Giving Birth in Guatemala?!

We really have to give birth here because it is too expensive to go back to the States. Unless you are part of a large mission agency with a group plan there is really no good insurance out there for missionaries that we have found. With the boys, our international insurance just happened to come up for renewal a couple days before they were born and they said that since we were Stateside on that specific date they could drop us... fabulous. Not sure how we were supposed to give birth in the States without actually physically being there, but it is all part of their shady plan anyway. Since then we looked for insurance just inside Guatemala, but they don't want to cover us either. Thankfully good care here is affordable for us, so that is a blessing.

We still weren't going to give birth here (in the capital, 7 hours from our home) unless we thought it was the very best thing for our baby. Everything looks good and we are on track for a natural (with drugs!), on time birth, but we still wanted to make sure she would have the best care if she ended up being a "Surprise I am entering the world at 32 weeks" baby like Jonah! (Yes, I hold him completely responsible... Silas was snug as a bug in a rug in my tummy and had no intentions of leaving soon.)

My OB/GYN is wonderful, so there were no worries there.

This photo was taken at our appointment today. He spends so much time with us. Baby Dinsmore looks beautiful. She weighs 13oz and I have gained 10 lbs... that doesn't sound right lol! You give me 2 weeks without baby nausea and I more than make up for 3 months of not eating!

She is still a girl! He was looking at her for a long time quietly. I can never tell, but then he said it is definitely a girl! I can feel her move so much more than the boys, but he said that's because there is more space in there this time. She is measuring perfectly.

We saw her face... she looks so sweet. The arrow is pointing at her mouth. You can see her nose and eyes.

Up to this point the hospital my doctor works at had been highly recommended to us and we had read a lot about it as well, but we had never been inside it since we aren't allowed in with the boys. I prayed and asked God to work it out for us to be able to take a tour together. Well, He did!

The Boggs just happened to be here in the capital at the same time. We stay in the same hotel they use and they were very kind and watched the boys for us this morning so that we could take a tour of the maternity ward.

We had several questions that would have been deal breakers, but they passed, haha! I couldn't take photos inside but they have a virtual tour on their website that is exactly what we saw.

It only works through the Spanish part of the site. I'm posting this because I thought our parents might want to see it, so click Maternidad on this page. There are also photos of the rooms at the bottom of this page.

*I wanted to make sure they have a good neonatal care unit and they do. It is right across from where my room would be, so that's good.

*Jimmy can be in the room with me when I'm giving birth. If I need a C-section they said that he is NOT allowed in the operating room. This concerns me greatly, but my doctor will be there and I trust him. We still might push this point with him a little and see if there is any wiggle room.

*We are opting for the middle priced room, it has air conditioning and a fridge with plenty of room.

*After the baby is born they keep it monitored for up to 2 hours to make sure it is maintaining its own body temperature and then after that the baby can stay with you until you are discharged.

*The baby is only permitted to wear sterilized hospital clothes after it is born.

*Only we are allowed to be in the room when the baby is with us. Visitors will have to see the baby through a glass in the nursery. Visitors can come to my room if the baby is not in there.

*Normal birth you get 3 days, 2 nights. Cesarean birth you get 4 days, 3 nights.

On our next trip to the capital we will be finding an apartment to rent for the last month of my pregnancy. We are not excited about this at all, but know it is necessary. Please pray that God will lead us to the best place. I am looking forward to all the activities we can do with the boys, like the zoo and other fun places we have plans to visit. Maybe we will be able to connect with a few missionaries that live here as well. Trying to be positive...

CUTE ITEM OF THE DAY: It's a little chilly here in Guatemala City. The boys get to wear their hoodies which they love! A hat attached to your clothes... does it get any better than that?!? They won't take them off.