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.

Conceptual illustration showing a pool and couple, representing traveling without a new baby

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.