The Pre-Baby Vacation

Your little prince or princess is due to arrive soon, meaning dirty diapers, sleepless nights, and oh, the joys of parenthood. But before baby comes forth into this world, you want one last taste of freedom with a vacation of your choosing -- it's called the babymoon.

By Heather Hatfield
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

The nursery is ready, you're stocked up on onesies, and you've got the market cornered on diapers. You are ready for baby to come -- well, almost. Before you pack your bag and get ready for your highly anticipated trip to the hospital, pack it for a babymoon, instead.

The babymoon is the new way to describe the pre-baby vacation, before you can use the word parent to describe yourself. It's your curtain call, your last hoorah, your encore. But whether it's to Hawaii, Timbuktu, or a B&B around the corner, vacationing while with child calls for some extra consideration. Experts give WebMD traveling dos and don'ts for expectant moms.

Before You Go

Before you call the travel agent and book your trip, the first thing you should do is talk to your doctor, especially if you are in the third trimester.

"Be absolutely certain that there are no risk factors for premature pregnancy," says Thomas Ivester, MD, from the division of maternal fetal medicine at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. "I think the biggest risk is that you are far from home when you deliver."

With timing in mind, the safest window of opportunity for a pregnant woman to travel is during the second trimester, or 18-24 weeks, according to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG).

"While weeks 18-24 may be the safest time to travel, that doesn't exclude the rest of your pregnancy. There are just more safety issues in the first and third trimesters to consider," says Sandra Cesario, MD, from the College of Nursing at Texas Woman's University in Houston.

"Those first few weeks, you may be nauseated and tired, and it's not a good time to travel."

Also, schedule your vacation around your prenatal visits. While this trip is important, so are your trips to the doctor.

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