Pregnancy Update

Well, I've just about successfully completed my first trimester. The nausea seems to be a bit better, but it's definitely not totally gone. Hopefully it'll disappear for good soon. Hmmm, where to start with all my fascinating health care issues? Mid-April, I guess.

After I found out I was pregnant, I asked a friend who had had two kids here to take me to the hospital where most of the overseas teachers give birth. Thankfully she brought me, because I wouldn't have been able to figure it out all by myself. And she helped me get checked in, warned me of the chair... I'll share more about that in another post.

I left that appointment excited because there was a little gummy bear in my uterus but I also left a bit uncomfortable, for a couple of reasons:
1. The hospital is two train rides away making a 15 minute appointment into a three hour ordeal for every appointment (check out is also a pain).
2. I didn't get that warm fuzzy feeling with the doctor. Her English was fair and I had to bring up my pregnancy issues rather than her, although it was noted on the patient intake form.

I went to two more visits at this hospital and always left feeling, well, not elated. The last one Max and John went with me and she wouldn't let John come in the room to see the sonogram. Ick. My husband can't see our baby?

Healthcare is different here. Not in a bad way, just different. I don't think I could ever have that warm fuzzy relationship with a doctor here, but I wanted to be at least comfortable.

Ramble, ramble, ramble... I'm getting somewhere...

There is a hospital on the island where we live. I had heard there was an English speaking ob-gyn there, but when a friend called they said there wasn't. I still didn't want to give up hope and had heard from two different people who knew of two other people who had babies on island that there was an English speaking doctor. So, I got that doctor's name and went with Eiko, who is a complete saint and helped translate and get me around the hospital.

We were the first ones in on Wednesday morning - in most places, you have to walk-in for your first appointment. The ob-gyn section was small, I think there are only two women doctors that practice at the hospital. The doctor was young and nice. We spoke a bit in English, but Eiko did a ton of translating for us and continues to help me through all of it!

So, I've switched over to Rokko Island Hospital. They will even do my cerclage surgery in (less than) two weeks. I will need to stay in for a week for the surgery, but luckily the hospital is only two blocks from our apartment (and the Sheraton caters the food). I'm hoping all goes well. I'm a bit nervous because the last time I had this surgery, my water broke hours later and I had Maximo 24 hours later. I'm hoping that it was just because it was done too late. I have to have an epidural for this procedure, which makes me nervous for the baby, but this is a fairly common procedure and the extra time in the hospital (it's outpatient in the US) will give me time to rest and recover without running around with Maximo.

I'll keep you posted as this pregnancy continues. I have another appointment next week and then I check in for my surgery the following Tuesday. I so badly want a normal pregnancy and birth. I want to be able to see the little one as soon as he/she is born and be able to take him/her home with me when I leave the hospital. That's not too much to ask, is it?