Before you take off for your babymoon, make sure you’ve packed these pregnancy essentials.
Having a baby is a big step in anyone’s life, and welcoming your little bundle of joy into the world will change your life completely. A babymoon is a great way to take a moment to relish in your life as it is right now before you have your baby and connect with your partner before life gets a completely transformed.
Traveling while pregnant makes things a bit more complicated, and definitely changes the way you might be used to packing. To be sure you have everything you need to enjoy your babymoon, check out these top 10 travel essentials to bring with you when traveling while pregnant.
Packing Checklist For Traveling While Pregnant
Prepare for anything and everything on your babymoon with these travel must-haves
So, you’ve got comfy clothes and toiletries handled and packed already. You’re feeling great and ready to travel. But, as many expectant mothers can confirm, that feeling can change quickly. Because you want to get the most out of your babymoon, you want to pack all of the essentials so that if any problems arise, you are more than ready to find a good solution and get back to enjoying your last hoorah before you welcome your baby into the world. So, what might be missing from your suitcase? Let’s take a look at what you may want to bring with you.
1. Anti-Nausea Treatment
If you have been prone to morning sickness during your pregnancy, you are more likely to experience motion sickness. So, even if you are past the stage of daily morning sickness, it’s still a good idea to pack some type of anti-nausea treatment.
If you have been prescribed treatment by your doctor, it’s a good idea to bring those with you. Talk to your doctor ahead of time to make sure you have enough to last through your whole trip.
Let’s say you haven’t experienced morning sickness during your pregnancy—lucky you!—but you still want to be prepared for any nausea you may experience. You can take some extra precautions by preparing with these natural or over-the-counter remedies:
- Ginger, like ginger ale, ginger supplements, ginger lollipops
- Lemon scents
- Motion sickness acupuncture wristbands.
2. Anti-Inflammatory Remedy
As your body changes and grows, inflammation and pain are to be expected. Some expectant mothers would rather not take any medication or treatments at all for pain relief, and finding natural remedies that are actually effective can be tough. Luckily, though, natural pregnancy-safe anti-inflammatory creams can help expectant mothers reduce inflammation and pain right on the source.
As a topical cream is used, the solution is absorbed into the bloodstream and can help provide pain relief right on the spot it is applied. Most commonly, these creams provide a cool/warm sensation and can help reduce inflammation by stimulating circulation in the body. Because these are topical solutions, creams can be used as an alternative to orally-ingested medications.
When looking for an anti-inflammatory cream, you will want to look for natural ingredients like Arnica and Camphor. These contain no toxins or aspirin-derived ingredients. With a topical solution, less of the ingredients are absorbed into the bloodstream, making it a much safer alternative that’s far less likely to be toxic for the baby.
3. Compression Socks
Depending on your trip, you may be expecting to sit on a plane for a few hours or you could be anticipating a pretty heavy increase of walking in comparison to what you’re used to doing. In both instances, your feet may swell a bit more than usual. That’s why you may want to pack a few pairs of compression socks for your trip.
Compression socks are meant to fit a bit snugly so they can squeeze your legs slightly. This can encourage circulation in your body to help reduce swelling and prevent blood from pooling in your legs. And on top of that, compression socks can even prevent varicose veins, too! Especially in times when you may expect to sit or walk around for long periods, compression socks can help manage the pain and reduce swelling.
4. Support Belts and Bands
Especially as your belly grows, walking can get harder and your belly can cause strain on your pelvis and hips. Many expectant mothers have found that belly bands and belts have helped reduce that strain and the pain it causes. Bands support hips and lower back through light compression and come in many different options, so you can find one that fits your needs best. On the other hand, belts wrap around your belly to relieve pelvic, lower back, and hip pain. In both cases, bands and belts can help:
- Decrease leg swelling
- Improve posture
- Reduce the risk of falling by improving your balance
- Reduce bladder pressure.
5. Acid Reflux Medicine
Just like inflammation and nausea, acid reflux is just one of those pregnancy symptoms that almost everyone experiences. While treatments like Pepto Bismol aren’t recommended for people who are pregnant, over-the-counter antacids, like Tums, used to treat acid reflux are safe to use while pregnant. It might not be a bad idea to pack a bottle of antacids to help with acid reflux during your trip.
6. Essential Oils
Essential oils are a great natural remedy for loads of issues that pregnant people experience. Thankfully—with a few exceptions—essential oils are safe to use while pregnant. While it’s not recommended to ingest or apply essential oils to the skin while pregnant, smelling or adding oils to a diffuser can be a safe way to use the oils.
So, just what can essential oils do to help with pregnancy symptoms? Let’s take a look.
Are you experiencing morning sickness or nausea? Try cardamom or ginger.
Do you need to get a good night’s sleep or relax? Try lavender, neroli, or frankincense.
While there are some essential oils that are pregnancy-safe and can help relieve some symptoms, you should always check to see which essential oils to avoid during pregnancy.
7. Comfortable Shoes
Beyond even traveling, having a pair of comfortable shoes to wear while pregnant is so important. With increased weight gain, your feet experience more strain and as they adjust, your feet will swell. Plus, your ligaments and tendons change, which can cause your arches to flatten and your feet to expand. While on your trip (and during your entire pregnancy!), a comfortable pair of shoes can make the world’s difference.
When searching for a pair of shoes, you should consider a wider shoe or a size bigger than you’re used to wearing. You should find a pair with good arch support and traction for a better level of comfort and stability. As for shoes for travel, a nice pair that easily slips on and off can make going through TSA lines much easier. Something like a pair of workout shoes are generally best, but more fashion-forward shoes can be found, too.
8. Travel Pillow
Many expecting mothers find comfortable pregnancy pillows make a huge difference when trying to get to sleep. While you may not be able to bring your normal pillow with you, there are plenty of travel-sized pillow options that can still give you the support you need while you travel. Some of the most popular travel pillows include:
- Lumbar support travel pillow
- Body travel pillow
- Neck travel pillow
9. Pregnancy-Safe Sunscreen
While anyone and everyone should wear sunscreen when exposed to the sun, it is especially important for pregnant people to protect their skin as much as possible. Pregnancy hormones can change a lot about your body, and your skin is no exception. Aside from potentially causing your skin to be more sensitive, it can also cause increased skin pigmentation from sun exposure. Any dermatologist will recommend avoiding long sun exposure and covering up as much of your body as you can—but that’s not always possible.
Not all sunscreens are created equal, and that’s especially true during pregnancy. Your two options for sunscreen really come down to chemical or mineral sunscreen options. Out of the two, chemical sunscreens are harsher on your skin and can lead to some sensitivity issues. When looking for a pregnancy-safe sunscreen, you should look for one that has the following:
- Mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide
- Broad-spectrum formulas that block both UVA and UVB rays
- At least 30 SPF or higher
- Water resistance
Generally speaking, it’s best to avoid ingredients like oxybenzone or benzophenone-3 because of their effects on hormones.
10. Wrinkle-Release Spray
While traveling, you likely won’t have lots of spare time to iron or steam your clothes. Instead, pack some wrinkle-release spray to rid your clothes of wrinkles. All you have to do is spray the solution on your clothes, and it will relax the fibers in your clothes to help wrinkles naturally release. While it may not get every wrinkle out of your clothes, it’s a much easier solution to have when trying to pack light or put your best foot forward on a busy schedule.
No matter where you’re traveling, it is always best to talk to your doctor about what to bring with you, what alternative remedies to your symptoms are safe, and what precautions you should take while traveling. To make sure you have a great time on your babymoon, ensure you’ve prepared for any pain, sickness, or discomfort you may experience so you can remedy it quickly and get back to enjoying your trip.
