Dubrovnik Croatia

In August we travelled to Dubrovnik Croatia. It's one of those places I never thought I would go but after seeing some beautiful pictures as I scrolled through Pinterest I was convinced that this should be our next destination! (proof you should continue to while away your hours on Pinterest as it could direct the course of your life!)

Dubrovnik is wonderful place to visit. It's an awesome ancient city to explore and offers the most beautiful clear waters in the world. Travelling here with my one year old was no problems at all. The city is pretty stroller friendly although there are a lot of stairs.  It's important you walk the city walls to capture the beautiful views of the city and it's surrounds. You won't want to take your stroller but you can leave it at the bottom where you buy the tickets and either carry bub or use a carrier. It's best to do the walk early in the morning or at dusk as during the day in Summer it's probably too hot to have a baby out in the heat. We tried to go early but by 10am it's already pretty hot! It takes an hour so pace yourself! There are little rest stops and places you can buy fresh orange juice and water along the way in the event you need a break! I'm making it sound like it's Everest... It's not.

I've become a lover of pebble beaches! Growing up in Australia we're told we have the most beautiful beaches in the world which I still believe we do BUT if you have issues with sand getting into every nook then you should seek out the pebble beaches of Europe! Yes you may look like an 80 year old as your hobble down to the waters edge with a grimaced face but with water so clear and beautiful you will quickly forget the pain you experienced to get there. As the days went on out feet got tougher and we were running to the sea like Pamela Anderson.

We stayed at the Valamar President Dubrovnik hotel which was stunning. It has it's own private beach which was perfect. It's about a 15 minute bus ride into Old Town and the bus stop is right outside the hotel. We took a day trip from Old town to Lokrum Island. I recommend this highly as it's a quick ferry trip and the island is full of Peacocks which my son loved. You can rent bikes (we didn't) to explore the island fully. We just walked to the other side and swam in a beautful water hole that had a cool little cave then walked over to the sea and swam there too and sun bathed on the rocks then took in some shade in the park. Really worth a visit. 

Dubrovnik is somewhere I would definitely revisit. That's saying a lot because I usually like to explore new places! Croatia is a beautiful country filled with beautiful people. Thank you! 

Across the Pacific with papoose.

 A papoose (from the Algonquian papoos, meaning "child") is an American English loanword whose present meaning is "a Native American Indian child" (regardless of tribe) or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in the context of the child's mother.

A few weeks ago my 7 week old little boy, my Mum and I boarded a 13 hr from Brisbane to Los Angeles. Before leaving I asked Boston's paediatrician if he had any tips for traveling long haul with babes. He advised me that I should book a first class ticket and an economy ticket for the baby.  LOL. But seriously, he didn't follow it up with any real advice. So.. I thought it can't be too big a drama. Thankfully my Mum came with us for reinforcement and also just because we love her.

 I knew I had to feed him on the way up and also on descent to save his little ears from hurting. Timing is everything. For any future newby Mum and babe travellers. I'd say start feeding during take-off. I started  prematurely and he was a bit over it by the time we made it to altitude. The way down is a lot trickier... especially in my case... the plane was diving down then suddenly starting shooting back up again! Needless to say my poor little boy had to over indugle and did an epic vomit. I barely survived it. I couldn't run away because I was belted in and he was strapped to me! Another tip. Take plastic bags and spare clothes for yourself! (Which thankfully I did) He takes a dummy now so hopefully we won't have a repeat incident.

A fellow passenger gave Boston an A+ for his travelling skills. (I'd like to think it was my mothering prowess) He was a little champion on his first flight. Didn't sleep though, apart from a few cat naps.. but overall was a happy camper..  Hooray!  Although he did create about 10 dirty nappies. A new personal best in 13 hours. Mum and I took two on, two off. It's best to use the disabled bathroom at the back of the plane so you don't go dropping everything into the loo like I almost did. I'm soooo lucky my Mumma was with me for my maiden voyage as a Mum! I would not give Boston an A+ for the days/nights following his first flight however. Never expect to hit the ground running with a jet setting babe!  It took about a week (felt like two) for us to figure out day from night! I had a taste of what sleep deprivation is and understand why it's used as an army torture technique.

Hello world

BNE TO LAX

Pregnant in Paris

At 18 weeks my husband was invited to France to introduce a film he made at FIPA (Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels) He was in Los Angeles at the time and made the quick trip over via Chicago. We thought this could be the perfect opportunity for a baby moon! I called Dr. Yared's office and asked if it would be ok for me to take the long haul flight from Australia. I got the go ahead but I needed to buy some compression tights...which I did.. they were $99.. I could think of 99 things I'd rather spend $99 dollars on... But safety first ;) After dashing around trying to find winter clothes that still fit, I packed my bags and headed for the airport. After checking in I proceeded through customs then to the bathroom to throw on my compression tights. Ten minutes later I emerged from the bathroom feeling VERY compressed. They bring a whole new meaning to the word compression. Be warned it's probably a two man job to get them on successfully.. unless you travel with a personal crane. 

Paris was covered in snow when I arrived! I had found out the sex of our baby before I left (for shopping purposes) and was going to surprise my husband with the news while we were there. I'd bought some sweet little Nike kicks which said it all... Petite garçon! 

We spent a few days in Paris staying in Saint Germain then took a train south to Biarritz where the festival was being held. It was a awesome trip. I can see why they say travelling during the second trimester is ideal. Your tummy isn't too big to carry around which means your feet don't hurt. Morning sickness is a thing of the past (hopefully) and energy levels are sufficient for shopping and exploring.

Parisian Travel Pointers

• Always book an aisle seat when you're flying pregnant... close to the lavatories.. but not too close. 
• Allow extra time and energy to put on your compression tights. Expect to work up a sweat and want to flush them down the toilet.
• French people don't care what sort of cheeses you can and can't eat. So research cheese!
• Eat regularly. Which isn't hard in France.
• Growing babies love croissants and macaroons. Don't feel guilty. Like my BFF Dr. Danielle wisely said "You want a sweet baby don't you?!"
• Take a nap everyday in the afternoon so you can enjoy dinner and night walks
• Don't forget to order a special meal for the flight if you want one. I always order Vegetarian... Mainly because they come out first and I'm not sure I trust plane meat.
• Use the sticker I displayed below. It's a pregnant persons worst nightmare to miss a meal! 
• BYO healthy snacks for the plane and for any layovers so you don't have a currency conversion dilemma.
• Use up your last euros on Laduree Macaroons at the airport on the way home! 

Au Revoir!

16 and Pregnant

At 11 weeks pregnant my 16 year old sister and I decided to go on a holiday to Phuket Thailand! I took it as a compliment that Paige would want to travel with me considering I’d been such a beast in the lead up. She must have been really desperate to go. Dr Yared gave me the go ahead so we booked. I thought it was a bit adventurous to travel somewhere like Thailand pregnant so I madly researched blogs and forums to seek wisdom from anyone who'd gone before me. No inspiration. Miraculously my morning sickness seemed to subside the day we took off. Note to self: Morning sickness remedy= holiday. We packed lots of snacks. Special K, Milk, crackers, apple sauce, Maggie noodles and vegemite just to name a few. We would use the new found room in our suitcase for shopping!

Paige and I discussed the fact this wouldn’t be an “action packed” style holiday. I was reluctant to rent a scooter, firstly because Paige is really tall which means she's really heavy and secondly and most importantly I’d never ridden one before. Nek minnit I find myself on a scooter with Paige on the back. We did a few test laps around our local area then decided we were ready for the main roads. Seeing as Phuket is a relatively small place we didn’t bother with a map. Bad idea. One minute we were riding along on a road then we found ourselves flying down a steep dirt path.. then Paige noticed the engine had stopped. I’d envisioned having to leap off the bike and commando roll to safety…. luckily though, the brakes still worked so we eased our way to the bottom. Again LUCKILY there was civilisation down there and a nice man restarted our bike and gave us the unfortunate news that the only way out was back UP. We found a map after that and made sure we stayed ON the beaten track! After that little incident we thought “How much worse could it get” and gained confidence to ride all around the island.  The only downer about the scooter idea is that the fumes on the roads a pretty thick. So if you are concerned about fumes and the like don’t rent one. Same goes for boat rides out to the islands. When you’re pregnant they make you sit at the back of the boat which is more stable…. BUT you cop the potent smoke from the motors.

I made sure to tell the massage ladies I was pregnant because apparently there are certain issues regarding circulation and you don't want to develop a blood clot in a foreign country... or ideally.. anywhere!! I half regretted telling them sometimes because they were pretty light on and one masseuse even spent the whole time doing a really weird hairstyle on me. I'm too embarrassed to share the photo. I looked like a dinosaur. 

Paige and I made a deal.. she would go parasailing if I returned home with a full head of braids like most Australian tourist do. I piked and only got 4. #killjoy #vain

We had tons of fun and I loved every minute with my little sis. Even when she took an hour to get ready every day only to destroy all her hard work by jumping in the ocean straight away. We'd go back in a heart beat! 

Here’s a few tips for anyone looking to travel to a hot Asian country while pregnant-

• BYO snacks from home for comfort.
• Stay hydrated with bottled water.
• All the ice in tourist areas is good so don’t freak out.
• Don’t overheat. Avoid spas/hot tubs or overheating in the sun or getting burnt!
• Consider day trips bring the risk of boating mishaps and fume/smoke inhalation.
• Not the time nor place to be adventurous with food..I went vegetarian, just in case.
• Hand sanitizer is always a must.
• Go to Sabai Sabai in Patong and enjoy a green curry. 
• Renting a bike is handy but tuk tuks are probably safer.
• Buy some sea sick wrist bands as pregnant people shouldn't take sea sick tablets.
• Enjoy the beautiful fresh fruit and smoothies on the beach!
• Make the most of the cheap massages... you might even get a bonus hair-do ;)

Sawadee!