Babymoon report: Bahama Mama
Wednesday, June 7:
My husband, JP, and I are back from our trip to the Bahamas. I’ve been calling this our “babymoon,” (one last trip you take before baby makes three -- although many people use the word “babymoon” to mean the period of adjustment after the baby arrives) but truthfully we have been planning a trip ‘round about now since we got back from our vacation last year.
Articles about babymoons and babymoon travel sites make such a trip seem glamorous. (“Look at me, I’m just like a celebrity!”) However, even though we had a great time and enjoyed just relaxing, I missed the glamour part.
You see, everywhere we went, there were young, thin, high-energy people having fun and getting tans and drinking beautiful fruity rum drinks and wearing cute little outfits.
Me, I am not as young, have a baby belly (OK, a whole baby body) and walked more slowly because of the heat (and to keep from tripping and slipping around the pool area). Resort food and pregnancy being what they are, I experienced a certain plugged-up bathroom-type condition for a couple days that left me decidedly unenergetic. I didn’t avoid the sun completely (you simply can’t), but getting a tan wasn’t on my agenda due to the pregnancy hormones leaving you with nice dark spots on your skin. Of course, I didn’t have any of the fun, fruity bar drinks everyone was showing off, and -- even though I took half my maternity wardrobe -- my attire was mostly practical and not too fun.
I’m sure I did more than my fair share of people watching, staring at these other vacationers, admiring and hating them. And I’m sure most of those people thought I was just fat, not pregnant. (JP and I went on a six-hour tour that didn’t include a restroom break. Have mercy!) If they looked in my direction at all.
Fortunately, I spotted three others of my kind.
And there were children everywhere. Even babies who appeared to be under a year old. I studied their swimsuits, pool gear, strollers, etc. Maybe it was seeing kids all day that led my husband and me to finally buy a couple toys for the baby -- a little plush green sea turtle and a seahorse with three baby seahorses in his pouch. (Yes, his pouch. Father seahorses are the ones who carry the young. JP loved that.)
What I loved was the woman at the resort who booked tours, who said, "You gotta little Bahama mama there." Twice in two days.
Even though I didn’t fit in with the glamorous people, it was fabulous just to be there, knowing I didn’t have to do anything for a few days and admiring the island’s natural beauty. Which I would have done even if I wasn’t pregnant.
Which leads me to advise any fellow babymooners to hole up in a cabin in the Maine woods -- a nice cool place where you can look out on the water and cover up with those big flannel lumberjack shirts and be comfortable.
Naw, really, we did the best thing in going exactly where we would have gone anyway. Somehow, I think the baby will thank us for doing that, but I can’t really explain why. So, go where you want to go.
And bring home some really cute souvenirs for the baby.
My husband, JP, and I are back from our trip to the Bahamas. I’ve been calling this our “babymoon,” (one last trip you take before baby makes three -- although many people use the word “babymoon” to mean the period of adjustment after the baby arrives) but truthfully we have been planning a trip ‘round about now since we got back from our vacation last year.
Articles about babymoons and babymoon travel sites make such a trip seem glamorous. (“Look at me, I’m just like a celebrity!”) However, even though we had a great time and enjoyed just relaxing, I missed the glamour part.
You see, everywhere we went, there were young, thin, high-energy people having fun and getting tans and drinking beautiful fruity rum drinks and wearing cute little outfits.
Me, I am not as young, have a baby belly (OK, a whole baby body) and walked more slowly because of the heat (and to keep from tripping and slipping around the pool area). Resort food and pregnancy being what they are, I experienced a certain plugged-up bathroom-type condition for a couple days that left me decidedly unenergetic. I didn’t avoid the sun completely (you simply can’t), but getting a tan wasn’t on my agenda due to the pregnancy hormones leaving you with nice dark spots on your skin. Of course, I didn’t have any of the fun, fruity bar drinks everyone was showing off, and -- even though I took half my maternity wardrobe -- my attire was mostly practical and not too fun.
I’m sure I did more than my fair share of people watching, staring at these other vacationers, admiring and hating them. And I’m sure most of those people thought I was just fat, not pregnant. (JP and I went on a six-hour tour that didn’t include a restroom break. Have mercy!) If they looked in my direction at all.
Fortunately, I spotted three others of my kind.
And there were children everywhere. Even babies who appeared to be under a year old. I studied their swimsuits, pool gear, strollers, etc. Maybe it was seeing kids all day that led my husband and me to finally buy a couple toys for the baby -- a little plush green sea turtle and a seahorse with three baby seahorses in his pouch. (Yes, his pouch. Father seahorses are the ones who carry the young. JP loved that.)
What I loved was the woman at the resort who booked tours, who said, "You gotta little Bahama mama there." Twice in two days.
Even though I didn’t fit in with the glamorous people, it was fabulous just to be there, knowing I didn’t have to do anything for a few days and admiring the island’s natural beauty. Which I would have done even if I wasn’t pregnant.
Which leads me to advise any fellow babymooners to hole up in a cabin in the Maine woods -- a nice cool place where you can look out on the water and cover up with those big flannel lumberjack shirts and be comfortable.
Naw, really, we did the best thing in going exactly where we would have gone anyway. Somehow, I think the baby will thank us for doing that, but I can’t really explain why. So, go where you want to go.
And bring home some really cute souvenirs for the baby.
posted by Damselfly at 9:54 AM
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