TAMC

So I will be having this baby at the military hospital here on the island - Tripler Army Medical Center. It's a big, pink building on the side of a big hill (I can't exactly call it a mountain) that you can see from many places all over the island. Here's a picture:

Parking is a nightmare, and the place is huge and it has a reputation for being inept and unfriendly. I'm really excited! Actually, the maternity ward has recently undergone a major renovation and they are now touting all private LDR rooms and postpartum rooms. And supposedly they now have birthing pools and birthing balls and all that good stuff so women have options when giving birth. Actually, that's another thing on my "I don't care about that" list. I was on my back strapped to who knows how many devices for both of my previous deliveries and it was fine. It didn't slow anything down, so birthing position/location is not a concern for me. 

Well, I actually would like to be located at the hospital when it's time. One of the things about Oahu is that practically everyone who lives in the state of Hawaii lives here. 898,000 people on an island that at its widest and longest is 30 by 40 miles.  On top of that, a big chunk of it is consumed by two mountain ranges. Needless to say, traffic can get pretty bad. Given the fact that when Clark was born it was only three hours from the time my water broke until he was out, I am a little bit nervous about getting there in time.

Slightly off topic here: Did you know that women are not allowed to have home births in Hawaii? You can have a midwife, but you have to have your baby in a hospital. Crazy, right? 

That's all for now - I would just like to say congratulations to my friend, Sarah Fischer, who just found out she is having a girl today! Sarah is also planning a home birth (she lives in Richmond, so she's not breaking any laws), so major props to her!  If I find out she'll also be using cloth diapers, I will be beyond impressed. :)