You may have read our post on throwing a nesting party (see here) in lieu of a baby shower for a pregnant friend. What we didn’t mention in that post was the benefits a nesting party can create for after the baby is born. This was maaaaaybe the reason for this idea in the first place: to familiarize a group of close friends and family (a mother’s inner circle, see here) with the goings on in her home so they can better support her postpartum.
Here’s how you can make the effects of a nesting party go as far as they can:
Start a Meal Train
Before the nesting party, start a Meal Train page for her. As they leave, have guests write down their email addresses so you can invite them to her meal train to sign up for meal delivery. See our printable here.
Extra tip: have this sign up sheet on the same table as the party favors, if you decide to do them (see some ideas here)
Coordinate Your Own Meal Delivery Plan for Mom
If you want a little more control over the situation, make an after-the-due-date calendar of your own that guests can sign up on at the nesting party. This way, you’ll have it (at least mostly) covered. Just remember:
- Beforehand, ask mom about frequency. Does she want meals every night? Or just 3 times a week (to eat up those leftovers)?
- Have your guests write down their email address under their name on the calendar, so you can send reminders.
- Provide index cards for them to write themselves a reminder (see our printable here – be sure to print on cardstock)
Around the time the baby is born, send out a mass email to everyone who signed up to provide the calendar and give some general guidelines (What is mom’s time preference for delivery? Does the family have any food restrictions? Food aversions?)
Have Guests Take their Nesting Cards with Them
Remember the nesting cards guests used to clean mom’s house at the nesting party (these bad boys)? Don’t toss ‘em! Have everyone take their cards with them to keep somewhere safe. When they deliver a meal, they can then help out with the area they were designated. They’ll have done it before, so it should be old hat. What a blessing for mom’s family to have an area of their house cleaned every time someone brings a meal. Double whammy! Even a once-over in the bathroom can do wonders for a postpartum mother’s peace of mind.
Onward, support people! Keep on blessing those new mamas!
How does Marabou support women?
We live in culture where “bouncing back” is more valued than proper rest. As admirable as it may be for a sports star to get back on the field, the same rules don’t apply to postpartum recovery. The traditional resting period has been stolen from women through pressure to get back to their job or simply through lack of presence.
Grandmas, sisters and best friends who otherwise would have been there to help a woman transition into motherhood often live too far away to be of any help. Household chores and caring for older children inevitably fall on the mom. But she just delivered a new life! She needs rest.
Marabou Services is a unique gift registry which provides services instead of stuff. Most mom’s get too many onesies, too many baby blankets and not enough helping hands. Break out of a destructive cultural norm and start a Marabou registry today.
With a Marabou registry you can sing up for any service which will benefit you or someone you know during the postpartum recovery period.
Postpartum doulas for a first time mom
House cleanings for moms of multiples
Childcare for moms with older children!
Once your registry is created, add it to any other registry or post it to your Facebook and ask friends and family contribute to your postpartum service, rather than buying you more stuff.
More and more moms find they have to figure out postpartum alone. Is it any wonder why PMDs are on the rise? Or women are embittered by the journey of motherhood? We can change that by giving the gift of peace.
