It is hard to believe we have been hugging babies for 25 years!

What a blessing it has been for me to share in the miracle of newborns with families in the greater Nashville area for 25 years.

I started New Mother’s Helper after I decided to stay home with my own little miracle, Jessica. I was working fulltime downtown as a computer programmer and going to Belmont College at night. Certainly no time for children but it happened. My husband and I had been together for 13 years and most family thought we’d never have kids but it happened.

I cried the first 3 months and ate the last 6 months. Figured if I was going to gain weigh I might as well enjoy it. But when the nurse laid Jessica in my arms for the first time I knew this is what I was suppose to be doing. A light bulb moment, God was telling me –  this is what life is all about.

I had no family in town but my mother came and stayed with me for a week when I came home with Jessica. She was a lifesaver. She helped with the household chores and made sure I ate good food to speed up my recovery from childbirth. She was there to take Jessica first thing in the morning when I needed more sleep. She was the calming force in our household when I felt like this tiny infant had created chaos in our home.

I cried when she left. But yet felt more confident in my mothering skills just because she had been here and instilled a sense of calmness.

I first started a new mother’s support group. Everyone I knew was working so needed some new friends. We met every other week for lunch and talked about our babies. These ladies were invaluable to me and helped make the transition from career woman to stay at home mom easier and more fun. But within our group, I found an overwhelming gap in help when new babies come home. The new mothers were either like me and had no family in town or their family had jobs and couldn’t be there every day to help out. I will be forever grateful to those new moms, they gave me the idea for New Mother’s Helper.

The idea that new mothers need mothering. To instill in them confidence and provide a calmness to their households. And most importantly – sleep!

Thanks to every new mother who allowed us to be a part of their miracle and to help them pass into motherhood more confident and less sleep deprived. Here’s to another 25 years!

Kathy Williams