Advice from experienced mums please-general breaks.

[PembsLass]

Hi, I'm pregnant with first child. Is it reasonable to consider booking a weekend european city break with a 2 month old child. Am I likely to be too knackered?

You are not mad to plan a holiday but a city break (lots of walking, sightseeing, culture, meals out etc) may not be the best plan.

We did a (very atypical for us) all-inclusive resort holiday when dd was 7wks and it was a joy - lots of poolside lounging, people bringing us drinks, someone else doing the cleaning, buffet meals (so one could eat hot food while the other rocked/sang/paced/fed dd) etc.
We were indeed a bit knackered but it was better to be knackered on holiday in the sun than knackered hanging round the house.

you will almost certainly be knackered by night feeds. and if you have a difficult birth, may still not feel quite right physically. unless exclusively breastfeeding, the mechanics of clean bottles and formula may be a hassle when out and about. so a city break may be awkward.

Sounds horrible with a two-month old.

Nice hotel in the countryside/sunshine with child-friendly facilities and a pool for lounging a much better idea.

I've done a city break with a 3-month-old and that was fine (exclusively breastfeeding) -- DS went in his sling/carrier, we did the waling and sightseeing and stopped every so often to feed him. And he was not, by any means, an easy baby. At two months you do stand a chance of still feeling that you've been run over by a truck, though.

Some people recover quickly from birth and love getting out and about. Others take longer.

I had a hard labour and even after two months my nether regions really ached if I stood up for too long so I would have hated a city break. Your baby may be a great sleeper or it may wake-up lots and loudy which might make it stressful being in a hotel room. Many young babies get grouchy in the evenings. DD was a lovely baby but between 7-9pm she cried constantly at that age unless I constantly breastfed her. That would have made meals out hard for me.

I would not book it if I were you. You can always do a last minute deal if you feel up to it.

I think, so long as the birth is OK and everything is OK postnatally, then it will be fine. You can stop an take in the cafe culture whenever baby needs a feed and you'll be able to take baby with you when you have dinner.

oh yes, ours was a last-minute booking - wouldn't have planned it in case I had a traumatic birth / em section / had trouble bf etc.

I did turn down an invitation to spend a week on a yacht in the Med at what turend out to be the same dates - it would have been fine but we couldn't bank on that 3m before when we needed to confirm.

Exclusive bfing makes things immeasurably easier.

Everyone's different - not sure I would do it - I served the worst Sunday Lunch I've ever cooked to 12 relatives( some from overseas to see the baby) when dd was 7 weeks old.... not helped by a dippy (childless and non domesticated)friend who buggered off at feeding time ..when the potatoes needed going in.... but hey its something I've always remembered!!!

I'd wait and see how you feel after the event and book a last minute thing nearer the time.

It would have been madness for me with ds1, who at 2 months old never slept and screamed all day long. I was knackered and hallucinating from the lack of sleep.

With ds2 (if I didn't have ds1 to consider) it would be absolutely fine, as he is a very chilled and low maintenance baby.

Thank you all for replying. I will take your advice err on the side of caution on this one.