With Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's baby due in Spring, the Royal baby due date is creeping closer and closer. Knowing how much her life is about to change once her first child is born, Meghan has apparently flew off on a girls trip to New York City.
Flying from London to meet her friends in New York, the five-day holiday is her first break after back to back engagements and marks her first return back to NYC since getting married.
According to Harpers Bazaar, the trip was planned months ago, as a 'chance to catch up with friends and spend time in a city she loves.'
'This will be the last time a lot of them will see Meg until after the baby is born,' the source said, 'so it’s nice to share precious moments.'
Spotted at Ladurée in Soho with her friends on Saturday, she has reportedly been shopping at Bonpoint, a high-end children's clothing brand nearby. With the chance for some all-important me-time, Meghan's trip is inspiring other mums to share how they practiced their own self-care before giving birth.
For Louise Deverell-Smith, going away - even just locally - has become a right of passage before giving birth. 'With my eldest son I had a girls spa day, my second son my husband organised a trip to Ibiza with my son and closest friends, so I could lay on the beach for four days before the birth. With my third child I had a best friends hen-do in the south of France so it was the perfect time to have fun with my friends.'
And for those who can't get away, taking the time to pamper and relax is still a super important pregnancy ritual.
'Before the birth of my daughter, I treated myself to monthly manicures and pedicures as well as facial treatments,' Victoria Olubi tells Grazia 'Due to being sick with severe morning sickness, I couldn’t go out for lunch or dinner - my usual way of unwinding - so beauty treatments were the best way to make myself feel special and relaxed.'
Highlighting the importance of taking time for yourself while you can, Victoria continued: 'When you have a baby, your life changes radically and doing simple things becomes rather difficult. It’s not as easy to have lunch or coffee with a friend so I think it’s important to do these things when you’re pregnant so that you can be happier. After all, a happy mum make for a happy baby too.'
And for the mums that didn't have a Meghan Markle style girls trip before giving birth? With hindsight, they certainly recommend it. 'Before my first, I didn't really do anything and worked up until two weeks before she arrived,' says Mandy Rees, 'I learned that that was not a sensible thing to do as I was exhausted even before she arrived so second time round, I took my maternity leave much earlier.
'My youngest had started school so I spent the days meeting up with girlfriends or on my own organising all baby related things at a much more leisurely pace,' she continued, 'I also just enjoyed some peace and quiet and allowed myself to do nothing - invaluable when you already have children.'
Click through to see Meghan Markle's maternity style
Meghan Markle Pregnancy Style - Grazia
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Making a surprise appearance at the British Fashion Awards calls for a pretty spectacular outfit. Enter this timeless number, which has since set the bar high for one-shoulder gowns.
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Meghan visited Smart Works, which one of the four new patronages, wearing a simple maternity dress from Hatch. She paired this with a classic trench coat from Oscar de la Renta, and part-sheer printed heels by Gianvito Rossi. Understated yet elegant.
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Whilst attending a Royal Variety performance, Meghan dazzled in a sleek black skirt and monochrome top that featured a floral pattern. We love.
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During a visit to Brinsworth House (which is the Royal Variety Charity's residential nursing and care home), Meghan stepped out wearing a clean white floral dress by brand Brock Collection. To beat the chill, she threw on a long grey coat Soia and Kyo, before completing her look with a classic nude clutch and heels.
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When visiting Birkenhead with her beau Prince Harry, Meghan wore a bright purple dress under this striking red coat by fashion brand Sentaler. Her statement red shoes were from Stuart Weitzman, and we're pretty obsessed with them.
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Meghan wore a Roland Mouret sequin gown during a visit to watch a charity performance of Cirque du Soleil at Royal Albert Hall. Her sequined evening look was paired with black heels by Stuart Weitzman, and she donned a slicked back bun and bold lips.
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Drawing inspiration from her sister-in-law Kate Middleton, Meghan often to wear an affordable cream dress from H&M during a visit to Mayhew, one of her royal patronages. She covered the dress with a smart Armani coat and heels. Chic.
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Burgundy is definitely the Duchess' colour! This Club Monaco coat and her collared dress make for a match-made in heaven. And when paired with with black tights and chunky heeled boots, we have a winning winter outfit.
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For the final Armistice Day service at Westminster Abbey, Meghan wore an elegant navy skirt and boxed-style shoulder peplum top, complete with a headpiece and large poppy pin.
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Can we just take a moment for this custom Givenchy outfit? Created for her last royal engagement in New Zealand, Meghan married a classy navy sweater with a pleated maxi skirt which showcased different shades of blue.
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The Duchess has opted to wear navy on several occasions during her pregnancy, including the time she wore this Antonio Berardi dress with a pair of Aquazzura heels.
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Yes, Meghan Markle is often spotted wearing heels and princess-worthy gowns, but she's also capable of rocking a more laid-back style with ease. Take this Karen Walker blazer, J.Crew skinny jeans, and practical rain boots as proof.
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In New Zealand, Meghan wore this gorgeous plaid trench by Karen Walker. She layered it over a black dress which was sold on ASOS, proving that designer and high-street go hand-in-hand.
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For her speech at the Invictus Games closing ceremony, Meghan donned a tailored, olive green dress by the designer Antonio Berardi. She completed her look with a poppy pin.
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Meghan accompanied Harry to watch the wheelchair basketball finals at Invictus Games, and donned a casual yet chic outfit. The Duchess proved that a simple pair of skinny jeans and a wrap top are in still very much in style.
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Meghan wowed the crowd at Australian Geographic Society Awards in this flowing Oscar de la Renta gown, which she styled with slingback heels.
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Have you ever seen a Veronica Beard Cary Dress and blue suede shoes look so chic together?
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What does one wear to dinner with the King and Queen of Tonga? Only a white gown by Theia, pumps by Aquazzura and earrings by Birks, of course!
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Whilst attended the unveiling of a statue in honour of a British-Fijan soldier, Meghan chose to wear Jason Wu green mid-length dress with pointed heels and an arm cuff.
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The Duchess's eye-catching blue gown by Safiyaa, married with a pair of diamond drop earrings, is one of our favourite Meghan Markle outfits of all-time.
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White 3/4 sleeve dress + matching Stephen Jones fascinator _ straw clutch = Heaven in an outfit.
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We're obsessed with this black Emilia Wickstead dress which features dainty buttons all the way down the middle. And it looks even better when paired with this Philip Treacy fascinator, don't you think?
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A striped Martin Grant dress is the only plausible outfit to wear on the beach, right? We certainly think so.
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See, we told you that Meghan is a fan of the colour navy. Lots of her dress choices - like this two-toned number by Roksanda - feature varying shades of blue.
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Let's face it: we can't blame Meghan for her love affair with navy - she really does know how to pull the colour off, and it's complementary against her dark hair colour.
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When we first saw Meghan wearing this forest green Brandon Maxwell dress, we fell hard in love, and in all honestly, we haven't stopped thinking about it since.
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This classy white dress by Australian designer Karen Gee was the first item that Meghan was spotted in after the news of her pregnancy was confirmed.
Of course, for Meghan, going back to the US is more than just a chance to relax. In her third-trimester of pregnancy and having now lived in the UK for over two years, she's bound to be missing her home country.
But regardless, whether your having your baby surrounded by family and friends or not, it's clear that taking a pre-birth trip is more of that genius Meghan logic we should be applying to our own lives.