After a couple is married, they go on a honeymoon to bask in the happiness of their new love. A growing number of expectant parents, who have the time and the means, are taking a "babymoon" vacation to celebrate and bond before a new baby radically changes their lives.

Some couples see a babymoon as a last hurrah before their lives are loaded down with responsibilities and late-night feedings, while others view it as a serious time to reflect on what's ahead.

Christy Collins, owner of Beside Still Waters Farm in Willits, Calif., a bed and breakfast establishment in the Redwood Mountains, says she regrets not taking a babymoon when she was pregnant with her only child, Alyssa. "We would have liked to have gotten away before the baby came to have a little downtime because life changes so dramatically afterwards," she says. "Regardless of how much people tell you that beforehand, you don't realize that until after the fact."

Collins decided to offer a special vacation package for expectant parents. "We've wanted the inn to be family-friendly here because a lot of inns don't take kids," Collins says. "Along with that, we noticed the trend toward babymoons. We started working on putting a babymoon package together."

Collins gives parents a delivery kit for the moms to take to the hospital, which includes a nursing gown, toiletries such as lip balm, a headband and treaded socks. "Then, while they are here, we give them a travel candle they can burn while they are here and they can take it to the hospital if their hospital allows candles," Collins says, adding the couple also receive a bottle of nonalcoholic sparkling cider and a gift for the baby.

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