Christians Do It Better

A fun new trend in pregnancy is the practice of taking a "babymoon," a trip that pregnant couples take before giving birth in order to enjoy one last bit of travel and relaxation before the baby comes. It allows for connection, reflection, and time to kick back. If you’re planning a babymoon, read on to learn about some of the tips, tools, and other resources you have at your disposal.

Safety

Stay safe on your babymoon by following these tips.

1. Travel during your second trimester: Avoid morning sickness and fatigue in your first trimester and stave off risk during the third by traveling during your second trimester.
2. Be vigilant about getting sick: Pregnant women are partially immuno-suppressed, so it’s important that you’re careful not to pick something up on your travels.
3. Bring a copy of your pregnancy records: In case you end up needing medical care while traveling, you’ll want to have your medical records handy.
4. Pay attention to pressure: If you’ll be flying in a smaller aircraft, ask if the cabin will be pressurized. Otherwise, your baby may be at risk of not receiving enough oxygen.
5. Use a safe pest repellant: Use DEET according to manufacturer guidelines only and be aware of chemicals that could harm you and your baby.
6. Ask your doctor about chloroquine: Chrloroquine can help prevent and treat malaria, an infection that can result in problems like miscarriage and stillbirth. You have to start taking it a few weeks before your travel and continue taking in for a few weeks after you get back.
7. Listen to your body: Travel can disrupt your routine, but it’s important to stay alert to your body’s signals.
8. Don’t hesitate to seek medical attention: If you think there may be something wrong, don’t wait until you get home. Seek out medical help right away.
9. Make sure your spa therapist knows maternity needs: Be safe by only getting spa treatments like massages from therapists who have maternity training.
10. Carry mace: It’s terrible, but pregnant women can be targets for crime, so take a small step toward protecting yourself by carrying mace.
11. Know when to stay home: If you have bleeding, abdominal pain, or other signs of complications, you need to stay home and get them worked out.
12. Travel with a companion: Don’t go it alone, you may need assistance.
13. Be aware of higher altitudes: If you’re traveling to a location that has higher altitudes, know that you may be short of breath for the first few days.
14. Always wear a seatbelt: Keep you and your baby safe in car travel by fastening your seatbelt below your belly.
15. Bring a first aid kit: Bring a doctor-approved supply of medications you may need, like antacid, allergy medicine, and painkillers.
16. Bring bug spray: Avoid diseases like malaria and dengue fever by using bug spray to keep mosquitoes away.

Supplies

Make sure you bring these supplies on your trip.

17. Bring your own body pillow: Chances are your hotel won’t have a pregnancy body pillow, so bring your own if possible.
18. Travel light: Keep your luggage light so you don’t have to do a lot of heavy lifting.
19. Don’t forget prenatal vitamins: Be sure that you have enough prenatal vitamins to last you until the trip is over.
20. Be sure to bring sunscreen: Stave off skin discoloration and burns by packing sunscreen and lots of it.
21. Make sure your cell phone works: Check your coverage and purchase any add-ons you need to make your phone usable when traveling.
22. Digital camera: Don’t forget to bring a digital camera to capture memories you’ll want to keep. 

Food

Follow these tips to make sure the food you eat is safe and nutritious.

23. Bring snacks: Make sure you always have something to munch on so that your travel companion won’t be forced to eat on your schedule, while you can stay sated.
24. Be a picky eater: Eat food that has been prepared in a way that kills germs, like baked, fried, or boiled. Fresh foods like salads are harder to clean and more risky.
25. Order your meat well cooked: By eating meat that’s cooked well, you can avoid parasites and bacteria that can cause complications.
26. Be careful about water: Local water may not be treated properly for germs, so drink bottled water and use it to brush your teeth.
27. Eat fruits and vegetables that can be peeled: If you want to avoid germs but eat healthy food, eat peelable fruits and vegetables like bananas, oranges, or avocados.
28. Stay away from buffets: Buffets are a magnet for bacteria, and they often sit out all day. Eat something that’s freshly prepared instead.
29. Drink lots of water: Stay hydrated and healthy by drinking lots of clean water on your babymoon.
30. Remember to eat lots of fiber: Help avoid constipation and bloat by loading up on fiber.
31. Drink only pasteurized milk: Pasteurization is not done everywhere, and by drinking unpasteurized milk, you may be ingesting harmful bacteria.

Travel

Take these issues into consideration when you’re making travel plans.

32. Think twice about long flights over water: If you have an emergency medical need while flying over water, you’ll have a hard time getting care.
33. Buy travel insurance: Just in case your plans change, you’ll want to have travel insurance so that you can be reimbursed for the things that can’t be refunded.
34. Register with the embassy or consulate: By registering with your country’s embassy or consulate, you’ll be able to get help if you have to leave the country for an emergency.
35. Plan around low points: Try to plan for moodiness and morning sickness, and take your babymoon at a time when they won’t be an issue.
36. Travel north-south to minimize jet lag: By traveling north-south, you can cut down on jet lag that accompanies east-west travel that spans time zones.
37. Consider an adults-only resort: You’ll have more relaxation if you go to a location that’s exclusively for adults.
38. Choose a cruise with a doctor: Make sure that your cruise ship has a doctor on board so that you can get medical attention if necessary without having to go into a port of call.
39. Think about going somewhere close: Pregnancy is not a good time to be three layovers away from your doctor.
40. Talk to your airline: Find out about your airline’s rules for pregnant women. You may need to get a note from your doctor with your due date and travel fitness.
41. Stay in one place: A babymoon is not the time to go hopping from one place to the next. Stay in one place where it will be more relaxing and you won’t have to pack up and move every few days.

Comfort

With these tips, you can help keep yourself comfortable on your babymoon.

42. Consider maternity stockings: When traveling, you’ll probably end up doing lots of sitting, so you may want to get maternity stockings that will help with circulation in your legs.
43. Wear comfortable shoes: Make sure your feet and back are comfortable by wearing sensible shoes.
44. Ask for preferred seating: See if you can get an aisle seat or one near the bathroom. Or even better, one with extra leg room. Be sure to stay away from the emergency exit rows.
45. Plan extra time for pit stops: While on your babymoon, you’ll need to allow extra time for more frequent trips to the bathroom.
46. Avoid spots with lots of alcohol: Don’t go somewhere where you’ll be sorry about all of the drinks you’re missing out on.
47. Wear layers: By wearing layers, you can add or remove clothing for comfort.
48. Reduce stress: Plan as much as you can in advance so that your babymoon will be easy and carefree.
49. Don’t be afraid to ask for help: If you would feel better using a wheelchair to get around the airport, ask for one. Get help with your luggage, and board planes early.
50. Stop for frequent stretch breaks: Avoid deep vein thrombosis by getting out and stretching your legs on a frequent basis.
51. Spring for 24-hour room service: When you have a craving at 2 AM, it’s much easier to just call down and have something brought to you.
52. Raise your feet: Avoid swelling by putting your feet up whenever you can.
53. Fly first class: For more leg room and comfort, consider getting first class seats.
54. Schedule resting time: Take it easy and be sure to save plenty of time for resting.
55. Take care of details before you go: Make sure your trip goes smoothly by making sure all of your travel details are taken care of before you leave home.

Health care

Follow these tips to make sure you have adequate health care coverage on your babymoon, just in case anything pops up.

56. Get immunizations: Before you go on your trip, ask your doctor if there are any baby-safe immunizations you should take.
57. Find out if there’s a hospital nearby: Just in case, you’ll want to have a hospital close to where you’re staying.
58. Talk to your doctor: Let your doctor know about your travel plans and get extra doses of any medication you may be taking.
59. Check your insurance coverage: Make sure that you have medical coverage where you’ll be traveling, or purchase some to be sure you’re in the clear.
60. Find local health care ahead of time: Do your research and find out about the nearest doctor in your destination.
61. Find out if blood supplies are screened: Some locations don’t screen for HIV and Hepatitis B, so be sure to find out before you go.
62. Avoid yeast infections: Wear loose cotton clothing and be sure to change out of wet bathing suits immediately
63. Bring a yeast infection treatment kit: Just in case you come down with a yeast infection, bring a kit for treatment so that you won’t be at the mercy of whatever supplies you can find in your destination.

Activities

These are a few ideas and advisories for what you can do on your babymoon.

64. Do stretches: Keep your blood flowing while in flight, in a car, or in your hotel room by doing simple stretches.
65. Relax: You’re about to take on an enormous responsibility that requires a lot of your time. Take some time to just relax while you still can.
66. Look for a resort that offers pre-natal massage: Enjoy a relaxing and healthful massage with your pregnany body in mind.
67. Avoid strenuous sporting activities: This should be obvious, but avoid taking on activities that will be too taxing on your pregnant body.
68. Be pampered: Look for spa treatments and massages to get some pre-baby pampering.
69. Take a class: Learn more about childbirth or parenting while on your babymoon.
70. Get a belly cast: Find an artist and get a cast made of your pregnant body.
71. Practice moderation: Avoid doing too much, like scuba diving or waterskiing.
72. Stay away from saunas and hot tubs: Avoid anything that will raise your core temperature too much. This includes saunas, hot tubs, and sometimes even sunbathing.

Tools

Put these tools to work to plan a fun and safe babymoon.

73. The Bathroom Diaries: Check out this site to find a clean bathroom anywhere in the world.
74. CDC Yellow Book: Use the CDC’s tool as a reference to find out about travel health advisories.
75. US State Department Travel Warnings: Find out when a country is dangerous or unstable by checking current travel warnings here.
76. Babymoon finder: Find babymoon packages near and far with this tool.
77. Pregnancy calendar: Track milestones and plan the best time to travel with a pregnancy calendar.
78. Babymoonfinder: This resource has listings of babymoons as well as products you may want to take along the way.
79. World Health Organization: The World Health Organization has travel advisories and information about health risks.
80. Flickr photos: Check out photos tagged with "babymoon" to get ideas and inspiration for your trip.
81. Emergency contact sheet for pregnant travelers: Fill out this form to keep helpful information close at hand.
82. Babymoon directory: Babymoonguide.com has a number of listings for hotels and resorts that offer babymoon packages.
83. International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers: Use this association to find a good doctor away from home.
84. Baby-Moon: This site lists nothing but ultra-luxurious European babymoons.

Advice

In these resources, you’ll find a wealth of advice for couples planning to take a babymoon.

85. Babymoons!: In this article you’ll find tips and ideas for babymoons as well as great locations.
86. Traveling While Pregnant: Here you’ll find advice for international pregnancy travel.
87. 8 Best Babymoon Trips: This article offers tips for making the trip as well as suggestions for where you should go.
88. Pregnancy travel: where to go and how to decide: Here you’ll find advice for choosing the perfect spot to take your babymoon.
89. Checklist: Essentials for Safe Pregnancy Travel: Use this list when you’re planning what to pack for your babymoon.
90. Travel During Pregnancy: Learn about tips for safe travel, locations, and transportation options.
91. Pregnancy Travel Checklist: Here you’ll find good advice for staying safe while on your babymoon.
92. Easing Your Expectancy: Travel Tips: This article has useful advice for pregnant travelers.
93. Babymoon Getaways for Expecting Parents: Read this article to learn about popular babymoon packages available to expecting parents.
94. Destination Relaxation: Babymoon Travel Tips: Read this article to pick up some useful babymoon tips for comfort and more.
95. Traveling While Pregnant: Baby Center has a number of resources for pregnant travelers.
96. Pregnancy Travel Guide: Find out the best time to go, how to stay safe and comfortable, and signs that you should stay home.
97. Eight smart strategies for pregnant travelers: Baby.com offers advice for stress, comfort, and more.
98. Travel During Pregnancy: This article is full of tips for pregnant women considering a babymoon.
99. Babymoon tips: Here you’ll find 10 tips for 2nd trimester travel.
100. Seven Tips for Traveling When Pregnant: Read this article to get seven useful tips to use when planning travel while pregnant.

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