Vacationing While Pregnant

My hubby and I decided to take our “babymoon” during Christmastime in New York City this year! The anticipation leading up to the trip was almost unbearable because I was so excited to experience NYC for the first time, and during Christmas at that!! 😆

The city was interesting, and definitely a change of pace from what I’m used to in my south Texas town of New Braunfels. But it was fascinating to see all of the crazy lights, and the hustle & bustle of cars, trains, and people. Everyone was always in a hurry to get somewhere, even more so than what I remember from growing up in Houston.

Overall, it was a super fun trip with my hubby! The city lights were beautiful. The sight seeing was interesting, to say the least. The 9/11 Memorial Museum touched my heart in ways I didn’t expect. The Rockefeller tree was beautiful, although it didn’t quite live up to the hype I had made in my mind from all of the Christmas movies I’ve ever watched. And the food was PHENOMENAL.

But I’m not writing this to tell you about all the details of our vacation. This is my first time traveling this far along in pregnancy, and I’m here to tell all mamas out there about the essentials and do’s & dont’s of vacationing while pregnant.

Essentials (that I actually packed):
– comfy Dr. Scholls inserts for my boots
– maternity leggings and jeans
– maternity support belt
– compression socks
– lotion to lather up the belly/stretchy areas
– prenatal vitamins
– fiber, antacids, immune boosting vitamins

Essentials (that I should have packed, but didn’t):
– miralax or milk of magnesia (because traveling constipation + pregnancy constipation = a real nightmare)
– essential oils for indigestion and congestion
– umbrella (I knew it was going to rain, but for some reason I still didn’t pack one #fail)
– green supplements and digestive enzymes/probiotics

Do’s & Dont’s:
– DO stay hydrated!!
I avoided drinking too much because it is difficult to find restrooms to use in NYC unless you’re planning on buying something from a business.. And that’s if they even allow public use.

– DON’T skip out on fruits and veggies while enjoying all of the good foods.
We all are prone to constipation and indigestion anyway, and removing these things from your daily diet even for a few days can cause some serious issues. Take it from me, I had major indigestion and nausea and ended up throwing up on the way home. It’s been days since we returned from vacation and I’m still not back to normal yet!

– DO stay active.
I always bring gym clothes and shoes when I travel, but obviously it wasn’t necessary during this particular trip since we walked an average of 10-13 miles per day! I felt great and had zero sciatic pain since I was moving so much!

– DON’T neglect wearing compression socks.
Especially on your flights and if you’re expecting to walk a lot during your vacation. I felt amazing every day that I wore my compressions!! But I did decide to wear my warmer boots socks on the last morning for our flight home instead.. and midway through our flight, I felt my feet begin to swell and I had to get up and walk/stand for a few minutes for the swelling to come own a bit.

– DO listen to your body.
Slow down your pace if you need to, take rests when you feel like you need them, and remember that you’re not actually in a rush like the rest of the city is — unless you’re trying to cross a crosswalk with a car coming at you (because New York drivers don’t care lol) or if you’re trying to catch a train on time 😅

I’m not sure why I even wrote this blog post, but I hope that it is a blessing to someone out there that is planning to travel with their bumps in the future. I just wanted to share my experiences and advice from one expecting mama to another. And honestly, a lot of this advice could probably go for pregnancy-free vacations too!! I hope SOMEONE out there found this post to be helpful.

Love y’all, thanks for reading, and have a very Merry Christmas!!! ❤️❤️