Expecting couples flock to Sonoma County for babymoons with Sebastopol's 'Mellow Mommy'

Sebastopol resident Cindy Scott-Fuchs has been called “The Babymoon Master” by Travel + Leisure, and is known to parents nationwide as “The Mellow Mommy.”

The 51-year-old mother of two is a Reiki Master, infant massage coach, meditation guide, prenatal couples counselor, babymoon expert and much more. She recently published her first book, “The Babymoon Book for Pregnant Couples.”

Scott-Fuchs uses these skills in her Mellow Mommy Babymoon sessions, which attract expectant couples from around the country and beyond to Sonoma County.

If you haven’t heard of babymoons, they’re basically getaways for expectant couples who want to relax and enjoy each other before the responsibilities of parenthood enter the picture.

Babymoons are exceedingly popular with parents-to-be of all types, including celebrities. Prince William and Kate Middleton took a babymoon for each of their children (Mustique for Prince George, Rio de Janeiro for Princess Charlotte), while Kim and Kanye opted for Paris. But babymoons don’t have to be fancy; a budget-friendly overnight at a nearby beach can be just as rewarding.

Scott-Fuchs’ babymoons are held in Sonoma County, in beautiful settings such as the Timber Cove

Resort, River’s End Cabins, or The Inn at Occidental. Expectant couples spend pampered alone time together, meeting with her to learn massage, breathing and energy techniques and other practices intended to enrich their family life going forward. She sometimes does one-day group babymoons, which attract locals.

“Babymoons strengthen the couple’s bond with each other,” she said. “It’s easy to lose those bonds during pregnancy and parenthood.”

If you’re wondering how Scott-Fuchs ended up in such an unusual career, the answer is simple: she created that career in order to have the fulfilling family life she wanted.

Sounds straightforward, but she traveled many paths before arriving at her destination.

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Scott-Fuchs says that she “always knew I didn’t want to work for anybody, that someday I’d create my own job. I just wasn’t sure what it would be.”

After high school she studied photography at Louisiana State University for a couple of years before dropping out. Soon she was at Yosemite National Park, working in the ranger’s day care center. Among her next job adventures: working in New York City as a nanny for actress Dianne Wiest and as a receptionist in the Chrysler building.

She finally ended up in Austin, Texas, in 1992 with the man she would marry, Trip Fuchs. By this time she knew that she was drawn to massage and energy work, and in 1994 became a certified massage therapist. She quickly developed a loyal base.

When Trip decided to finish his undergraduate education, the couple moved back to their home state, Louisiana, so he could attend the University of New Orleans. After he graduated they stayed on, living a free-spirited bohemian lifestyle in the center of the French Quarter.

Cindy was a popular name on the concierge massage call lists at nearby hotels such as the Hilton, Westin and Hyatt. She could set her own schedule, and Trip’s part-time bartending, salted with occasional acting jobs, rewarded him with flexible hours.

“We didn’t have a lot of money,” she recalls, “but our rent in that wonderful place was only $450. We loved music and were out almost every night, strolling through the Quarter to the House of Blues to see live shows. We ate out, slept in...”

The couple figured they had a few more years of this pleasant boho life before embracing the full responsibilities of adulthood. In fact, they had a five-year plan. They had taken a two-day San Diego getaway immediately after their wedding, but looked forward to their real honeymoon - a summertime backpack jaunt in Europe. Then they’d start working on their goal to start a massage/private chef business (Trip had always wanted to be a chef).

And after that, sometime around the five-year mark? Kids.

The entire plan blew up when, shortly after their 1997 marriage and a subsequent two-day trip to San Diego, Scott-Fuchs discovered that she was pregnant.

“I fought the reality every day,” she said, “thinking about the trip to Europe, the move to Colorado, all the plans we’d made. I wanted an unconventional life, and a fulfilling one. To me, at that point, this wasn’t it. At the same time, though, we were married, and I was almost 30. Part of me knew it was the right time. Little by little we realized we needed to change our plans.”

With a baby coming, the boho days were over. They moved to Baton Rouge to be close to family, and Trip accepted a “real job” in sales.

“He began to carry a briefcase and he cut his long hair,” Scott-Fuchs recalls, still sounding wistful more than two decades later. “Oh, I loved that hair.”

With the upheaval in their lives and her body rapidly changing, Scott-Fuchs was uncharacteristically anxious and even fearful about the future.

Then an opportunity arose through Trip’s job for a two-day getaway to the Florida coast.

“It was a pivotal time,” she said. “Before that trip I was a wreck, so confused about what was happening in our lives. But when we got away from our day-to-day cares, we had such a beautiful and profound experience. We walked on the beach, talking about being parents. The reality and wonder of it finally hit us. We became so excited about being pregnant that we were finally able to tap into that. It changed everything.”

She began encouraging other pregnant couples to take a getaway before their baby’s birth, and eventually set out to help them do so by focusing on the personal and spiritual connection of expecting parents. She started slowly, with an infant massage routine that she called Mellow Mommy & Me, and the classes, babymoons and other events grew from there.

“Getting away, spending time together before the baby arrives is critical to a healthy beginning,” she said, “for the baby as well as the parents. It’s a powerful time of connection and transformation.”

Scott-Fuchs’ own transformation continued. She and Trip had always loved Northern California, and through the years had fantasized about living there someday. Twelve years ago, when a friend offered them the long-term use of a rustic cabin in Cazadero, they said yes.

“We had a nice secure life back in Baton Rouge,” she says, “but we didn’t hesitate when presented with an opportunity to re-invent ourselves. Trip quit his job, we sold the house, and came out with the two kids. It was the biggest risk ever. From safe suburbia to the top of a mountain with chickens. But we knew 100% that it was the right thing to do.

“I’d already started Mellow Mommy and had a reputation for the babymoons, and it really began to take off when we came here. Trip had always loved cooking, and so he went to a culinary arts school. He’s a private chef now.”

Seven years ago, when their daughter, Sage, started high school, the family moved to Sebastopol. Sage, now 21, attends Santa Rosa Junior College. The couple’s 16-year-old son, Jasper, who goes to Analy High School, is a passionate skateboarder and into filmmaking.

“I’m living proof that the tools and techniques I teach work,” Scott-Fuchs said. “I use them every day to continue on my path of manifesting a fulfilling family life.

“And the tools also work for those I love. It warms my heart when I see my husband de-stress by using energy healing and practicing mindfulness.

“My children don’t use these tools as often as I do, but healing arts are now an integral part of their upbringing and their core. My life isn’t perfect, but it’s a truly fulfilling life.”

Note: “The Babymoon Book for Pregnant Couples” can be bought online at MellowMommy.com.