Five months into motherhood, I was exhausted.
After four days at a plush Mexican beach resort, I felt reborn.
Illustration by Katie Smith
Boarding the flight toCabowith my husband, Alejandro, my arms felt unnervingly light.
Credit:Illustration by Katie Smith
It was our first trip without Ona, our five-month-old daughter.
Shell be fine, my mother-in-law had reassured me the night before, as I stroked Onas sandy hair.
Still, my heart felt a little hollow as the plane took off and Austin disappeared beneath the clouds.
Would I be able to enjoy the next four days on the Baja Peninsula?
I had grown skilled at reading Onas cuesbut what about my own?
I rested my head on Alejandros shoulder.
Explosions of carmine bougainvillea and slate-green spikes of agave studded the desert landscape.
I felt, in a rush, how very tired I was.
But here, unlike at home, I could rest.
First it was time for some grown-up relaxation: a tasting in the hotels hidden wine cellar.
But as Alejandro and I entered the space, I felt my shoulders tense up.
Women are too self-conscious about describing wines, she said.
Wine is like love, she told us.
There are no rules.
Most women endure first-trimester nausea during pregnancy.
Mine had lasted all day, every day, for nine months.
I could barely eat, work, or see friends.
My only craving was to not be pregnant anymore.
I fantasized daily about what I would eat when I finally felt hungry again.
I had expected soothing New Age music and competent hands working out the baby-bouncing knots in my shoulders.
What we experienced was closer to a rebirth.
The massages were deftly transcendent.
But it was the hydrotherapy areaso often an afterthoughtthat was this spas beating heart.
On our final night, fireworks pierced the still air.
I joined Alejandro outside to savor the display.
Couples therapy can strengthen your relationship and help you face your deepest fears.
But a couples vacation had brought us back to the love that created our daughter in the first place.
Sometimes, the best parenting isnt about sacrifice.
Its about taking a break, basking in the sun, and letting yourself be babied for once.
A version of this story first appeared in the February 2025 issue ofTravel + Leisureunder the headline Maternity Leave.
