Birthing Center Visit

Last night Kevin and I toured the Birthing Center at Rex Hospital. We both were pleasantly surprised by what we saw.

When we found out that we would move back to the states before the delivery I had mixed feelings. Though I was super excited about the fact that everyone in the hospital would speak English, I was nervous about being admitted to an American hospital.

Knock on wood; I've been very healthy throughout my life. With the exceptions of a few trips to the emergency room, I've never been admitted to the hospital. That said, I don't have a lot of experience with hospitals. Compounding my fears was the fact that I saw Michael Moore's Sicko just before leaving the states.

Like many people I was under the impression that European medical care was better than what we receive in the States. After living abroad, I now know that that assumption is a bit overstated. Sure, there are lots of people in this country who do not have adequate health insurance. Therefore they are denied access to adequate care. And in Europe, people don't have to worry about health insurance because it is provided even if their job doesn't cover them. But, as a couple with job-provided health insurance Kevin and I do not fall into that category.

The thing that makes me most excited about having the baby at Rex is that I will have a private room with my own bathroom for both the delivery and the post-natal stay. A friend in German had a baby in November. She told me that after the baby was born she had to share a room with another woman, who had tons of visitors. I'm glad I wont have to deal with that.