Today as I was rushing to get errands done while my mom watched Giuliana at home, I stopped at Trader Joes for a little grocery shopping. As I was walking into the store, I noticed a mom struggling to walk in with a heavy car seat and oversized diaper bag. As she got closer, I peaked over at the car seat and noticed a really tiny baby. I said, “He looks about the same size as my little one. How old is he?” She replied, “Three weeks.” I said, “Mine just turned 4 weeks but I’ve still yet to take her out on errands by myself.” Her response, “I’m brave I guess” as she let out a big sigh entering the store.

I went about my business rushing through the store throwing all sorts of items in the cart. I approached the dairy section and bumped into that same new mommy. I took a moment to notice the exhausted look on her face and as I was picking out my yogurt, I turned to her and asked, “So do you feel like a walking zombie?” She looked up at me with tears in her eyes and replied, “I don’t even have words for the way I feel.” I then said, “The first few weeks are tough aren’t they? Nobody really talks about how hard the first few weeks are–but I can totally relate.” Her eyes literally filled with tears and I asked her, “Can I give you a hug?” And there it was, me hugging a complete stranger in the diary section of Trader Joes. I looked at her after pulling away and said, “It’s all going to be okay. We’ll get through it.” She smiled, nodded, wiped away her tears and continued shopping.

Not sure if that hug helped her get through the rest of her day or just through the next hour but I’m glad I offered it just the same. #momhelpingmom