Gift Ideas for the New Mama

Let’s bring out the real truths here, parenting is tough. Being a new parent is even more overwhelming. As new parents, even when we say that mother instinct is no joke, there are still some practical things that truly need to be learned that don’t come naturally, such as changing diapers, showering the baby, amongst others. And if you’re that ignorant friend that has no clue how to deal with the babes (say, like me before I had my own baby), you might want to focus your attention as well on the recuperating momma instead. Because honestly, most of the time, the attention is always on the new baby and less on the overtired momma. So without further ado, here are some gift ideas that would be extremely helpful for the new mama. 

1. A new water bottle with a straw – Giving a new mama who intends to breastfeed a new water bottle that has a built-in straw would be a real help to encourage her to continuously replenish her fluids. Because when you’re just repetitively trying to get your baby to latch continuously, and when your hands are full with the baby, having to pop up the straw to drink leisurely is way easier with one hand at least. Even if your friend already has a water bottle, it never hurts to have more so that she can leave the water bottle basically everywhere in her house where she often spends time nursing the baby. I personally had 3 water bottles and I refill those three every single day. 
2. Lactation cookies – Another thoughtful gift if your new mama friend intends to breastfeed are lactation cookies. They’re usually pricier than normal cookies, so if you even want to go the extra mile and bake these goodies yourself, check out this simple lactation bites recipe I made by myself! 
3. Photoshoot session – Capturing those baby moments are super precious but can be the last thing on your new mama friend’s brain when she’s busy trying to learn the ropes and is being overwhelmed with everything that comes with motherhood. If you have a talent for taking photos, even with just the use of a camera and a nice background, you all would be good to go!
4. Healthy homecooked meals – With a mixture of sleep deprivation, soothing a baby, keeping up with the household chores, new mamas usually just prefer to take a few more winks of sleep than to gather the energy to cook themselves a meal. So bring some healthy homecooked meals that will help boost the milk supply and postpartum recovery that they just have to simply reheat. If you can go the extra mile, snatch their grocery list and take care of the tab, and even meal prep for them. Bless your kind souls <3
5. Capsule maternity wardrobe – Just for everyone’s information, in case you still don’t know, we don’t immediately go back to our original pre-pregnancy body after giving birth. More often than not, we still look a bit pregnant. And the last thing a new mom needs is to be worrying about what to wear. Give her at least a capsule wardrobe selection that she will feel comfortable wearing and make her feel like there’s at least one good thing she can feel good about, her appearance. Shower her with nursing tanks, tops, dresses, and even some comfy pajamas. 

So here are my top 5 suggested gift ideas for the new mama. Do take note though, that each new mama may need different things as well. These are simply based on my own experience. And if you do intend to visit, stay tuned for my next blog post on some common courtesy tips to apply so that you wouldn’t unintentionally add more anxiety or stress to your new mama friend.  Furthermore, keep your visit short and sweet, and most importantly, genuinely ask them how are they and listen without judgments. More than anything else, simply show that you care and that you’d always give your encouraging support, even through words. Remember that It’s always the simple things that count the most.