Babymoons are a relatively recent concept. The new parents-to-be take some time to get away from it all – we just used to call it a va-cay-shun. The biggest question, besides should you really wear a bikini when you are nine months along, is exactly when the babymoon should occur.
Before
With many couples waiting longer to have children and then carefully scheduling the baby’s due date to coincide with their slow month at work, it is possible to have the babymoon just before attempting pregnancy. It gives you one last fling as fancy free adults with money to spend and the ability to grab an overnight bag and go anywhere.
It’s also helpful that you will not be dealing with fluid filled ankles, sounding like a puffer fish when walking up more than three steps, or having constant back pain.
The negative side, if there is one, of taking the babymoon ahead of time is that if you don’t get pregnant right away you have to call it a vacation and try for a babymoon again next year.
Darn.
During
During pregnancy you also have most of the traveling freedoms that you do prior to becoming a glowing Madonna. Especially if you go in your second trimester, you are likely to feel beautiful and energetic thanks to all of those hormones coursing through your bloodstream. You won’t be dealing with the nausea of early pregnancy or the aches and pains that are almost inevitable in the later months.
A babymoon during this time will probably have more meaning and purpose than if you had taken it beforehand. You know that you are about to go through one of the biggest changes of your life and you will be more purposeful about enjoying your time with your love.
You will need to stay in an area that has access to good medical care just in case a problem arises. You’ll also want to check with airlines and cruises about any restrictions they might have for pregnant passengers.
After
Choosing to go on a vacation with newborn in tow is adventurous and courageous – but it will make a lot of sense to anyone who has been inundated with well-meaning visitors in those first days after baby. On vacation there will be no worries about fixing meals, feeling pressured to clean the house, or be the perfect hostess. Room service is available and your bed is invariably made when your return from poolside.
It will give you the chance to bond as a family with no interference from loving relatives and friends.
Taking a newborn will limit where you vacation, however. You are not going to want to spend hours on your feet touring the best museums in Paris. You will want to choose a low key, all inclusive type vacation that allows you just to move from bed, to table, to pool or oceanside and back again.
You will, more than likely, want to stay somewhere that has good access to medical care should the need arise.
If you could plan the perfect babymoon where would it be and which stage would you take it in?
photo credit: emilianohorcada
