Dedication: To all the women struggling post partum, feel its end of their freedom and need encouragement to do something they really want to.
Well “9 locations – 5 flights – about 20 days travel with my little 5 months old baby” so that I could be the WANDER WOMAN I wanted to be!
When all a new mom feels is “even though I love my baby…is this the end of my freedom? amongst all the sleepless nights and fatigue, constant breastfeeding concerns, tingling stitches, low confidence, drastic change in appearance and worry of how will I ever get back to work and manage things back home………I took the chance of making my journey beautiful with my bundle of joy – my 5 months old baby boy “Shlok” and decided to go on a solo expedition and partner with family and friends wherever they could join!
The entire experience was nerve-racking and breath-taking at the same time.
What if a night turns colicky, where will I leave the baby when I go to the washroom, how will I pack unpack every time if the baby doesn’t co-operate at that moment, what if a flight experience turns out to be a messy (I carried the stroller, car seat, carrier, sleeping bed, diaper bag, 2 suitcases, 2 handbags throughout my travel…that’s what a small baby requires for long travel!:) and the list of worries goes on! (and well one of my flights did get cancelled in between the trip….it was a crazy thing to fix the travel schedule and logistics with my baby…but now simply a memorable experience I smile back at)
Detailed thoughtful planning and proactive scenario analysis helped me sail through these worries and situations! Travel is my passion and not doing that was not an option I gave myself. I told the scared new mommy in me – Let’s just do it, but this time with some extra planning, effort and consciousness!
I believe that my baby doesn’t take away from me, but gets added to me – and well life is better to be lived like that now onwards!:)
And what mattered at the end is the beautiful experience, bonding and nature-led sensory play I could give to my baby at this age whether it was the scenic mountains, rivers, green landscapes, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, spiritual and religious places, cafes and restaurants, heritage structure tours, music etc.!
I couldn’t believe that I accomplished my travel goals even with my baby at this stage and age.
It’s so right when people say “where there is a will, there is a way!”. And I now say “If I can, every new mom can!😊”
If my story inspires even one person to break their barrier I would think it’s a job done for me, as at some point I also needed the inspiration and motivation to break my barrier!
Regards,
Pooja