Fit Pregnancy: Babymoons: special getaway packages for your last fling as a child-free couple

CALL IT A BABYMOON. Or a couple's last hurrah. More and more parents-to-be are taking advantage of their final few months of freedom to get away together, retreat, relax and take a pre-baby breather. "These trips make perfect sense," says Gayle Peterson, Ph.D., M.S.S.W., a Berkeley, Calif., therapist who specializes in prenatal and parenting issues. "They're a rite of passage, almost like taking childbirth classes. A couple is saying goodbye to their old life and ushering in the new." Peterson says it also prevents couples from saying, "We should have ..."

"I was eight months pregnant with twins, and we wanted a last getaway because we knew it would be awhile before we could do anything like that again," says Amy Sommer, who spent a Last Big Hurrah weekend with her husband, Skip, at the Bodega Bay Lodge & Spa on the Sonoma Coast in Northern California (from $645; 800-368-2468, Ext. 5, or 707-875-3525, www.bodegabaylodge.com). "We spent way too much money, but it was really special," Sommer says. "We had a big suite with a spa tub and massages--my husband's first ever."

In response to this desire, several destination spas and hotels now offer special packages for expectant couples. Here are some far-flung options.

* BLISSFUL BEGINNINGS PACKAGE

Mandarin Oriental, Miami

Two nights' accommodations; American breakfast; two hours of signature treatments per person in the Couples' Suite, private couples' yoga, Bento Box couples' lunch and more. From $1,830; 305-913-8288 or 866-888-6780, www.mandarinoriental.com.

* BUNDLE OF JOY PACKAGE

Five Gables Inn & Spa, St. Michaels, Md.

Two nights' accommodations; couples' massage at the inn's Aveda Concept Spa; before- and after-baby photo album; lullaby CD and more. From $530 April 1 to Nov. 15; 877-466-0100 or 410-745-0100; www.fivegables.com.

* HEAVENLY HERSHEY HOTEL COUPLES' PACKAGE

The Hotel Hershey, Hershey, Pa.

Three nights' accommodations; spa treatments, including a rain shower, 20-minute traditional massage, choice of experiences such as the Whipped Cocoa Bath; $150 credit per person for additional spa services or products. From $1,134; 800-437-7439, www.hersheypa.com.

* PARENTS TO BE PAMPERING SPREE PACKAGE

Mountain Lodge, Telluride, Colo.

Three nights in a deluxe room with kitchenette and fireplace; one-hour couples' massage; in-room candlelight dinner and more. $855 June 13 to Sept. 19; 866-368-6867, www.mountainlodgetelluride.com. Before you book, get your doctor's OK to go to high altitudes.

* STRESS FREE PARENTS TO BE PACKAGE

Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, La Jolla, Calif.

Three-day package includes accommodations; shopping trip to Nordstrom complete with driver and personal shopper; breakfast in bed; photography session and photos. Several spa treatments also are available, including prenatal couples' massage. From $2,000; 877-437-8262 or 858-550-1000, www.estancialajolla.com.