Introducing the Prenatal Getaway

As far as we know, the term “babymoon” was coined by author and childbirth educator Sheila Kitzinger to describe the crucial bonding time a family spends together during a baby’s first few days after birth. But lately the word is getting a new twist, courtesy of the travel industry, where “babymoon” vacations beckon expectant parents even before the bundle of joy arrives.

Owner-innkeeper Christy Collins of Beside Still Waters Farm in Willits, Calif., offers expectant moms staying in her luxury cottages “delivery kits” filled with a nursing gown, lip balm and other items for the big event. Collins says the $70-per-night “Once in a Babymoon” package is simply an extension of the farm’s family friendly policy. “I don’t think people realize, especially first-time parents, how hard it is to get away [with children], and even if you can you might not want to.”

The “Stress Free Parents to Be” package at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa includes photo sessions, chauffeured shopping excursions, Pilates classes and a hotel-branded onesie for the baby. The Bodega Bay Lodge & Spa offers mom a copy of Jenny McCarthy’s humorous book, “Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth,” and a postnatal discount on two massages booked by the child’s first birthday. At the historic Planters Inn in Charleston, S.C., the deluxe $1,399 three-night “Baby on the Way” package is pricier than the honeymoon package, but with it future parents can avail themselves of treats including a tour of old Charleston and a goody basket containing a jar of pickles.

Not to mention a little calm before the storm.

* “Once in a Babymoon” package, Beside Still Waters Farm, 30901 Sherwood Road, Willits, CA, 95490; (877) 230-2171, www.besidestillwatersfarm.com.

* Three-night “Stress Free Parents to Be” package, Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, 9700 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037; (877) 437-8262, www.estancialajolla.com.

* “The Last Big Hurrah” package, Bodega Bay Lodge & Spa, 103 Coast Highway One, Bodega Bay, CA, 94923; (707) 875-3525 or (800) 368-2468, Ext. 5, www.woodsidehotels.com.

* Three-night “Baby on the Way” package, Planters Inn, 112 N. Market St., Charleston, SC, 29401; (800) 845-7082, www.plantersinn.com.