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Help! Now she’s a grandmother. Hey everybody this is Rebecca Powell for
Baby Talk Radio. You know your mother-in-law is your husband’s mom. If you
haven’t had a good relationship with her in the past it’s time to open your
heart to her now and it may be even easier than you think. The first thing
to do is define some common ground. A grandbaby is a great place to start.
For
now on the two of you will always have something to talk about. You can
keep your mom and pop in law on all the latest events in your pregnancy and
as your newborn grows. If she lives close by ask her to accompany you on
some doctor visits, your prenatal appointments and then later the baby’s
checkups with the baby’s pediatrician. It always helps to have an extra set
of hands.
If
she lives out of town you can keep her involved by supplying her with
pictures beginning with your ultrasound or how about a picture of her son’s
face when you told him the big news? You may even want to consider setting
up a home page on the internet to show off all the latest pictures and
videos of your baby online. How about creating a podcast? It might be
difficult but you could ask for her help.
When
you ask for her help you’ll really have a chance to get her involved in your
life as well as the new babies. You don’t have to ask her to stay with you
for a week but what about asking her to for help with stocking your
freezer? When the new baby arrives you’re going to be very glad if you have
some quick and easy meals to prepare.
If
she loves to cook ask her to prepare and freeze several of her son’s
favorite meals for the crazy weeks ahead. Is she good at decorating? If
she has a talent for home design get her to help you with decorating the
nursery. She can help you move furniture, clean out drawers, wallpaper,
paint, anything you need I bet you’ll find a willing recruit. When you
start to think about birth announcements there is a great job for your
mother-in-law. She can help you address envelopes.
It’s
also a great time to ask your husband’s mom about her own birthing
experience. What kind of relationship did she have with her mother-in-law?
Did she have family close by when she was a young mother? Did she keep a
baby book? To start asking questions to get your mom-in-law to really start
thinking about her own experience as a new mother you need to get ready to
see another side of this woman who raised your husband because at one time
she was a young mother a lot like you. This is Rebecca Powell for Baby Talk
Radio. Visit me on the web at
http://www.rebeccapowell.com.
