Tour of the Maternity Wing

Well with baby Hovey's up and coming arrival on the scene, this week was time to see where his first moments of life will be spent......we got to tour the maternity wing of the hospital where we will be welcoming our little guy! 

As you can see in the below picture, the room is sterile and includes many modern conveniences that would be expected in a room in the States.  Fortunately, we will have our own room once baby Hovey arrives.  A normal delivery requires a three day hospital stay here in Chile.  I was surprised to hear this, but it is just normal protocol here.

 This is another view of the same room.....you are able to see me and Brian a little better from this angle without the sun behind us.  The 'closet' you see to the left of me in the picture folds out into a bed and is where Brian will be able to rest.  We found out that baby Hovey stays with us primarily throughout the daytime hours, and we get to choose in the nighttime if he goes to the nursery or not.  I have a sneaking suspicion that we won't want to let him be gone TOO long or TOO far, but time will tell how we react!

 This is a picture of the Labor and Delivery Room set up.....hard to believe, I know.  I was envisioning a different style of bed at first, but to my surprise, the bed transforms into what you would typically imagine.....the back goes up, there are stirrups for feet, and handles underneath the bed for which to grab onto when it's time to push.  The room is MUCH larger than this photo leads you to believe.  It's probably four times larger AT LEAST than where we will stay after delivery.  The OB/GYN doctor, the pediatrician, the midwife (which is similar to a nurse role in Chile), Brian, me, and any additional hospital staff needed are able to fit comfortably in this room.

 Finally, I thought it would be nice to show you a picture of our midwife.  She seems pleasant, and she is the one who will admit me into the hospital, stay with me during the entire labor process, be in communication with the doctor when needed, and see us through till baby arrives and we are in our room.  She is the one that showed us around and explained under what conditions we would need to come to the hospital.  She is my first call (after Brian, of course) if and when I first start having contractions.

Because we have international insurance coverage, we are able to choose this private facility to welcome our little guy.  Typically in Chile, medical facilities are public institutions that function under the branch of socialized medicine.  We feel VERY fortunate to have the opportunity to choose where our baby spends his first moments and receives care.  Please continue to pray for us and our little one as we get closer to his arrival!!!!