Two Realizations

We returned from our babymoon trip to Cabo San Lucas on Tuesday night; it was a great 6 days and 5 nights. We ate well, relaxed lots, and came back rested and brown. I'm certainly more camera-shy now that I'm pregnant, so we have less pictures this time around. I took so many on our first trip two years ago that I still have all the memories captured.

We stayed in the same place, Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach resort. It's about as far from the airport in Cabo as you can get, about an hour drive, and the resort is set on a cliff on the other side of the town. The sister resort Pacifica Holistic Spa is right next door and shuttles run every half hour, so we had access to a different scene when we wanted.

I had a great time but am very happy to be home and back to my regular routine. There were two major things that I realized on this trip that I'd like to share with you.

1. Your skin changes when you are pregnant- it's much more sensitive!!

I have dark olive skin that tans easily and is less likely to burn. To be sure I do burn, but only when I've been sloppy or neglectful in my sunscreen application. On the first day of our trip I amply applied sunscreen everywhere before going outside, and it was actually a bit cold and windy that day so I spent some of it covered up. Also because I'm pregnant I couldn't lay down on my tummy so the front of my body got much more exposure. Because of all these factors I didn't reapply as much, and I burned. Kind of bad. Not happy.
Yes, the second morning I woke up and I was hurting. My poor tummy was red, also my knees and shins, the tops of my feet, and a bit around my bra line. It hurt! It wasn't harmful to the baby, but I was hurting much more than any sunburn I can remember. I had a prenatal massage scheduled that morning, but that was out of the question so I rescheduled it for our last day. The rest of the trip I kept my tummy covered and reapplied SPF 45, oh, every 15 minutes or so. I also slathered myself with lotion morning and night. By the last day I felt much better, and now 6 days later the burns are gone and I have a few peely spots and that's it.

When you're in the sun a lot or when it's dry the most important thing is to hydrate hydrate hydrate. After burning I needed even more because my skin was so parched. I bought much more bottled water than I would have were I not pregnant, which leads me to realization #2 . . . .

2. Access to clean bathrooms is really important

Staying hydrated is really important in regular life, but particularly when you are pregnant. Spending a couple of days in the sun makes it that much more crucial. Couple lots and lots of fluids with a baby bouncing up and down on your bladder (and she's definitely bouncing now) and you'll be forming a very personal relationship with any and all restrooms.
Pueblo Bonito is a beautiful family of resorts, meticulously maintained and boasting some of the best service and attention to detail that I've experienced in my travels. This attention to detail stretched all the way down to every restroom onsite, even the ones located by the beach and pool. Every single one was perfectly maintained- clean, pleasant smelling, well stocked, and accessible. Even when seated on the other side of the pool, the bathroom wasn't far away and I'd visit it 7 or 8 times in a morning. This could have been really unpleasant in a smelly or messy spot, so I was incredibly grateful for the perfumes, clean floors and toilets, and ample towels and soap.