Babymoons are a recent trend, so if you aren’t familiar with them, don’t worry. Let’s start with the basic question.
WHAT IS A BABYMOON?
A babymoon is a romantic getaway you and your significant other take before your sweet baby comes and joins you in this world. Like a honeymoon, but you take it BEFORE the baby comes. Some people joke and view it as a “last hoorah” before you become parents to your first child, baby #2, #3, and so on.
WHY IS TAKING A BABYMOON IMPORTANT?
I remember when I first heard of a babymoon awhile back I thought it was just an excuse for a vacation. I was wrong. It is so so much more than that. It is a time you and your love get to truly soak in the gift you have been given, the life you are creating, live in honest appreciation, cherish very special one-on-one time with your co-parent-to-be, basque in love, have in-depth connection conversations, and of course get giddy excited in baby talk. Can you accomplish all of that in your home one night? Maybe to some sort of degree. But I don’t think so. I don’t think it would be as conducive as being in a gorgeous, carefree environment with endless amounts of time to connect and bond on that high of a frequency, uninterrupted, for that many consecutive days.
“I think it’s important to take time to spend time with each other to appreciate what is happening, what is to come, and most importantly, how special this time is.”
-words straight out of my husband’s mouth
TIPS.
WHAT I’M SO GLAD WE DID FOR OUR BABYMOON:
- Travel late second trimester (24-25 weeks). Traveling early enough in my pregnancy where my body was still feeling great so I could travel happily & truly enjoy the entire experience was important to me. I have no intention of flying my third trimester, and especially not on consecutive long flights. Of course if you’re wanting to go somewhere locally or somewhere you can drive, this doesn’t necessarily apply to you. Just make sure you, your body, and your baby will all smoothly cooperate for your incredible experience. Anything can happen at anytime. But you’ll know when your body is feeling its best and you’ll know how your pregnancy has been so far and judge when traveling is best for you. I would just hate to get later on and feel too swollen, big, or exhausted while attempting to truly immerse myself in the experience.
- Stay in your travel comfort zone: If you aren’t use to long travels, then don’t travel far. You will hear repeatedly throughout your pregnancy, don’t introduce your body to new things. “If you weren’t a runner before you got pregnant, don’t pick up running now.” “If you didn’t lift weights before you got pregnant, now is not the time to start.” I believe the same goes for traveling. If you aren’t a travel pro and don’t stay calm, cool & collected during long flights and many chaotic airports, don’t throw yourself into it now. From Atlanta to Maui, Hawaii (one way) we had a little over 10 hours of flying time, plus the hours spent at 5 different airports along the way. I was perfectly happy with that. I love traveling, am a custom to it, and knew Hawaii was the dream destination for mine and my hubby’s babymoon. Stay in your comfort zone. Remember this is supposed to be relaxing. Not stressful.
- Go somewhere you’ve gone before. When you’re almost in your third trimester, now isn’t the time to be experimenting with adventures. You want a relaxing, romantic getaway. We knew we loved Hawaii. We knew we loved Maui. We knew we loved the specific resort and knew the quality of service and facility we were going to receive. We wanted to arrive to our location and know, rest assured, everything was going to be absolutely perfect. And it was.
- Make a video to baby. We recorded videos talking directly to our baby girl that we compiled and will share with her someday. I thought it would be something sweet and special to do and what better time than when you are celebrating baby and becoming parents?
- Write in a gratitude journal. Write down 3 things you are grateful for each day while on your trip. It’s a beautiful thing to do. I’m glad we did.
- Go away for a full week. I know this is impossible for most. But hear me out. A babymoon is special. It’s not just a vacation. It deserves extra time. Plus it takes a little bit of time to mentally get to your best, most amazing state of mind you deserve to be at while experiencing your babymoon. (And when you get in that state, you want to stay there for as long as you can). Soak up this time with your partner!!
TIPS FOR MOM:
- Bring your own body wash, lotions, sunscreens, etc. I LOVE fancy resort body products. I know where we stayed they have the highest quality brands that are organic and smell beyond delicious. We stayed at the same resort the year before & I soaked in all their yummy products and my skin was great. With that said, I still made myself refrain from using them this time around and stuck to what my body is familiar with now. Your skin gets super sensitive during pregnancy. For me, I’m not talking about breaking out with zits or pimples. I’m talking about getting a rash or bumps from products, hot water, chemicals, etc. So let your body stick to what it knows. The last place you want to feel itchy and uncomfortable is on a relaxation babymoon!
- Don’t overdo it. I’m a very adventurous person when it comes to vacationing! I love going on excursions and adventures. I’ve been to Hawaii many times and usually go scuba diving, on helicopter rides, zip lining, hiking, and more. Despite knowing I’ve done all that before and been fine, and am currently having a very healthy pregnancy, I wanted to respect that my body deserved to not be put through any of that. It deserved to be spoiled and chill. (We did go whale watching one day and that was our only “activity” we did all week. We talked to our conceirge at the resort and asked for the least choppy channel, the calmest water time of day, and the boat that would be most conducive for a smooth ride. But you have to know that despite all the research you do, something can still go amok. We ended up having a fluke day with crazy swells and super choppy water. Just be safe and don’t overdo it despite you maybe mentally wanting to.
- Wear compression socks on long flights. I had never worn compression socks before so I was a little hesitant about this one. But, as I said earlier in this post, we had a little over 10 hours of flying time and pregnant women (despite how healthy they are) are more prone to circulation issues/blood clots. And when you’re on an airplane for that many hours not moving around, it’s smart to wear them. Still get up and make yourself walk to the restroom every few hours, but still wear the socks. My OBs and my NFL nurse told me to wear them for preventative measure. (You’ll get used to how they feel).
- Talk to your OB before you travel anywhere. I have been very blessed with a healthy and happy pregnancy thus far. But that didn’t stop me from still asking my OBs and nurses for clearance on traveling all the way to Hawaii for a babymoon. I wanted their opinions and valued them. They all resoundingly gave me the green light with 100% encouragement enthusiastically telling me to go! Obviously if you’re traveling somewhere local, you’re fine. But if it involves lots of traveling, long flights, or you questioning your health or the baby’s health, talk to your doctors. (I know this doesn’t even need to be said probably, but they of course don’t want you traveling somewhere with Zika).
Don’t ever forget, YOU and your BABY’S health are the MOST IMPORTANT factors when planning. YOU and your SIGNIFICANT OTHER’S connection is the PURPOSE of this extremely special trip.
Enjoy, safe travels, and I hope you have the best time EVER!
Now time to share some of our pics!
xoxo
