Becoming a new parent often proves exciting, exhausting, exhilarating, scary, and fun all rolled into one. Over eighteen years ago, I sat in the hospital bed studying the features of our firstborn. All eight pounds, five ounces of him glowed with a shine of perfection. I sat there, nearly thirty years old and scared silly. In fact, I recall looking at my newborn and thinking, we can’t take him home. We don’t know what to do with him!
It proved a fleeting moment, thankfully. My husband and I eventually landed at home with our new babe in arms. He’s now eighteen and heading to college. In those early years, however, our church was instrumental. They came alongside us, supporting us as parents, me as a new mom. Their thoughtfulness reached for and touched my heart in lasting ways.
New moms need us, church. It’s an area ripe for ministry. Our words and actions have the power to be the fragrance of Christ during a new mama’s time of transition.
How about it? Shall we keep those new parents in sight and find a way to help them? Below are 10 ways we can help new moms. Perhaps one of these will fit the needs of your church.
1. Pray
1 Thessalonians 5:17 calls for prayer without ceasing. Why not offer prayers for new mothers in the congregation?
Set up a month-long (or more) prayer chain
Text a daily prayer
Write out and pray a prayer over the new family, mailing or private messaging it to the new mom
Offer to be their “prayer warrior” - hand a new mom your phone number with encouragement to call for prayer anytime
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2. Send Encouragement
Who doesn’t like a letter, private message, or text of encouragement?
Form a “new mothers” letter writing ministry
Drop several notes of general or parenting encouragement in those new moms’ mailboxes
Text, private message, or email parenting or woman-to-woman encouragement
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3. Give A Goodie Bag
New moms slate many hours on mommy duty, not to mention the time spent during labor and delivery. Send her a goodie bag or two, overflowing with the following:
Chocolate
Tea
Aromatic candles
Relaxing music
Scripture cards
Other appropriate gifts
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4. Throw a Shower
How sweet to have your spiritual family behind you, cheering and encouraging you with a baby shower! Consider showering new moms with some of the following:
Books
Podcasts
Scriptures
Printables
Parenting magazines
Traditional or homemade baby gifts
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5. Be a Mentor
Unchartered parenting territory awaits. Life with her new one is, well, new. Perhaps some of the women in your church can help moms navigate this new life phase with mentoring in these ways:
A prearranged weekly or monthly lunch
Offer words of encouragement for faith and/or parenting
Loan or gift a parenting book
Listen well
Pray
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6. Offer Your Time
Time flies, doesn’t it? Why not grab a few of those precious minutes and offer them to a new mother? Here a few suggestions when babysitting offers might come in handy:
Mommy rest time
Doctor appointment
Help for a specific, reoccurring time each week
Mom and dad date night
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7. Give a Gift Card
Why not offer a gift card to help cover some of life’s additional costs? Formula, diapers, wipes – they all increase the family budget. Consider these types of gift cards:
Big box store
Grocery store
Gas stations
Massage or nail salon
Baby or online store
Restaurant or take-out diner
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8. Hold the Baby
Eating with a baby in arm is sometimes like juggling food, baby, and sanity all at once. It’s not always easy. It becomes even more interesting at a church potluck or dinner. Why not offer to hold the baby so mom can focus on the meal and easily hold adult conversation? Even if it’s ten minutes, many new moms will cherish the thoughtful gift.
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9. Offer Your Skills
The church is full of folks with differing skills. Why not put those skills to use, even if it’s only for an hour or two?
Mow
House clean
Pull weeds
Babysit
Run laundry
Wash dishes
Grocery Shop
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10. Meals Anyone?
Help those new mamas provide healthy meals for their family. Offer to lighten the daily load.
Cook a meal
Prepare a frozen dish – or several
Stock the freezer
Gift paper goods
These are just a few ideas to help our churches surround new moms and their budding families. Ready to find those mothers and reach them with practical arms of Christ?
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Kristi Woods is a writer and speaker passionate about seeing women walk deeper with God. She clicks her words of encouragement at http://www.KristiWoods.net regularly and is published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dreams and Premonitions as well as on Proverbs 31 Encouragement for Today and on various blogs. Kristi, her retired-from-the-military husband, and their three children survived a nomadic, military lifestyle and have now set roots in Oklahoma. Connect with Kristi here: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Originally published Thursday, 20 July 2017.
