1. Congratulate yourself<\/h2>\n
The newborn stage of parenthood is tough – the lack of sleep, the constant feeding, all teamed with the physical recovery post-birth. So, surviving the early days and finding your groove is certainly something worth celebrating! A holiday is the perfect way to close out that special time in your family\u2019s life (and catch up on some much-needed sleep).<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/stateless-www-wotif-com\/2019\/08\/a2051e8b-maternity-moon-1.png\")
<\/p>\n
2. Embracing the \u2018maternity moon\u2019<\/h2>\n
Parents-to-be have been enjoying \u2018babymoons\u2019 for years. But now it\u2019s all about the \u2018maternity moon\u2019. And it\u2019s easier than ever to travel with a young baby, with many accommodation providers stocking up on essentials like highchairs, baby baths and prams, so you can travel light. We thought we were being brave taking an eight-month-old to Hamilton Island<\/a>, but the resort\u2019s \u2018Baby\u2019s First Holiday\u2019 program decked our room out with more baby stuff than we had at home!<\/p>\n Nothing beats seeing the world through the awe and wonder in a baby\u2019s eyes. It\u2019s what surprised me most about becoming a parent – the way simple things, like park plays, stargazing and sandcastles, became big adventures. And this most magical part of motherhood becomes even more amplified for me during family holidays. I find it a great mindset-reset to end maternity leave with a big hunk of quality family time, which serves as a restorative, reflective and fun reminder of what I truly hold dear.<\/p>\n What? A holiday that can save me money? Well, it\u2019s all about the timing. Generally, once your child is enrolled in a childcare service, you will have to pay for their spot year-round – even when you\u2019re on holiday. So, cram in a break before your maternity leave is up, and before your child starts in care, to avoid paying childcare bills while you\u2019re away.<\/p>\n Even if you\u2019ve done it before, returning to work after maternity leave can fill you with a mix of emotions \u2014 excitement, anticipation and nerves. The new phase in family life equals a shake-up to routines and the everyday. A holiday can kickstart the new chapter, and ensure new parents return to work happy, refreshed and raring to go! I\u2019m a big fan of Fiji for a family holiday guaranteed to get me relaxed and ready to take on the world again. Resorts like Radisson Blu Resort Denarau Island<\/a> offer great options to kick back, both with and without the kids (babysitting services = a meal or two in peace).<\/p>\n The end of maternity leave brings with it the return of the ol\u2019 morning alarm (and I don\u2019t mean baby cries). Heading back to work means more restrictions and demands on your time, meaning you may not be able to hop on a holiday on a whim. It may be months before you\u2019re able to take advantage of annual leave, so make the most of the end of your maternity leave with a solid break.<\/p>\n But more importantly, a super cute family picture to adorn your workspace! Perhaps the most valuable part of a family holiday is the memories it can bring. And nothing eases the return to work after maternity leave like a framed snap of you and your crew captured in full holiday mode.<\/p>\n<\/i> PLAN YOUR OWN MATERNITY MOON <\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Before I had kids, I thought maternity leave was like an extended holiday in itself. I imagined myself fitting in plenty of exercise, tackling that long-awaited family photo project, and perhaps even writing my brain-bound novel. Ha! Maternity leave ended up being the most memorable, epic and treasured time of my life, but a holiday …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":8671,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,760],"tags":[36,602,600,601,65],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8661"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8661"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8864,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8661\/revisions\/8864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/stateless-www-wotif-com\/2019\/08\/d17dd4d0-maternity-moon-2.png\")
<\/p>\n3. Seeing with new eyes<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/stateless-www-wotif-com\/2019\/08\/c706cb42-maternity-moon-3.png\")
<\/p>\n4. Save dollars<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/stateless-www-wotif-com\/2019\/08\/71978de5-maternity-moon-4.png\")
<\/p>\n5. Mark a new chapter<\/h2>\n
6. Avoid the alarm<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/stateless-www-wotif-com\/2019\/08\/64741ffa-maternity-moon-6.png\")
<\/p>\n7. A lifetime of memories<\/h2>\n