Getaways for Expecting Parents - 2

Babymoon Planning Tips

Ashley King, founder of Babymoonfinder.com, agrees. You don’t need to be Brad and Angelina to take a babymoon. In fact, her Web site offers more than 200 babymoon options, representing destinations all over the world, and some might just be in your backyard.

However, she cautions that package travel isn’t always one-size-fits-all.

A 29-year-old former music teacher based in Greenville, S.C., King says she and her husband were looking for something simple and close to home when planning their own pre-baby trip.

“For couples on a budget like us, I suggest creating your own babymoon if
you can’t find the perfect fit,” says King. “Even though now I have found several, at the time we were planning our babymoon, I could not find any South Carolina packages. We decided to go to Hilton Head and book our own spa treatments and golf outings—for him of course. We chose a location that we were already familiar with to cut down on the planning.”

King, who was eight months pregnant at the time, wasn’t up for flying, so fancy beach resorts in exotic locales were out of the question. In fact, most obstetricians forbid women to fly after the 36th week of pregnancy (and some may forbid it sooner than that, depending on your specific condition). But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a little prenatal pampering closer to home.

“Even if you want to stay in your hometown, many of your local spas probably offer pregnancy packages and prenatal a la carte services,” King says.

She adds that not all babymoons need to include pedicures and hotel stays. Be creative and try something fun like a cooking class or a couple’s massage class.

My husband and I are definitely in a budget-conscious mode these days, so we drove two hours north and spent two glorious, childfree days in Chicago. We managed to visit the Windy City during a blustery early spring snowstorm, all the better for getting into bed at 4 p.m.

And get your head out of the gutter. We wore our pajamas and watched first-run movies on demand. We even went a little wild and ordered room service.

It was, in a word, heaven.

And it didn’t require air travel, vaccinations or bathing suits. (Thank God there were no bathing suits involved.)

Taking Care of Baby

Traveling when you’re pregnant, of course, does require some precautions. Some doctors prefer their patients to limit their long-distance jaunts to the second trimester, when risk of miscarriage is lower and your energy level is higher.

And be sure to avoid traveling any significant distance as you get close to your due date—if you’re not careful, your kid could wind up with dual citizenship if you pop while you’re visiting Antigua.

You should also make sensible choices about your destination. Exotic locales may be romantic, but your health—and that of your baby—is more important. That dream trip to Zimbabwe can wait.

TheNestBaby offers a great list of pointers for any expecting mama who’s got a case of wanderlust, including keeping your obstetrician in the loop and checking to see if your destination has adequate medical care should—heaven forbid—you need it.

All in all, taking time to be a couple—for first-time parents or veterans—is a great way to avoid some of the feelings of frustration and resentment that can boil over into your relationship when you’re dealing with the stress of a newborn.

Gosh, don’t I make parenthood sound grand? It is, really. Our kids are the light of our lives—just as long as no one goes to happy hour.