\'Babymoons\'

Parent to Parent: 'Babymoons'

Brad and Angelina relaxed in Namibia before baby Shiloh came into the world.

Before their son arrived, Britney and Kevin pampered themselves at a spa in Arizona.

And hometown celebrity Mark Wahlberg and his expectant girlfriend got away pre-baby for some fun in the sun in Maui.

And it is not just Hollywood. Here at home, it is the hottest new trend, "babymoons!"

It's just like a honeymoon, but instead of celebrating a new marriage, couples are taking time to pamper themselves before diaper duty and midnight feedings begin.

"It’s their last hurrah before six months of being tied down, to not being able to leave the baby," Debra Catania, of Daniel Webster Inn, said

With a two-year-old son at home and another baby due this fall, Rick and Erin Runstein are on a rendezvous for some romance at the Daniel Webster Inn in Sandwich.

"It was challenge then to sit down and have a meal together or find time to get away," Erin Runstein, a mother, said. "And now it's even more so, and it puts a strain on your relationship when you don't have time with each other."

Resorts across Massachusetts and New England are pushing packages for pregnancy pampering with names like "Countdown to Baby."

The pre-baby perks include special massages, gifts, chocolates and baby friendly bubbly, non-alcoholic champagne for mommies-to-be.

"You have to do something for yourself, you have to make time for yourself," Rick Runstein, a father, said. "You’re not at your best for your child, which is essentially how you’re functioning, unless you’re taking care of yourself."

Parenting experts say "babymoons" are more than just fun. They help couples focus on their marriage. And happy parents are better parents.

Byron Barnett, 7News.

(Copyright (c) 2006 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Segment Information

Reported by:

Byron Barnett

Contact:

BBarnett@whdh.com

Archived Reports:

All Parent to Parent