Mi madre me ayuda a deshacer la trenza antes de dormir.

Me is the indirect object pronoun and means to me.

So:

• Mi madre ayuda = My mother helps
• Mi madre me ayuda = My mother helps me

In Spanish, when a person is the one receiving the help, that person is often shown with an object pronoun:

• me = me
• te = you
• le = him/her/you(formal)
• nos = us

So Mi madre me ayuda literally means My mother helps me.

After ayudar, Spanish often uses a + infinitive to say help someone do something.

Pattern:

• ayudar a + infinitive

So:

• me ayuda a deshacer = she helps me undo / take out

This is very common and standard. You may sometimes hear ayudar without a in some contexts, but ayudar a + infinitive is the safest and most standard structure for learners.

Examples:

• Me ayuda a estudiar = She helps me study
• Nos ayuda a limpiar = He helps us clean

Deshacer literally means to undo.

It is formed from:

• hacer = to do / make
• des- = a prefix that can suggest undoing or reversing

So deshacer la trenza means something like:

• undo the braid
• take the braid out

In this sentence, it means unbraiding the hair.

Spanish often uses the definite article (el, la, los, las) where English would use a possessive like my or your, especially when the owner is already clear from context.

Here, since me already shows who is affected, Spanish does not need mi:

• Mi madre me ayuda a deshacer la trenza
  literally: My mother helps me undo the braid

Even though it says the braid, the meaning is naturally understood as my braid.

This is very common with body parts, clothing, and personal items:

• Me lavo las manos = I wash my hands
• Me cepillo el pelo = I brush my hair

So la trenza sounds natural in Spanish.

Yes, mi trenza is possible, but it changes the feel a little.

• la trenza sounds more natural and idiomatic when the owner is obvious.
• mi trenza adds extra emphasis to the fact that it is my braid.

So:

• Mi madre me ayuda a deshacer la trenza = the most natural everyday phrasing
• Mi madre me ayuda a deshacer mi trenza = possible, but less natural unless you want to stress ownership

After antes de, Spanish uses an infinitive when the subject stays general or is understood.

So:

• antes de dormir = before sleeping / before going to sleep

You do not use a conjugated form like duermo after antes de.

Pattern:

• antes de + infinitive

Examples:

• antes de salir = before leaving
• antes de comer = before eating

As for dormirme:

• dormir = to sleep
• dormirse = to fall asleep

So the sentence with dormir means before sleeping / before going to bed.
If you said antes de dormirme, it would mean more specifically before I fall asleep, which is slightly different.

In this kind of sentence, antes de dormir is often understood naturally as before going to sleep or before bed.

Literally, dormir means to sleep, but in context English often translates it more naturally as:

• before sleeping
• before going to sleep
• before bed

So the exact English wording may vary depending on what sounds natural.

Because the subject is Mi madre, which is singular.

• Mi madre = my mother → one person
• so the verb must be singular: ayuda

Compare:

• Mi madre me ayuda = My mother helps me
• Mis padres me ayudan = My parents help me

Ayuda is in the present tense, third person singular, from ayudar.

Conjugation:

• yo ayudo
• tú ayudas
• él/ella/usted ayuda
• nosotros ayudamos
• vosotros ayudáis
• ellos/ellas/ustedes ayudan

So Mi madre me ayuda means:

• My mother helps me
• or sometimes My mother is helping me, depending on context

Yes, Spanish allows some variation, but not every version sounds equally natural.

The original:

• Mi madre me ayuda a deshacer la trenza

is very clear and natural.

You may also hear structures where pronouns attach to the infinitive in some contexts, but with this sentence, beginners should stick to the original pattern.

A form like deshacerme la trenza can appear in Spanish, but it may be harder to analyse because me can attach to the infinitive, and that can be confusing for learners. The original wording is better to learn first.

Usually, yes, trenza most often means a braid or plait, especially of hair.

Depending on context, it can also refer to something woven or braided in shape, but in this sentence it clearly means a hairstyle.

In Spain, trenza is a normal everyday word for a hair braid.

Because Spanish normally uses an object pronoun here, not the stressed form a mí.

So the normal sentence is:

• Mi madre me ayuda

If you want emphasis, you can add:

• Mi madre me ayuda a mí = My mother helps me (emphasising me)

But without emphasis, me alone is enough and is the normal choice.

You just change the object pronoun:

• Mi madre nos ayuda a deshacer la trenza = My mother helps us undo the braid
• Mi madre te ayuda a deshacer la trenza = My mother helps you undo the braid
• Mi madre le ayuda a deshacer la trenza = My mother helps him/her undo the braid

This is a useful pattern to learn:

• [subject] + [object pronoun] + ayuda a + infinitive

Example:

• Mi amigo me ayuda a estudiar = My friend helps me study