All About Max (and Mommy)

One priority when we moved was to get things figured out for Max’s arrival. The first thing we discovered was that in Ukraine, you have a pre-natal doctor at a clinic and a separate doctor and hospital for delivery. We found a great pre-natal doctor through my interpreter, Ira; everything is done quite different than in the States, but most pre-natal check-ups, including ultrasounds and blood work, all get done, just in different ways. Now that I am approaching the time of delivery, we have started looking into various hospitals. We had one in mind that had the reputation in Kharkov for being the best. However, my pre-natal doctor (whom we like very much) recommended another hospital. She said it has the same level of equipment available, but the doctors at this smaller hospital don’t have big heads, but are more kind and will work with you more. She also said the other hospital is remodeled nicer, but the smaller hospital is still clean and warm. When we went to check out this smaller hospital, we were very pleased. We were able to meet with the director and head doctor; they showed us around the hospital and answered all our questions. They even said the head doctor, who speaks English, could be my doctor, so I won’t have to have a translator. She even gave me her home phone number and cell phone number so I could call at any time. We had an ultrasound done there, they looked over all my paperwork, and we were able to register that day. The hospitals are government run, making it very cheap to register and deliver there; however, it is always common to “tip” the director and doctors, because doctors in Ukraine make very low salaries. In addition, because we are Americans and they aren’t obligated to accept us in their hospitals, we are expected to “tip” extra. We knew this going in, so it wasn’t a problem when the question of cost came up. However, the director surprised us and told us that instead of the registration fee, the delivery fee and the “tip,” we could just buy a couch or a table for a waiting room in their new wing they are having built! So, we will be able to tell Max when he is older that he cost a couch to deliver! Thank you all so much for your prayers about all our medical needs for Max. We know that God went ahead of us in all ways and paved the way smoothly for everything to work out well. We are excited about his arrival, which we are expecting sometime around February 9th!

To read more about our payment arrangement, visit our other blog at:http://www.mcdouglefamily.com/