Tag: Denver

How I Overcame Pregnancy Nausea and Enjoyed Our Family Road Trip

Not one vomit bag was used on our route through South Dakota and Colorado

Our family recently road-tripped through South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska — but beforehand, we made a big announcement. Our third and final embryo transfer was successful, and we’re expecting our second child in November!

To reach this moment, we navigated a suspenseful final round of IVF, a joyous and nauseous first trimester, and our first road trip with Baby #2 (nicknamed Biggler #2). It’s been a hopeful whirlwind. We know pregnancy is far from a guarantee for couples with infertility, let alone the chance to choose how many kids you’ll have. We’ve stumbled and sobbed our way through, but we made it to our goal. We’re still astonished.

As I take on my second trimester, I’m excited to celebrate through my favorite lens: travel. To start, I can share what I’ve learned about mitigating morning sickness, or pregnancy nausea, and enjoying time on the road. Of course, since every pregnancy is unique, it’s always a good idea to ask your doctor if you have questions or concerns before setting off on an adventure.

Setting the Scene: Our Route and My Symptoms

For me, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre was the perfect venue to see a show while pregnant. We went to see Rilo Kiley in May of 2025.

Another exciting announcement inspired the route for our trip. In January, Rilo Kiley — my favorite band — announced a reunion tour, and I lost my mind in a sea of excitement and uncertainty. As you might recall, IVF is the recurring trickster in my travel story, rearing its head repeatedly to create complications and question marks. In this case, the questions came from multiple angles. Would I be pregnant during the entire tour? Would I be pregnant at all? What would the full tour route look like? What venue would be most appropriate for a pregnant concert viewing? Because there was no way I would miss this.

After some trial and error (and an extra pair of tickets bought and sold), we landed on Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver. On the way, we would trek through South Dakota to visit Reptile Gardens with our toddler and see the Badlands. It was a grand plan, but not without its obstacles: Namely, constant nausea.

During my first pregnancy, nausea and vomiting were a predictable constant right up until our daughter was born. I expected no less during my second pregnancy, but I wound up with even more discomfort. At my worst, I threw up four times in one day, lost some weight, and went to urgent care for fluids. At that point, the trip was on the line (Jenny Lewis reference intended).

The medications I had taken during my previous pregnancy — Metoclopramide and Famotidine, primarily — were ineffective against my worsening nausea. Remedies like ginger and constant snacking helped, but not nearly enough. However, a couple of weeks before the trip, I finally found a routine that stabilized me and made travel possible.

Central to the plan was Unisom (or doxylamine succinate), a sleep aid that takes the edge off nausea while also, predictably, making you sleepy. To keep my slumbering heart at bay (yes, still intended), I began taking half a pill mid-morning with Vitamin B6 along with another half pill in the late afternoon. This doesn’t eliminate my nausea, but it does help quite a bit.

With Unisom as my shield, we hit the road in mid-May and headed off toward spectacular views (last one). Here’s what went well and what I would have done differently.

What I Did Right

We visited Badlands National Park for the first time as a family with our two-year-old daughter in May of 2025.
Ate a High-Protein Hotel Breakfast

As a vegetarian, eggs are one of my go-to sources of protein. And they’ve been a lifesaver during my second pregnancy. There is evidence suggesting protein is easier to digest in the first trimester, and that choosing high-protein options can reduce nausea. In my experience, this has been true. When we planned our trip, we only booked hotels with breakfast, and we looked for photos with eggs. Protein aside, we prioritized breakfast and snacks throughout the trip. It can be tempting to hit the road early and skip a sit-down meal, or travel light without messy food in the car. But pregnancy nausea is often exacerbated by an empty stomach. We didn’t take that chance.

Enjoyed the Outdoors (w/o Overdoing It)

I’m so glad we chose an outdoor venue to see Rilo Kiley, let alone the gorgeous and legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The fresh air helped keep my nausea at bay, even in the surprisingly chilly temperatures we encountered. During the first half of our trip, heat was our main concern, as temperatures neared 100 degrees. Despite the heat, I have no regrets about our outdoor explorations at Reptile Gardens, Badlands National Park, and Dinosaur Ridge. We made sure to wear hats, apply sunscreen, and take frequent breaks. With these precautions in place, I believe the exercise, fresh air, and change of scenery helped keep my stomach steady.

Packed Comfortable Clothes

I had no qualms about breaking into my maternity clothes even before Week 15, when we took off. Our trip involved more than one long leg of driving, and I spent those hours in the comfort of soft, stretchy maternity shorts. I also packed lightweight, flowy dresses, a maternity skort, comfortable bras, and an assortment of short-sleeved shirts. I do wish I had packed warmer clothes for the concert but, otherwise, this wardrobe was spot on.

What I Would Do Differently

We spotted what appeared to be a mother and baby buffalo running alongside the road as we drove through Custer State Park in South Dakota during our trip in May of 2025.
Drink More Water

This is a constant struggle for me during pregnancy. Water triggers my nausea — especially more than just a sip or two at a time. But dehydration is a serious concern. On the road, we ended up facing a dehydration-related scare. I was tipped off by a symptom that turned out to be pretty common during travel, even in early pregnancy: swelling ankles and feet. At the time, my mind went straight to the pre-eclampsia I previously experienced. We took my blood pressure at a Wal-Mart en route, and it came back pretty high. My OB’s office assured me that it was too early to worry about pre-eclampsia, and they advised me to watch for worsening symptoms. Luckily, the issue didn’t worsen, and it mostly cleared up by the time I got home, although I’m still monitoring my blood pressure. Dehydration can impact blood pressure, so I’m doing my best to avoid it. To keep fluids down on the road, I focused on beverages that triggered my nausea the least: ice cold water through a straw, 7Up Zero, and orange juice, among others. Looking back, I also wish I had traveled with my own blood pressure cuff (ideally, calibrated at the doctor’s office).

Plan Short Driving Days

I come from a family of jam-packed travel itineraries. But with a toddler, my goal is usually to rein in this habit. This was especially true planning a trip during pregnancy. We did a pretty good job balancing our daily activities, but in order to save money on hotels, we ended up planning a couple of days with 8+ hours of driving. This turned out to be excessive. Looking back, I would bite the bullet while pregnant and spend a little extra on hotels to avoid at least one of those long days. Six hours of driving seems to be the ideal limit for us.

Make Time for the Pool

I love being in the water, so I’m very at home in a hotel pool. But on this trip, we simply didn’t plan enough day time at the hotel to relax. I was usually too tired or nauseated at the end of the day to take a dip. Swimming can be a great form of exercise in pregnancy (as long as you’re already acclimated). And time in the water is relaxing. In the future, I’ll set aside more time to enjoy this amenity with my toddler.

Get Lost in Novelty With Your Family at Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart

Bewildering sights and sounds for babies and parents alike! 

Family Restrooms: No
Gender-Neutral Restrooms: Yes
Diaper Changing Stations: Yes
Lactation Space: None
Stroller-Friendly: No
Overall Child-Friendly: Yes
Time Spent: 2-3 hours

If you like weird, you’ll love Meow Wolf. As a new family of three, we’ve seen our share of enjoyable zoos and museums, but nothing quite compares to Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart. This attraction did something unique: it put us on a level playing field with our daughter, allowing us to experience the world together through new eyes. In my ranking of baby-friendly attractions in Las Vegas, Meow Wolf easily comes in at #3, despite a couple of small challenges.

Omega Mart, located just northwest of the Las Vegas Strip, took us through a labyrinth of dizzying colors, unearthly sounds, and unexpected visuals. Perhaps for our 10-month-old daughter, this wasn’t much different than a typical day, encountering curiosities in a world that’s still new in so many ways. For my husband and I, it was a reminder of just how strange and exciting the world can be at any age.

We used our Infantino baby carrier to bring our 10-month-old daughter into the immersive experience at Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart in Las Vegas.

Although the experience was awash in novelty, this actually wasn’t our first Meow Wolf adventure. My husband and I visited Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station in Denver about a year earlier, a couple of months before our daughter was born. Between the two attractions, I preferred Omega Mart. Both locations offered a fully immersive art experience that combines comedy, commentary, story-telling, and mystery in a visually stunning soundscape. And I think both would be enjoyable for children. But for me, the humor and commentary struck a chord in Las Vegas that didn’t quite come together at the other location. I’m sure it also helped that, on the second time around, I wasn’t seven-months pregnant, and I wasn’t as worried about Covid-19. 

In Las Vegas, this stop was also doable in the restroom category. The gender-neutral restroom near the stairwell on the second floor provided a spot for me to pump in private while my husband assisted. While there was no public lactation space for breastfeeding, I was able to use the single-stall, gender-neutral restroom without too much trouble. In order to pump on the go, I used my Medela Pump in Style breast pump, which comes with a battery pack, tote bag, and mini-cooler.

Because we were using this space as a stand-in for a family restroom, the lack of a diaper changing table threw us for a loop. We ended up improvising and used our Skip Hop changing pad and some blankets. Looking back, I wish we had checked the other restrooms.

A follow-up inquiry with Meow Wolf confirmed there are changing stations in both the men’s and women’s restrooms on the first and second level within the exhibit. This aligns with a relatively new law in Nevada that requires new buildings to have at least one changing table accessible to men and women. I’m all for this update to state policy. It’s always frustrating to find changing stations in the women’s restroom but not the men’s.

This is just one example of the humor you’ll run into at Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart in Las Vegas. It earned a chuckle from me.

The other important note at Meow Wolf is that strollers aren’t permitted inside— you’ll understand why when you arrive and start exploring. My husband carried our daughter in our Infantino Flip 4-in-1 Convertible Baby Carrier, and he was able to access most of the exhibit without any trouble. I use a backpack-style diaper bag from Target, and that made a big difference, as well. I was able to carry everything our daughter needed on my back throughout the experience. 

In terms of timing on a feeding schedule, Meow Wolf is very doable. We spent about 2.5 hours there, including drive time. Depending on your plans throughout the day, you could easily fit this stop between hotel feedings. For us, this wasn’t an option, because we had a packed schedule both before and after. The amenities at Omega Mart made it easier for us to hop from place to place throughout the day.

This is actually a photo from Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station in Denver, but it’s still a great example of what to expect at either Meow Wolf exhibit.

Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart is located in an entertainment district near the Strip known as Area 15 (it’s worth noting this area has its own restrooms that we didn’t explore). The drive time is minimal, depending on the location of your hotel. While you’re at Area 15, if you can spare an extra half hour, grab a treat at Conduit Cafe, or check out the Rocket Fizz candy store. Like Omega Mart, all of Area 15 offers a visually stunning escape from the norm, although parts of it are more oriented toward nightlife.

Overall, Omega Mart accomplishes something rare. It has excitement to offer for babies, children, teenagers, parents, and grandparents alike. Don’t make the mistake of envisioning Meow Wolf as a typical art museum that your baby might be too young to appreciate. Add it to your list, and get lost in wonder together.