Baby Number Two

That's right! Lord willing, Asher will be a big brother come mid July. I am 13 weeks and decided I should finally start letting people know.

We are assuming with the announcement will come many questions, so we will try to answer some of the ones we think you'd want to know:

1. Where will you have the baby?

We will have the baby here in our city. We checked out hospitals with a couple of American nurses this summer and got a lot of our basic questions answered. The nurses were impressed with the quality of care that they could provide here. It was nice to have a tour of the birthing unit and see that they could handle a pre term delivery or most any medical emergency concerning a birth. We obviously aren't anticipating anything abnormal, but feel reassured that they have the equipment/capabilities to deal with it.

2. Does your doctor speak English?

A little bit. Enough to make the appointment not totally confusing. In fact, at this point, her English is probably better than my Turkish, so it has been helpful.

3. Will you be able to have an ultrasound?

Obviously from the picture, yes! In fact, this is quite a bonus for me. I will get an ultrasound each appointment. I didn't have an ultrasound with Asher in the States until around 18 weeks. So it is nice that we will get to see the baby each month.

4. Are basic check ups the same as in the States?

It is hard to say. I've only had one. At my first appointment they drew blood, took my weight and blood pressure, and I got an ultrasound. Fairly routine. Of course, it was a little more confusing due to language barriers and some cultural differences, but we made it through. My ultrasound was in a private room, but interestingly, the talking with the doctor, getting blood pressure and weight was in front of several other women. I think they were thoroughly amused by the confused American and enjoyed hearing what my blood pressure and weight were.

5. What are some of the cultural differences you have noticed?

Most women come to appointments with their sister, mother, aunt or some other female. In fact, most all husbands are not in the delivery room when the wife is having their baby. This was one thing we want to make sure of is that Reed will be able to be in there with me. For women here they would have a female relative with them instead. I'm sure I will discover a lot more in the next several months as this pregnancy progresses.

6. How are you feeling?

Besides the typical tired and nauseous, I'm doing well. I'm excited that my first trimester is over, and that the baby looks good so far. Sure, I have fears. There is so much I don't know and it doesn't help that my language is limited, but I have great friends here that will help me get through appointments. Another opportunity to surrender and trust God! I'm sure there will be some medical terminology I'll pick up along the way in Turkish that will be very valuable for me to remember come delivery time!

7. Will you find out if it is a boy or girl?

Absolutely. We can't wait that long and not find out!