Nicole Richie stepped out looking gorgeous just two weeks after giving birth to her first child, Harlow. She looked fabulous at the birthday party for music executive Bennie Medina. Nicole and her fiancé Joel Madden were spotted out earlier that day at baby store The Pumping Station probably purchasing supplies to help ease the transition for their baby for their first night away.

Star Magazine has a funny story about how Nicole tried to prepare for her upcoming role as a mother by asking to babysit her friends’ children. It doesn’t sound like she was successful in convincing anyone to let her watch their kids:

Nicole Richie was so scared to be a new mommy that she tried to get in some practice before the January 11 birth of her daughhter, Harlow. “Right before she had her baby, Nicole called up a bunch of friends and asked if she could borrow their kids for a day, so she could play with them and see what it was like to have a child,” says an insider. “But most of Nicole’s friends were really freaked out and didn’t like the idea of handing over their little ones so she could play mommy for the day.”

[From Star Magazine, February 4, 2008]

Maybe everyone was too busy to arrange for Nicole to babysit, or maybe this story is total bullshit, it’s from Star after all, but you could see Nicole doing this. She seems like she really prepared for the birth of her baby and that getting some hands-on experience with children would be something she would try to do. It’s a great idea for a new mother. We were talking in another thread about Jessica Alba’s fear of breastfeeding about how pregnant moms should go to a La Leche league meeting before their babies are born. It seems smart to prepare for your new baby in ways that help you feel more comfortable and ready. I know that once mine arrived it was a lot of work, but that most of it came naturally, and other mothers would probably agree.

Thanks to BuzzFoto for the header image, and Just Jared for the description of Nicole and Joel’s first night out post baby.