Just had a baby? I'm here for you!

I can name seven (!) babies that have been born since the end of March. Crazy, huh?

One of our friends has just had (as in, like this morning!), GULP, twins! Her first kid(s) and she was blessed with a 24 hr labor before getting that damned proverbial C-section. Sweet girl, she's in great spirits and the twin baby girls were born both at nearly 8lbs/each after 39 weeks of cooking.

Got me thinking? What have you done for your new mama-friend lately? Here's some grand ideas that are easy to do and so appreciated by the new mama, papa, and their family:

• Meals delivery: MAKE sure this happens after they get home! Dinner is perfect, lunch is an incredible plus, and if you can and it's appropriate, encourage delivery friends to add a six pack of beer for dad. It won't go wasted, promise.
• Gift Card to Costco/Sams Club/Wal-Mart: For one friend, I asked each of our friends to donate $10-20 then took the total cash and bought one giant gift card at Costco. They can get diapers for at least 6 months now!
• Buy a newspaper the day of the birth: They are so busy and consumed with babies that they don't know it will be so cool to read their local paper years later on their sweet babe's birthday.
• Gift them Housecleaning or Massages: Both mama and papa will so appreciate knowing that for once their house will be clean. Or another option, the massage. Nothing is more appreciated than a fantastic rub down after 9-10 months of focused pregnancy and hopeful wishes of holding a baby!
• Scrapbook the Facebook pages of the parents: It's true and we all know it, most of us have Facebook accounts. And much of our communication lies on our profile page. Upon announcement of the birth(s), everyone who loves them will post the softest, sweetest things. Find a way to chronicle those sweet nothings and pass it on to the parents in a few months. They'll love the revisit.
• Call soon: Trust that they will choose if they can talk at the time you call and in the meantime they will appreciate that you are still treating them like a human.
• It truly takes a village: Never forget that. Remind your friends often.

I am so proud of each and every one of us parents. It's a beautiful and incredible journey that we are trusting. May we always feel loved, supported, and proud of what we have been blessed with.