Having and raising a baby is undoubtedly both the most difficult and rewarding of women's life experiences. During the year after we give birth, women's bodies are still recuperating, our hormones are fluctuating, and our schedules - if we manage to have even a semblance of one - are topsy-turvy at best. Each of these factors is exacerbated whenever we are traveling with our babies.

Some people (likely those who have never had children or whose children are older) think we're nuts to travel with our babies. But, even though we've given birth, life marches on. There are new grandparents to visit and vacations to take and sometimes, we're even faced with taking our babies on business trips.

Of course, the most important thing to bring is nourishment for your baby. If you're still breastfeeding, that makes things easier. However, if you're uncomfortable with nursing in public, you may want to bring along bottles and formula to tide you over while in transit. If you use a breast-pump, don't forget to pack it. Make sure you bring an extra bottle or two, and it never hurts to have a few extra nipples (for the bottles!). If your baby is eating solid foods, bring some things for him or her to nosh on - crackers, teething biscuits and the like. Don't forget feeding utensils and jars of food. Finally, if your baby uses a sippy cup, make sure you bring it along too.

There are certain supplies that are essential for any trip with your baby. The most important, of course, is enough food and milk for the journey. Always pack more than you think you'll need and include plenty of finger foods if your baby is old enough -- these are great for helping to keep him occupied! If you are breastfeeding and need to express milk, you can store it in a cooler, with ice, for up to 24 hours. You can also store bottles of pre-made formula in the same way -- alternatively, you can add pre-measured powdered formula to the bottles, then top it up with cooled, boiled water as required.

If you're planning a trip to a hotel or house with a pool, make sure you've thought of how you will monitor your child 100% of the time. A leisurely vacation can be spoiled if you're worried all the time about losing a child to a pool accident, the second largest cause of death in small children. Also, make sure to adequately plan for the sun, with lots of sunscreen, hats, and clothing that covers all the body or shades the baby. Now is a good time to double check your car seat if you're planning a long trip.

Keep Nursing: Many mothers feel they should stop nursing when they go on vacation. This can be one of the worse things you can do before vacation. If your baby is still nursing before you go on vacation, changing over to strictly bottle feeding can be very emotionally taxing on them. It's better to allow them the comfort of breast feeding to help calm their vacation anxiety.

Read about Week By Week Pregnancy and also read about cranky baby and baby first weeks