for weeks at a time. If you know she’s been having a large amount of visitors, keep your visit short and sweet, only bringing her or doing for her what she needs.

8. Buy her a bottle of wine.
   Something that just may beat a massage gift card; wine. Mama hasn’t had a drink in 9 long months. Give her a nice bottle of wine so she can have a relaxing glass at the end of her day to take some time to unwind during those few precious minutes when baby is sleeping.

Doing just one of these things for a new mom will earn you eternal gratitude – do all of them and you will be inducted into the Greatest Friend Hall of Fame. So if you know a new mom, take some time to pamper her. She deserves it! What was the best thing someone did to pamper you after baby arrived? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

We welcome your feedback and would love to know how we can continue to improve our hands-free pumping bra designs and make your "mom life" easier.

Carey Bradshaw, Author (& Nursing Aficionado)