We’re often asked the same question in different forms:
Is this a babymoon? Or is it a pregnancy retreat?
The honest answer is:
It begins where the idea of a babymoon started - and then goes much deeper.
For many women, a babymoon is a beautiful idea.
A final trip before birth.
A chance to rest, travel, spend time with a partner.
A softer chapter before everything changes.
And for some pregnancies, that’s exactly right.
A change of scenery, good food, time away from routine - all of that has value.
But pregnancy is not just physical.
And what many women feel, often quietly, is that rest alone doesn’t address what’s really moving beneath the surface.
What’s becoming increasingly clear through modern research is that how a woman experiences pregnancy matters far beyond the weeks themselves.
A mother’s stress levels, nervous system regulation, sense of safety, and emotional support during pregnancy play a role in shaping the baby’s early development and long-term wellbeing. This is why many women today are no longer looking for pregnancy to simply “pass comfortably” - but are seeking the best possible conditions for their baby’s beginning.
In that sense, a babymoon isn’t just about rest. It’s about creating the internal environment in which new life is growing.
Modern pregnancy happens in a world that doesn’t slow down.
Most women arrive at pregnancy already carrying:
A holiday can be relaxing.
But it rarely changes how supported, prepared, or connected a woman feels when she comes home.
That’s not because something is wrong with her.
It’s because a holiday isn’t designed to hold pregnancy in the way it deserves.
This is where the idea of an intentional babymoon begins.
When we speak about an intentional pause, we don’t mean doing nothing.
We mean creating space that is deliberately designed for pregnancy.
As we explain in our work:
“Solo is a choice because it’s intentional.
It means the expectant mother is choosing to pause her busy life and decide that she wants to connect - to herself and to her baby.”
An intentional pause is:
It’s not about escaping life.
It’s about meeting pregnancy fully - with time, care, and depth.
Why solo. Why intention. Why this pause matters.
Choosing a solo babymoon is often misunderstood.
It’s not about excluding partners or families.
It’s not about isolation.
It’s about removing one crucial thing:
the need to take care of anyone else.
When a woman comes alone:
What opens up instead is depth.
This depth matters because pregnancy is not only a physical process - it is a psychological and emotional transition known as matrescence.
Just as adolescence reshapes identity, matrescence reshapes a woman’s sense of self, safety, and capacity to mother. Going through this transition with time, support, and community allows a woman to arrive at birth more regulated, resourced, and confident - which directly influences the baby’s earliest experiences of the world, and creates ripple effects for the family as a whole.
As we often see, the solo format allows women to:
And importantly, this connection doesn’t end at the retreat.
These relationships stay - leading all the way up to birth and into postpartum. It’s a community that travels with them.
Over the past years, pregnancy retreats have become more visible.
That’s not a bad thing.
But it does mean discernment matters.
Many retreats:
Pregnancy deserves more than that.
A retreat that truly supports pregnancy must be:
Anything less is simply not enough for what’s at stake during pregnancy.
Pregnancy retreats exist on a wide spectrum.
Some are essentially wellness holidays with a pregnancy theme. Others are led by people without formal training in maternity care or childbirth education.
At mom’z, we work with a proprietary pregnancy program developed through years of research and real-world application with hundreds of pregnant women, in collaboration with international midwives, birth educators, doulas, and wellness specialists.
The program integrates modern, evidence-informed maternity care, nervous-system regulation, prenatal movement, and emotional preparation for birth. It is continuously refined based on participant feedback and clinical insight, and designed to support pregnancy in a way that is both grounded and holistic.
To date, the experience has been shaped by 500+ participants, with every retreat consistently rated five stars - not because it promises a specific type of birth, but because women leave feeling calmer, more confident, and better supported as they move toward birth and motherhood.
Our solo babymoon retreats are:
This approach has been experienced and documented by editors who came as participants, not observers - including GLAMOUR UKs editor Londie who described the retreat not just as a luxury escape, but as a deeply supportive and transformative pause in pregnancy.
This distinction matters.
It’s also why many maternity professionals choose to attend mom’z retreats during their own pregnancies - and why they openly recommend the experience to the women they support.
“As UK midwife Charlotte Rose-Birch shared after attending during her own pregnancy:
“As a trained midwife, I thought I didn’t have much to gain from these sessions, but I was wrong.
All of the childbirth preparation classes are evidence-based from the latest studies and are delivered in a balanced way, while acknowledging that different types of births occur. You couldn’t get better antenatal classes than this.
"I came to relax, but left empowered - with new friendships, a deep connection to childbirth and motherhood, freedom from fears, and practical tools that gave me confidence for labour.”
More reflections from midwives, doulas, and past participants can be found in our Solo Babymoon Reviews.
A babymoon doesn’t have to be bigger, further, or more luxurious.
It has to be intentional.
It has to honour the reality that pregnancy is not just a moment -
it’s a foundation.
For women who feel that this pause matters,
that how they move through pregnancy matters,
that being truly supported matters,
there is another way to do a babymoon.
If you’re considering a babymoon and feel that a holiday alone won’t hold what you’re going through, we invite you to explore our Solo Babymoon pregnancy retreats.
A babymoon is time set aside during pregnancy to slow down and reset before birth. For some women it’s a holiday with a partner. For others, it’s a more intentional pause designed around pregnancy.
Most women travel in the second trimester when energy is often higher and movement feels easier. Others prefer early third trimester. The best time is when travel still feels comfortable and you can actually switch off.
No. But many women find that creating a pause during pregnancy changes how they experience the weeks leading up to birth.
Yes. A solo babymoon can feel unexpectedly supportive because it removes mental load and creates uninterrupted space to connect with your body, your pregnancy, and what’s ahead.
A babymoon is usually unstructured, like a holiday. A pregnancy retreat is guided and designed around pregnancy support (education, movement, preparation, and emotional safety). Some experiences combine both.
Not at all. For many women it’s the opposite: they return with more clarity, calm, and tools to share with their partner or support team.
Look for expert leadership (midwives, doulas, childbirth educators), a small group, an intentionally designed evidence-based program, outstanding public reviews, endorsements from healthcare experts, and an environment that supports real rest, not just distraction.
Many “pregnancy retreats” are essentially wellness holidays with a pregnancy theme. mom’z is built as a guided pregnancy experience, led by specialists and intentionally designed to support pregnancy, birth preparation, and a lasting community with other expectant mothers.
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