Completing my pre-baby bucket list

Monica Reyes resides in Vancouver with her husband and neurotic dog. She’s also a soon-to-be first-time mom who is excited and terrified about her new life. Follow along as she shares her pregnancy journey.

Babymoons, the last romantic trip before you have your baby, are gaining popularity. We all know that poopy diapers and sleepless nights await us, so why not book a getaway before life as you know it completely changes?

Read more: Planning a babymoon >

It’s advised that you go on your babymoon in your second trimester, when you’re past all the nausea and you’re not too big and uncomfortable. I found that I was at my best during the first weeks of my second trimester, but I would say that my first trimester was better than what I’m currently going through right now. Because anything can happen during pregnancy and you never know if a new ailment is going to arrive, a more laid back vacation is more desirable than one jam-packed with activities. Sometimes babymoons aren’t feasible because you feel miserable the whole entire pregnancy.

Read more: Most embarrassing pregnancy symptoms >

If you’re looking to do something more adventurous or something you can’t do while pregnant (e.g. wine tours and extreme sports), have you thought of a pre-pregnancy bucket list? You know, things that you absolutely must do before having kids.

While I had a laundry list of things I wanted to do and see before getting pregnant, there was only one item I had to cross off before I could finally say yes to babies.

Since I was 21 years old, Australia has been on my destination list. I was very close to making it a reality, but then I met someone who ended up being my husband. When I knew kids were around the corner, I needed to take this trip before it became a lifelong regret.

It was a physically demanding trip, where we toured Australia in three-and-a-half weeks. I wanted to see as much as possible. This meant seven flights, seven hotels and four car rentals. On average, we moved to a different place every two days. It was nuts and I loved every moment of it (OK, maybe not the time we were followed by wild dogs), but I don’t think I have it in me to complete a trip like that again.

We were able to do things that I wouldn’t be able to do pregnant. We surfed, scuba-dived, sweltered in the heat and did more hiking than I have ever done in my entire life. It was our last epic adventure. I’m glad I didn’t go when I was younger because now my husband and I have memories that last a lifetime. And to be honest, I may have put this trip off for even longer if we weren’t planning on having children. So thank you, little baby inside of me, for helping me accomplish a dream of mine.