Pre-baby Update

I am happy to report a much better experience at United Hospital. The building and facilities are comparable to a hospital in Minnesota. I was not able to see the delivery room because it was in use. I joked that we should see anyway so I can get the full experience of it but that did not go over very well.  The nursery looked good and the patient rooms are just as expected. There are a few “levels” of room options ranging from a shared room, single room, and VIP level. The room choice is not down to space in the hospital, but to how much money you want to pay.

The doctor we saw I have been describing as “intense.” She has a no-nonsense feeling to her. The plus side to this being my second child is that I know she will only be around long enough to deliver the baby and it is the nurses that I’ll be spending more time with and that I have no control over who they are. I hope that they will speak English well enough to communicate with me. I also hope that I like the food.

 If someone would have asked me just a few days ago if I am ready to have this baby I would have wanted to shout, “NO!” Perhaps even put myself into a bit of a panic thinking about how much we are not ready for this baby and how scared I am about the pain and other difficulties that come with labor. After a night of steady, painful contractions followed by days of utter exhaustion, I can say that this baby can come whenever s/he is ready, and soon is ok with me. I remember the same feeling with Sara. I believe that this is nature’s way of preparing a woman for labor.

We moved into our own flat a bit over a week ago. We are two floors down from my in-laws flat. The setup is the same, with a few minor differences. I am eager to make my own home here and little by little, we will accumulate all the stuff a house needs to make it a home. Our new home has three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The master bedroom, with attached bath, shares a balcony and a door with Sara’s new room, which is the smallest bedroom. The smallest bedroom is still larger than an average room in Minnesota. I was told the total space is 3000 square feet.  The guest bedroom is on the opposite side of the flat and very large. This room is the same layout as the one the three of us shared while living upstairs. There is an attached bath and balcony in the guest room. We also have a very large sitting room, large dining room and a normal sized kitchen. The dining room and kitchen is the biggest difference in the layout from upstairs. Abu’s uncle, when he lived here prior to moving to the US, valued a larger dining room and gave up kitchen space to get it. I share his ideas about this and look forward to cooking for my family and serving a meal in a spacious dining room. Plus it will give the baby more space to throw food as s/he learns to eat.

My brother just came for a short four-day visit after he spent some time in India for work. We had a nice visit and I am glad that he got to see a small part of my life on this side of the planet. He also brought me a suitcase stuffed full of baby stuff that I saved from Sara along with some new things that I asked for. My mom is coming March 20; I am very excited to see her after nearly five months. I get mom for two and a half weeks. I hope to be able to spend quality time with her at home as well as get out and show her the craziness of Dhaka and shop some awesome fabric shops.

The baby is due March 22. Part of me hopes that mom will be here for the birth, as she was with me when Sara was born, and a part of me cannot stand the thought of waiting another 3 weeks to deliver. I guess it is a good thing that it is not up to me! This pregnancy has been so different from my first that I cannot guess what will happen next.

I am very much looking forward to the experience of giving birth here. Not to say that I am not nervous about it but I believe that all will be well and I am sure that I will get a great story out of it. The next adventure will be learning to take care of a new baby here.  

Stay tuned… the next blog should be a good one.