A woman says she was 'mum shamed' for taking her husband and baby on a hen do in Spain.
Elizabeth Kenina had been dreaming on jetting off on the sun-drenched weekend by herself. However, when it was time to book the tickets, she found the idea of leaving her eight-month-old girl, Michelle, for several days too difficult.
The bride-to-be, Laura, 32, was more than happy to let Elizabeth's baby come along as well as her husband, Alex, 33, who works as a software engineer. Elizabeth, Alex, and their little one soared off to Mallorca, Spain, in August 2023 a day earlier. Alex looked after Michelle while Elizabeth had fun with the girls.
Elizabeth got to take part in all the fun activities along with the rest of the hens, including wine tasting, dinners, and going to beach clubs. She also made sure to keep popping back to breastfeed Michelle. While the 30-year-old has come in for some flack for taking her tot and man along to a holiday typically reserved for ladies on the lash, Elizabeth says she "wouldn't do it any other way".
The senior marketing manager from Manchester said: "I didn't feel I could leave her. I was breastfeeding. It wasn't the case of baby crashing. My husband stayed with the baby. I got to enjoy times with the girls.
"I wouldn't do it differently. I wanted to enjoy it as a mum."
When the hen party was being planned, Elizabeth was three months pregnant and thought she'd be able to go by herself. She added: "When the baby came and it was time to book I wanted my husband and baby with me. To go for a long time I'd have had to stop breastfeeding. I told my friend this is the situation and asked 'Do you mind?'. She was really nice. She really wanted me to be there."
Elizabeth said having Michelle and her husband, Alex, there didn't get in the way of the plans or her enjoyment. She got to enjoy vineyards, sightseeing and rooftop bars. Baby Michelle even joined the hen party on the final dinner as requested by the bride. Elizabeth said: "There wasn't a moment that I felt alone."
Most Read
"The bride asked me if my husband and Michelle could join for dinner. Everyone was excited to have them. There wasn't any trouble."
Elizabeth shared a video explaining the trip online and received criticism for her choice. One unimpressed commenter said: "Sounds like hell. Another said: "No you either say 'look I'm not ready' or you go and let your hair down. " But many also jumped to Elizabeth's defence, agreeing they wouldn't be able to leave their baby either.
Elizabeth said: "It's ruffled some feathers. It's upsetting it's women putting other women down for no reason. There seems to be no winning situation here. If I didn't attend the hen, I'd be considered a bad friend. Yet going with a baby still seems to result in being labelled as 'bad'."
Check out more of Daily Mirror's latest travel stories by signing up to our free weekly newsletter.