How to have a baby in Hong Kong: Part 2b

This morning I went to Tsan Yuk Hosptial. Tsan Yuk doesn't seem like a hosptial, more like a very large OB-GYN clinic. And as I mentioned previously, they don't do deliveries there anymore. My delivery will happen at a different hospital (likely Queen Mary), but Tsan Yuk is where us Outlying Island residents go for antenatal checkups.

(By the way, I did not have an ultrasound today, so you are hoping to know the gender of my child, you can just stop reading. If you are interested in what happened, which was generally nothing, keep reading.)

I took the 7:10 slow ferry from Mui Wo to Central and then a taxi to the hospital. The taxi only took 5 minutes, causing me to arrive 45 minutes early for my 9am appointment time. But I had been told to arrive early, which is a good rule in any public health care system. I thought I would wander around outside, but there wasn't much in the vicinity, so I just waited in the lobby.

At 8:30, doors to the outpatient clinic were opened, an announcement made, and a bunch of people got in line. I was uncertain... most of the women didn't look pregnant and there were a lot of men around. I wasn't sure if I was in the right place. So I asked someone nearby and she told me that the people with an 8:30 appointment time were to line up and assured me this was the antenatal clinic. I knew most everyone (besides me) was likely to be still in their first trimester, so not showing much, but I didn't except so many baby daddies. Point for HK baby daddies!

Anyway, my translator informed me that the 9:00 appointment people should just stay seated in the lobby, which is what she did. But there weren't really any more seats, so I hung out by the back of the line. After watching people walk through the door and just get in line, I figured I would do the same. And I ended up being #3 for the 9:00 appointment time, whereas my obedient translator friend was #7. Lesson learned: just get in line.

I presented the registration lady with my HK ID, my passport, a copy of Nathan's HK ID, my proof of pregnancy letter, and proof of our address. She then gave me stuff to fill out and turn back in. I got weighed and measured in the waiting room (I'm not sure people in the States would be ok with being publicly weighed) and then sat and waited.

Finally around 10:15 I was called back. I talked with an RN about my medical history, past pregnancy, etc. She told me I would have have blood drawn today. She said my next appointment would be with a doctor and include an ultrasound. I was expecting an ultrasound today because that's what my friend said happened, so I'm not really sure why it was different, but that's ok. So my blood was drawn, my next appointment scheduled (August 18... I'll be 19 weeks, 3 days), and I left. The end.

A note about the waiting and how slow this all seems to be: First, if I had had a HK visa earlier, I would have started this process earlier and would have had an ultrasound and seen a doctor by now. But this is also just how a public health care system works. There is just more waiting in line and more waiting for doctor's appointments. But... it's free! So I'm certainly not complaining. And really, even with my nice health insurance when I was pregnant with Josiah, I still spent quite a lot of time in waiting rooms and waiting for doctors!

However, I was quite bummed that I didn't get to see the little one. But I did have a nice morning to myself. I walked back to the ferry pier after the appointment, taking time to smell all the dried fish, squid, and starfish along the way (seriously, the hospital is in the middle of the dried seafood section of town or something) and wandered around a department store a little. I didn't throw up on either ferry and when I came home I had two boys very happy to see me.

Hopefully Part 3 will reveal a gender!