Pregnancy preparedness: Part 3- It’s a Pamper Party

Hey, Nickels! Welcome back to the 3rd installation of my pregnancy preparedness series which is all about self care. I hope you have enjoyed my first two posts Pregnancy preparedness: Financial Readiness and Pregnancy preparedness: What the health?

After learning I was pregnant I became acutely aware that my life was going to change for the better but nonetheless, forever changed. For the past 34 years I had become accustomed to leaning on myself and caring for my needs only. Becoming a parent would be a major shift in priority for me so it was important to me to honor my old self one last time. If there is one thing I am indisputably good at, it is self care. This may be attributed to my virgo nature, or maybe the fact that I am a middle child and had to self sooth, or it could be because I am single with no one to shower me with love and affection so I’ve learned to TREAT MYSELF. To commemorate my last moments of putting myself first I planned a series of events and activities during my pregnancy. Below are a list of things I did as a mom-to-be honor and pamper myself during my pregnancy.

Vacationing: Of course I plan to travel the world with my son and future daughter one day but traveling with children is a lot different than traveling without them. I was a pretty solid traveler before becoming a mom so while pregnant I booked 3 trips. The first trip was an international trip to Barbados. I extended the invite to my best friend but she was unable to accompany me so I booked the trip as a solo traveler (though I was not quite solo given the fetus growing inside of me). Next, I visited the Grand Canyon which was a bucket list destination. I had planned to go on a Grand Canyon trip in 2018 while I lived in California but I moved prematurely and never got to go. I attempted to plan the trip again with one of my besties in 2019 but it got postponed until 2020 then covid hit and the world shut down along with my Grand Canyon plans. The opportunity presented itself again while I was pregnant and I was sure to book my trip without hesitation. In photos you can observe my growing baby bump if you look closely. Finally, I took myself on a baby moon which is defined as a last vacation taken by expectant parent(s) before a baby is born. I went to Hershey for the weekend where I got to make my own chocolate bar and treated myself to my first ever body scrub at the Melt Spa.

Dining out and culinary experiences: I had many culinary experiences while pregnant. I ate at a few nice restaurants that I had wanted to try. I figured higher end restaurants would be off the rotation for a while as a new mom. For instance while in Las Vegas for my Grand Canyon trip I stayed at the new Hilton at Resorts World which has over 40 food and beverage experiences. I tried several of the restaurants while there including the Marigold which is now permanently closed. At the Marigold I ordered the Vegas Lobster Roll which had Santa Barbara sea urchin, American caviar, and dill aioli. It was my first time trying caviar and to be honest had I known there was caviar on the roll I would not have order it. I must say I am happy I tried it because the lobster roll was really tasty yet pricey. Also, for my birthday I took a beach trip with my cousin where we ate at a steakhouse, Prime 13 located in Point Pleasant, NJ. This place served warm soft pretzel in lieu of bread and just wow, it was mouth watering! Also, rather than the mundane caesar salad served at most restaurants this place served a charred grilled romaine lettuce caesar salad and again, just wow! To top it off I ordered a lobster which just melted in my mouth. Another place I dined at while pregnant was Sullivan’s Steakhouse. I would drive by Sullivans while in the KOP area often and always wonder what the food was like so I finally decided to make a reservation. My cousin and I ordered all appetizers. I really enjoyed the Spicy Shrimp Eggrolls. Next, I took a cooking class with my BEST friend, Mo at Sur La Table where I learned to make 3 different types of crepes. Then of course I hit up my favorite lunch spots like Olive Garden and Red Lobster whenever I had the chance. It was not lost on me that I would lose the ability to just jump in the car and go once I became a mom. So I took every opportunity to jump in the car and take myself out.

Spa day and entertainment: Now we all know a spa day is the epitome of pampering oneself so I had to add this to the list. I won’t spend too much time on the subject because I mention my spa experience in detail in last December’s post, Gift Guide to Yourself. Essentially, while pregnant I had a pregnancy massage on my birthday at the Four Seasons Hotel and a body scrub at the Hershey Melt spa during my baby moon. Also while pregnant I hosted a pamper party with a few women from my village at a luxury nail spa. We celebrated womanhood with a nice mani/pedi combo. Again, I mention this experience in my Gift Guide to Yourself blog post. In addition to nice spa days I went to sporting events and museums. For example, my cousin and I went to the 76ers and Utah, Jazz game. The 76ers loss that night but to be fair, the Jazz were ranked 3rd overall in the league at the time so the odds were against the Sixers that night but it was an exciting game. Also, I went to WonderSpaces with my friend. This place is pretty cool, affordable, and offers plenty of great photo opportunities.

Gifts: Since having my son every dime I spend is for him. I honestly do not remember the last time I purchased something for myself. However, while pregnant there were a few purchases I made for myself like my push present. A push present is usually given by a partner to celebrate the milestone of motherhood and to thank the new mom for laboring. The gift is typically jewelry. However, as a single mom there is no partner to celebrate my milestone so I gifted myself a Tiffanys and co necklace with a note to read after labor. I was sure to pack it in my hospital bag. Next, I am obsessed with Chicago style gourmet popcorn so I definitely ordered some Garret mix, Garret’s popcorn and ate it ALL in one night. Lastly, I purchased a Christopher John Rogers dress for my birthday from one of Target’s designer collaboration sales which was a huge hit. I cannot recall ever receiving so many compliments on something I was wearing.

Naps and long showers: Sometimes it is the simple things that make us feel the most pampered. I will never forget my line sister telling me to enjoy taking naps and long showers. I can now confirm those mundane tasks like showering and sleeping are indeed luxuries with a newborn. I am glad I took naps almost EVERY lunch hour while pregnant (which I did before pregnancy too, I am napper) and relished in long showers. I rarely get to take naps now and my showers are short.

Professional development: I had always desired a career in Finance particularly helping people plan for their future so I did a lot of research to determine the best career move for myself and personal financial planning came to mind. I had started an accelerated Personal Financial Planning (PFP) program before I got pregnant but completed my program in my second trimester. It was the first step of many to begin my career as a planner and to help my family build wealth. The successful completion of the program while pregnant was so gratifying given how challenging the courses were. My professors did not think I would be able to keep with the other professionals in the class because I was the only person who was not already an agent or advisor in my cohort. As such completing the program and sometimes outperforming my classmates was an added bonuses. Upon completion of my PFP certificate I began an entrepreneur certificate program and started studying for the big exam. Some people may not consider professional development pampering but I think anything that makes me feel good is considered pampering.

Comment below and share with me how you like to pamper yourself. Do you take yourself on trips, out to eat, or treat yourself to pedicures too?