It’s common to want great friends. Friends who care about you, spend time making sure you’re doing well, and who genuinely want you to succeed. Friendship is a wonderful thing, and we all strive to have great ones. However, sometimes it’s hard to figure out how to practically show you care when someone you value is facing challenges.
Here are practical ways to help you show someone who pregnant some unconditional love and support. We want to help you be that resource they reach out to when they are in need, and that friend they KNOW they can count on:
- Take a friend for a cup of coffee. Small acts of kindness go a very long way. Extend the offer to take a friend out to her favorite coffee shop and buy her favorite drink. It’s a small little gesture, affordable and won’t break the bank, and the friend will really appreciate the time and effort you’re pouring into the friendship. It also gives her an opportunity for her to share her feelings, fears and emotions she’s going through while pregnant.
- Think about this: How would you feel if you had a rough day and your friend texted you, asking the two of you meet up for coffee the next day, coffee on her? If it were us, we know it would be a great blessing – a great joy – and absolutely provide the light needed at the end of a long day. Friends help friends be better people!
- Babysit older children so she can take a nap. Small acts, we will keep repeating it. Even the smallest of offers like going to your exhausted friend’s house for a couple hours to keep the older kids busy while she naps will make her day.
- Maybe even those chores that everyone despises and dreads doing? The laundry, the dishwasher, offering to grab some milk at the grocery store on your way over to her house… the list goes on. See if there are any chores like that you can just do without asking for a pregnant friend in need.
- Remember her on holidays and her birthday – she may have no one in her life to say she is valued and loved. Small things… sound familiar? Just make a note on your planner or work calendar to reach out to her on these important days. Even if you didn’t wake up knowing it was her special day, she doesn’t need to know that. To her, she needs to know she is remembered, valued, and thought of.
No matter the situation, whether you or a friend are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, looking for support during pregnancy, or in general resources during your pregnancy – our community is here for you! These practical suggestions may seem so simple, but they’ll add up to those around you and make all of the difference for someone who is pregnant to feel seen, heard, valued and understood.