Regardless of if you have children or not, time dedicated to self-care and time away from life’s general stressors, is often few and far between. Think of a babymoon as time for numero uno. Time to do what YOU want to do. Time to relax. Time to sleep. The past few months have been consumed with thoughts, fears, anxiety, and the excitement about that sweet baby you are about to carry through your front door. You’ve been truckin’ around that growing belly to doctor’s appointments, showers, Ikea, and Babys-R-Us. You’ve been examining every food label, reading every blog post, and following “The Bump” like it’s your job. Give yourself a break. Just press pause for a moment. Grab a book (completely unrelated to childrearing), put on a bikini and rock that bump, lather up with your chemical-free sunscreen, order up a virgin margarita, sit back and RELAX for goodness sakes!

Since the day you saw those two pink lines on the pregnancy test, your relationship with your partner changed. As I’ve talked about in previous posts, I believe this change can be the most beautiful, greatest thing to ever happen to a couple. However, it takes work. It takes perspective. And it takes patience. Use your babymoon as a time to connect as a couple. Go out for a romantic dinner. Talk to each other. Not just about your plans for your new baby and your expectations for your growing family, but talk about yourselves. Yourselves as individuals. Yourselves as a couple. Hold hands. Make love. Enjoy the quiet. And of course, sleep-in.

Now that your baby has a relaxed and happy mom and dad, let’s celebrate! A new baby is one of, if not the greatest thing to celebrate in this world. Sure, you could celebrate at home with a glass of sparkling apple cider. Or maybe a night out at the movies. But, why not celebrate BIG? Big like the love you are about to experience in just a couple months. When you are relaxed by the pool, hand in hand with you partner, take a moment to really focus on your sweet baby. Touch your belly and watch your baby moving around inside. Get a massage or have your partner treat you to a massage-oil rub down. Feel those sweet little kicks and punches. Celebrate. Enjoy. Treat yourselves. Be a family. Soak it up. You deserve it. And so does your baby.

Step outside your comfort zone and experience something new. Choose a place to visit that you’ve never been before (even if it’s booking a hotel in a new neighborhood in your own town). Schedule most of your time…without a schedule. However, book at least one activity that you’ve never done before. Maybe it is a new hike along the coast. Maybe whale watching or visiting a planetarium. Learn the trade of cooking a local dish if you’ve traveled outside the country. Make new memories with your little family. As for the rest of the time, keep your schedule open and just relax. Oh yea, and did I mention, sleep in?