A mother who embarked on an epic backpacking trip with her two children has described her shock at discovering she was pregnant again during the adventure.
Birdie Wood, 30, of California, sold all her belongings and began the journey with her two daughters, Fifer, six, and Mavie, four, in February.
The family traveled to Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Morocco, Indonesia and Egypt, spending about a month in each country.
Birdie was shocked when she discovered she was pregnant just two months into the trip while the family was in Morocco in April, following a brief relationship with a friend.
However, she continued traveling with her two daughters and returned to the United States in August after completing the seven-month trip.
Birdie Wood (left), from California, described her “shock” at finding out she was pregnant while travelling the world with her two daughters, Mavie, four (centre) and Fifer, six (right), in February. The family posed for a selfie next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
Birdie had decided she wanted to take her two daughters on an adventure and explore different cultures.
She decided to sell her three-bedroom family home in Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as all her belongings, to embark on the trip of a lifetime.
Birdie said: ‘One of the reasons we decided to go was that we realised the house wasn’t for us.
‘I was running out of savings and it became a headache to try to keep the house. We loved the property, but it had a lot of problems, so we sold it.
‘Fifer is homeschooled, so Mavie continued and practiced child-led homeschooling.’
To her surprise, after only two months of traveling, Birdie discovered she was pregnant from a brief affair with an old friend.
She said: ‘I suddenly became pregnant and it was a shock.
‘The hardest part was during the first few months, during which time we spent a lot of time in the apartment and just relaxed.
Birdie, 30, discovered she was pregnant in April, two months after setting off on the trip with Mavie (right) and Fifer (left).
The mother and her two daughters traveled to Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Morocco, Indonesia and Egypt, spending about a month in each country.
“During my first trimester, traveling from Morocco to Indonesia was quite a challenge. It was a very long flight and I didn’t have much opportunity to sleep.”
Instead of returning home to the United States, Birdie wanted to continue the journey with her two daughters.
She is now preparing to give birth in December 2024 and will stay there and establish a “base of operations.”
Content creator Birdie said: ‘It’s been an incredible journey, it’s allowed me to find a new confidence in motherhood.
“This trip will be something my daughters and I will never forget. We have had the most epic adventures, it has been such a blessing.
“We have created memories to last a lifetime – spending that special moment with the girls before delivering the baby was magical.”
The first place the trio headed to was Barcelona, Spain, where they stayed for a month.
Birdie said it was her favorite part of the trip and that everyone made them feel welcome.
Birdie, a content creator from Eureka, California, said it was a shock when she found out she was pregnant.
Birdie’s two daughters, Mavie (left) and Fifer (right), loved traveling around the world with their mother.
She said: ‘I noticed a big difference in the welcoming feel of everything. In the US, if your kids act like kids, it’s considered a nuisance – even if they’re laughing, they’ll look at you weird.
‘We felt really welcome and comfortable there.
“We were there to explore different things and it was easy and convenient to get around.”
After Spain, the family headed to Portugal, Italy, Indonesia and Morocco, finally completing their journey in France.
Birdie said Fifer and Mavie loved the trip and the only problem they had was deciding who would get the window seat.
She said: ‘The girls loved it, they travelled really well. They like adventure and they love flying.
‘One challenge was that they argued over who got the window seat. Another difficulty was addressing the girls’ dietary needs.
The family visited beaches during their various travels, although Birdie had to keep cool in the apartment during the early stages of her pregnancy.
While Birdie is grateful for the “adventure of a lifetime,” she’s now happy to have the comforts of home again.
Pictured with Mavie, Birdie said her two young daughters are adventure fans and love flying in airplanes.
‘They both have to eat gluten-free, which isn’t easy when you don’t speak the language.’
Birdie says she’s grateful for “the adventure of a lifetime,” but is happy to have the comforts of home again.
She said: ‘We’ll be staying with family while we get some things together.
‘I have to update the homeschooling record, buy a car and find us a place to live.
‘I think I missed out on certain comforts during pregnancy. When you’re pregnant, you always want to eat the food you grew up with that wasn’t available abroad.
“There is an extra level of comfort in the United States compared to other countries; the hardest thing for me has been the drastic change of scenery.”
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