Hatchelorettes Are the Newest Way to Celebrate Your Pregnant Friends

There are plenty of ways to celebrate soon-to-be parents, from baby showers to babymoons and gender reveal parties. If you are looking to switch things up or find another way to celebrate with your closest gal pals, there is a new alternative—the hatchelorette.

The “hatchlorette”—a term first coined by author Laura Lane in 2018—has recently surged in popularity as an alternative to typical baby celebrations. It’s a chance for the mom-to-be to reconnect with her girlfriends, indulge in some pampering and enjoy one more hurrah before baby’s arrival. Unlike a babymoon, which is usually dedicated to spending time with one’s partner, or a baby shower, which often includes a wider, older group (think Aunt May and Grandma Nene) and focuses on gifts for the parents-to-be, a hatchlorette is all about experiences and spending time bonding and relaxing with your closest friends.

Professional cosmetologist and mom-to-be Kiara Bastian recently got the hatchelorette party started on TikTok with her now-viral video showing off highlights from her hatchelorette trip. In the video, Bastian and her friends take a road trip to Chicago, where they celebrate baby’s upcoming arrival with a full itinerary of events. The group indulges in a spa day, game night, competes to make the best mocktail and goes out for several brunches and dinners.

“[My friends] just wanted us to have a last hurrah because we love to go out and travel. So they were like, ‘Hey, let’s have a last road trip,” Bastain told the New York Post. “I just wanted to be bonding with my girl. I was scared, you know, I don’t want to be the mom that can’t go to Jamaica next month because I have a baby now.” Bastain noted that the hatchelorette party was a great way to relieve the stress and anxiety that came with being pregnant. “I just needed my girls,” she added.

A quick look around TikTok and Instagram and you’ll find more and more hatchelorettes making their way to the mainstream. Mom of three, Emily Belson, recently threw a hatchelorette for her sister after her bachelorette party was canceled during the pandemic. A nice way to make up for lost time while also treating her sister two years later, Belson and her sister, and their close friends hit up a local resort for a spa day, sunrise yoga, and overall a relaxing and rejuvenating wellness weekend.

“The great thing about a hatchelorette with pregos is that it’s a very like low-key, everyone feels very good and rested experience. So she got us some gifts which was really sweet. We had a joining rooms the next morning. We went to yoga, it was a little drizzly, but it was still really nice and then we got breakfast at the cafe and it was such a fun night celebrating my sister and her baby,” she added.

If you are looking for more ideas for celebrating the special parents-to-be in your life? Consider these 10 daycation ideas for new and expectant parents.