Welcome to Pregnancy Without a Filter, my weekly series in which I chronicle my life as a first-time mom-to-be. Read along for insights, outbursts, ups, downs, and the real deal about the crazy adventure of making a person.
Week 18
Maybe it’s just because I’m fresh off of a week in Hawaii, but I’m here to tell ya that a babymoon is just about the best decision my husband and I have made all year. Of course you think, “Well what in the world could be wrong with taking a vacation to celebrate the time you have left before life is flipped upside down by a little one?!” But I have to admit, I was a little skeptical at first — and maybe even a little bit nervous.
See, for starters, I’m not a fan of flying. On my best days, with clear skies and a reassuring pilot, I get freaked about every bump and rumble. I also have this magical overactive imagination, so I could just picture us somewhere over the Pacific with engine trouble and me holding onto my baby belly as we plunge through the sky toward the ocean. Seriously, these are the things I think about. On top of that, while I’m feeling so much better than I was a few weeks ago, I’m still not one hundred percent. And I didn’t want to arrive in our beautiful tropical destination only to be a downer and not be able to participate in the fun vacation-y stuff we’d usually do, just because I wasn’t feeling up to it.
All those worries notwithstanding, we booked a few days in Hawaii and hopped on a plane to the Aloha state. I was tentative at first, listening very carefully to my body and its cues, but baby seemed happy enough to be along for the ride. On day two, we went for a hike just like we would normally do, and at the top we took some bump photos. It was a beautiful morning with a gorgeous view, and I had my husband next to me with his hand on my tummy. At one point Ryan turned to me and said, “Won’t it be fun when our kid finds these photos in 30 years?” And he was totally right. And the trip was one hundred percent worth it. I’ll always love remembering the time that we got to spend together before becoming a party of three.
During our trip we did learn a few things that might make a babymoon a little different from your average trip. We packed lightly, so that I could help carry luggage. We planned meal times somewhat carefully because right now in my pregnancy hunger is a dangerous game (we missed lunch one day and I just about melted down). And we just took things slowly. There wasn’t a lot of planning — there was more of, “What do you feel like doing next?” And I loved it that way.
I’d love to hear from moms or moms-to-be if you went on (or are planning) a babymoon! Where did you go? Did you love it or would you skip it (like this mom) if you had it all to do over again?
