Next to your honeymoon, your babymoon may be the most important getaway you ever make. What’s a babymoon? Only the biggest pre-parenting trend to hit the social networks. A happy babymooner reveals all.
Ah, the Babymoon. An increasingly popular phenomenon where couples take one last, intimate break together before they lose their childless freedom and the ability to sleep eight hours a night.
Just think about the #babymoon Instagram posts by supermodels prancing around on exotic beaches, flaunting their perfect preggy-bellies. The mommy-to-be still wears a size 8 in her third trimester, draws little hearts on her stomach and poses with the sunset in the background.
And don’t forget the mandatory happy couple-pic with dad’s hands wrapped around mommy’s perfect soccer ball belly while they’re sipping on virgin cocktails. The #blessed tag follows…
But not all Babymoons are that perfect. We went to Stilbaai – not the Seychelles – for our Babymoon. Expecting twins, I was almost 20kg heavier than usual, snored at night, preferred my couch over any other uncomfortable chair and the only piece of clothing that fitted, was my flip flops. I had to squat – not elegantly – to pick up sea shells.
Between conversations about how our lives were going to change and what we still had to do, I also made time to devour as many waffles and soft serve ice creams as I desired. We were excited about how different our lives were going to be over the next few years. And while Stilbaai is definitely not as glamourous as the Boere-Bahamas (also known as Mauritius), we cherished the last peace and quiet, for the immediate future, that we could spend together.
These days neither peace, nor quiet, nor time to think is available in our house. And I don’t regret it for a single second. That said, I do have flashbacks of a leisurely and peaceful stroll on that beach in Stilbaai, surrounded by the sounds of the ocean. If I had to be on a beach today, I’d have to witness two toddlers eating ridiculous amounts of sand and catching them before they try and run into the waves. Tranquillity no more.
No two babymoons have to be the same – each to their own. You don’t have to broadcast it into cyberspace! Choose a peaceful place where you don’t have to drive or fly too far, destinations that aren’t too stressful to travel to. The sea, the countryside or the bush are good options, even though I have a friend who believes the game drive she went on as part of their babymoon is the reason her baby came earlier.
Eat, read, sleep and laugh. You’ll still be doing all of the above when the baby comes, just in different amounts with a few cries, feeds and nappy-changes in between.
And lastly be mindful of those that are still trying to fall pregnant, moms and dads-to-be who are broke, terrified, tired and nauseous. And also of those who are oversharing picture-perfect moments from pregnancy shoots and tropical island sunsets, because their lives are about to change too!
– This article was originally published in March, 2017.
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