Hello all. I have a sticky situation and would love some help/perspective/advice.

I will be heading back to school to teach part time in August -- 2 days a week, 5 hours a day. Our primary child care person, my brother-in-law, is out of town for the first few weeks of school.

My mom, who is currently visiting from out of state for the week, has offered to come into town for a week to help provide babysiting coverage.

I would love the help, but this current visit has me wondering if she's up for the challenge. It feels like she doesn't remember at all what it takes to care for a newborn. So far, she's had a lot of trouble soothing him (he likes to be moved around and bounced), holding him, feeding him, burping him, changing him, etc.

She's scared she'll hurt him, and she has some mobility issues that make me worried that she'll hurt herself while trying to care for him.

He'll be 10 weeks when she visits -- a heavier, (hopefully) less fussy baby -- and I'm not completely confident she'll be able to cope. I also think she's thinking similar thoughts, but we both are avoiding talking about it because that's how our family rolls.

Thoughts? How do I broach the topic? What do I say? What other options are there that would allow her to help while protecting her and my son from stress/harm?

Thanks!