Our visit to Al-Nada maternity hospital on Manyal Island

Today we went to visit the maternity hospital Al-Nada, where our baby is to be born at the beginning of next month. It took us about 20 min. to get there by taxi, and we really had no trouble finding it. Most prominent was the huge McDonald’s on the ground floor of the building, advertizing its gigantic play area. The boys, thinking this was part of today’s family tour of ‘where the baby will be born’ were a little disappointed to find that we were not going to eat there today, but then comforted by the guarantee that they would be dining there sometime within the next month for sure.

The entrance to the hospital was small, but the lady in the reception was very friendly, and she immediately found somebody to take us around. Al-Nada doesn't look like a European or American hospital – but we already knew that no hospital here will - the rooms look more like hotel rooms; Ain Sukhna-standard, if you’ve ever been to the Stella Di Mare. There were seven different categories of rooms, ranging from the 1st class room to the Royal suite (which we didn't get to see - it wasn’t ready or it was busy – I’m not sure which, but we were assured it contains all the comfort, including a flat-screen TV, complimentary fruit basket and a Jacuzzi).The rooms we saw all seemed all right, but it was obvious the comfort level rose with the prize. The bathroom was pretty small and inaccessible in the two cheapest categories. There was a pull-out sofa in most of the rooms so that someone can stay with you, a fridge, a closet, a small make-up style dresser with a mirror and a television – basically your standard hotel room. Most of the rooms also had a reception hall or separate room - for all the relatives and friends, I expect - with a buffet table and a separate television set. What I didn’t see in any of the rooms was a bassinet of some kind, a changing table, or anything that would give away that babies were going to be staying in the room. When I asked about a bed of some sort for the baby, our guide took us to a nursery filled with little beds, where two fully veiled nurses were sitting holding one baby each. I realize they have this type of rooms in hospitals all over the world, but personally, I would never want my baby in one. I was actually just explaining to the boys today why it’s so important that they and Courtney hold the baby close during his first hour while I’m still in surgery. The baby has ever only been inside of me – very, very close – so entering the world might be a bit traumatic, and it’s therefore important to let him know that we are still here, that we love him, and that he can be safe and warm with his family.

As we were leaving the hospital, Courtney said mainly as a joke, but still part serious “We’re getting on a plane to the US to have our baby NOW.” If this was our first baby, I probably would have been more stressed about it all, but the fact that we know all that we need to know about the birth, procedures, etc. makes it more of an exciting adventure. I know the doctor is good, I’m pretty sure the procedure is safe, we’re going to talk to the pediatrician on Sunday to make sure he doesn’t have any crazy plans for our baby once he’s born, and for the rest – we’ll take it from there. The only part of our plan that we adjusted after our tour today was Courtney’s whereabouts while I’m in the hospital. Originally we thought that he could go home with the boys and that I would stay alone at the hospital with the baby. Now, considering the fact that I will not be able to walk for the first 24 hours after the c-section, as we both felt we don’t entirely trust the hospital staff or the nurses (well-meaning, no doubt, but perhaps not in line with our philosophy of infant care), we decided Courtney will stay with me for the entire duration of my hospitalization.

If it had been possible, I might have chosen to have our baby at the beginning of our summer leave in the US, just because it would be convenient and familiar, but since life doesn’t work like that, and because part of me is excited about our impending adventure; it makes me happy to think that one day I'll get to tell my boy about how he was born on an island in the middle of the Nile!