LiveFromTheWorldYo: Packing Pregnant

Packing Pregnant

Heyyy, it’s me, BePackingABabyBelly 😉 — reporting live from Maui, Hawaii, about my pre‑vacation spiral that hits even frequent flyers like me.

The setup
Travel always flips on my “must do it all” switch: wrap up work, hand off open items, hair/nails/spray tan, empty the fridge, take out the trash, and try to not to leave the house looking like a tornado audition. Oh, and laundry. Then packing. Fun (not)! Justin has helped me accept that the house doesn’t need to be clean and tidy when we leave; I just like it that way.

The babymoon twist
Pregnancy upped the difficulty level: more personal items, pregnancy‑safe toiletries, and United’s “your flight might be canceled” email thanks to FAA reductions at SFO. Also, styling a growing belly means trying on way more outfits than usual. Clothes that fit Monday say “bestie, no” by Friday. I’m also running hot, so I have no idea what I’ll even want to wear in the November Hawaii weather.

The pile + the show
I always start a “take” pile a week or two out (sometimes… a month). For Hawaii, it felt like a mountain as I prepared for the “what if this will fit” fashion show. Here’s a glimpse into the ordeal for my biggest fans (that’s you if you made it here!). After trimming my selection down, I called it at midnight after a long day.

Flight‑day scramble
When I woke up the next morning, anxiety immediately set in: still tons to do after my hospital pregnancy group, which ended up running an extra 30 minutes that day. We wanted to get to the airport early (thanks, government shutdown), which meant my “finish your $hit” window shrank. I grabbed a light snack and water bottle since I know hydration is important – then focused: refill toiletries, pack my backpack + personal item + cable + snack bag (yes, I have a thing for bags), charge my battery pack (whoops), clear the fridge, take out trash, run the dishwasher. Fruit flies, be gone.

The self‑aware spiral
I kept thinking “don’t stress, you’re pregnant,” while… stressing and taking deep breaths that read more like dramatic sighs. Huffing around, annoyed my Apple Watch died so it didn’t count my “active minutes” let alone help me track what time it is.

The plot twist
We got to SFO ~2.5 hours early and it was a breeze. No chaos. Just time, snacks, and relief.

Looking back, lets unpack where I could have saved myself time:

Pre-fill my pill containers, only saving the day-of for final top off.
Refill toiletries- I officially invested in a nice travel set, so I only use it infrequently at the gym.
Charge electronics & pack less-used cables in advance (like my lighting cable, I only need for my AirPods in the off chance I want to connect them to my Insta360)
Pack jewelry case (I did do this actually, so present Brittany thanks past Brittany for that one – you’re a G)

As we were finally walking out of the house, I did what I could to channel the energy of one of my favorite Hawaii hats – Living Aloha. I made it!

From compression socks to reef‑safe SPF, I’m sharing every single item that earned its spot — the complete babymoon list is coming up next.