Maybe I'm bad, but I never asked - I just said I was coming to help and I got no resistance - in fact, both my daughter and my SIL were VERY happy to hear that. My mother lived near me when I had my kids and she always took a week off work and came everyday. It was a Godsend. She cleaned, did laundry, grocery shopped and cooked. I was able to go to my older daughter's on a daily basis, but my young one lived in MD when her first was born and I stayed a little longer than a week and when the second was born, just a few months ago at their home upstate NY I went for nearly 2 weeks. Both times, she cried when I left. So, make that call - tell them you'd like to come if they will have you.