Your friend is pregnant. You have all of these plans for things you want to do for her at her baby shower. Even better, you're thinking that she'll really love the home-cooked meals that you plan on dropping off once baby makes an entrance in the world.
That's all well and good, friend, but what about NOW? Mamas-to-be need pampering in the present time, too. Consider treating your favorite pregnant mama to some (or all!) of these things.
1. Do spa treatments for her
I know what you're thinking: Are you kidding me? I'm not even into doing spa treatments for myself, but I've got to attempt to do them for a friend? Yes, girl. Because it'll be an absolute blast that you and your preggo friend will talk about for years. Going to get your nails done is easy. Massaging your friend's feet and slathering her in a face mask is way more fun! Add some Netflix bingeing and lots of snacks to the mix and you just may win friend of the year award.
2. Cook her dinner, bring her dinner, or take her other kids out to eat
After I gave birth, I loved the friends that visited and brought food with them. But what I loved more was when friends would text me saying they were coming by with dinner when I was a mere six months pregnant. Um, OK!
Thanks to extreme exhaustion and wonky taste buds, being pregnant and planning meals can be challenging for some. For the friends that realize this and want to hook a sister up with a meal, bless you. And yes, you get a gajillion extra points if you insist on taking my older child out to eat, so I can enjoy not scraping applesauce off the wall.
3. Help her start on the baby book
I recently did this for a friend and, man, was she ever grateful. There's something special about working on baby books and getting started on them before baby arrives. Getting all giddy over the stickers and fun scrapbooking bits (oh, and glitter!) means you can start filling out the "Life Before You" sections in the baby book. At the very least, this helps Mom get started and, hopefully, she won't end up like me and have a 2-year-old with an incomplete baby book.
4. Brainstorm with her spouse to help plan a dynamic babymoon
I thought the whole concept of a babymoon sounded a bit silly, but honestly, why shouldn't couples get a chance to experience their last fun weekend together before baby arrives? Brainstorming with your friend's spouse to create a surprise babymoon may turn out to be a ton of fun. She'll love knowing that you had a part in it, and her spouse will certainly appreciate the ideas and suggestions.
5. Just sit with her
I loved my friends that would come over and and just want to sit. Later in my pregnancy, a few weeks before my daughter was born, I just wasn't in the mood to do a ton of walking around and driving. Sitting and lying around was ideal, and I loved the friends that would stop by and demand that we do, well, nothing. Sometimes we'd talk our way through movies, and sometimes we'd browse YouTube videos like we were 16-year-olds. Just being, sitting, and enjoying girl time was so incredibly enjoyable.
