My best friend just had a baby last week. Here’s an excerpt of an e-mail I sent her–

”
I was remembering how important it is to have different kinds of friends around you in the early days of motherhood. You need an Aunt Beast [see A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle] who will just listen, cluck sympathetically and stroke your hair as you recount the trials and tribulations of motherhood, sore nipples, sleep deprivation, etc. You need a Ya-Ya Mama who’s going to mix you a martini, laugh with you about how absurdly demeaning it is to go around with spitup on your clothes and totally unable to form a coherent thought anymore. You also need a Strong Mama who will not let you feel sorry for yourself for too terribly long, who will make you get up and brush your teeth at least, and who will not let you quit nursing just because you’re having a bad day.
”

Perhaps you can think of other characters to add to the motherhood circle.