It’s not a trip around the world. You don’t want to travel across Europe with swollen ankles and a bulging belly.

And it’s certainly not an adventure vacation. Who wants to ride the rapids of the Russian River when you can barely fit into a kayak?

This getaway is a babymoon – a term that once referred to the time immediately following a baby’s birth, when a young couple restricted visitors and bonded as a family.

But over the past decade, the travel industry has used the term to create a new trend: a last hurrah in which couples can get away and enjoy each other as a couple – before everything changes.

“Especially with first-time parents, there’s so much going on,” says Lisa Petrocelli, owner and publisher of Babymoon Guide, a website of babymoon packages and getaways. “This is just a nice way to sit back and make an investment in your relationship.”

The average babymoon lasts only two nights and most people choose something close to home.

Petrocelli has gone on two babymoons herself, and both were fairly low-key.

“We had our own little cottage with a fireplace and it poured the whole time we were there. But there were no children’s menus, no bibs, no sippy cups.”

Sound good?

Sonoma Getaway

Many couples gravitate to a romantic inn in a scenic environment. Ask Cindy Scott-Fuchs, a massage therapist in Sonoma County who several years ago started Mellow Mommy for just that clientele.

Her business is in Cazadero near the Russian River in Sonoma County. Her two-night babymoon include breakfast, a workshop and 90-minute massage.

Last year, a few months before Emelie was born, Jimmy and Ida Mitchell of Walnut Creek drove to Cazadero for a couple days at the Timber Cove Inn.

“It was absolutely worth it,” reports Jimmy, who emphatically describes himself as “not a very hippy dippy guy.”

Nonetheless, he says that he owes a lot to that weekend workshop.

“I was very skeptical, but the lessons we learned there we still use today,” he says.

Babymoon Tips

• Think of your babymoon differently than a vacation, advises Lisa Petrocelli. “This is about relaxation and focusing on each other, not the time to book seven cities in seven days.”
• Find a place that meets your changing needs – like a hotel with an elevator just in case your feet are swollen.
• Check with your doctor before you go anywhere late in your term.
• Remember there’s a babymoon for every budget.

Babymoon Hot Spots and Resources

Monterey:

The Old Monterey Inn

oldmontereyinn.com

Calistoga:

Mount View Hotel & Spa

mountviewhotel.com

Sonoma:

Mellow Mommy at Timber Cove Inn

mellowmommy.com

Babymoon Guide. babymoonguide.com

Sara Solovitch is an associate editor of Bay Area Parent.