Our Newest Addition

On December 17th, we welcomed Judah Ezekiel "Zeke" into our family. He weighed 7 pounds and was 20 inches long.
The experience at the Beijing hospital, a private, international hospital, was very nice but of course we have things to include in the blog.

I had a cesarean section, as I did with the other 3 boys. I was lying on the table when my hands started to feel a bit numb, so I told the doctor about it. She then told the anesthesiologist about it and attempted to do it in Chinese. (She is American.) She realized she didn't know the word for numb, so she switched to English and then asked the anesthesiologist to tell her how to say it in Chinese, which he did. He told her the word, then she repeated it, then he repeated it, emphasizing the proper tone, which they then discussed. Tom turned to me and said "there's one for the blog!" Who'd have thought I'd have a Chinese lesson and a baby within a 15 minute period?

On the day Zeke and I were discharged from the hospital, we were given an information booklet about a blood screening they did on him. At the end of the booklet is a "Parents Notice" (that's how it was written.) I think you will gain a lot of insight into the society here by reading this excerpt...

"Congratulations on the birth of your baby. Every parent wants to have a healthy and smart baby. In a sense, it means more attention need to be paid to newborns not only from families but also from government and society. Family planning, which means quantity control and quality improvement of population is one of China's basic policies. According to the "Law of Maternal and infant Health Care of the people's Republic of China" and "Implementation measures of the Law of Maternal and Infant Health Care of the peoples Republic of China in Beijing", neonatal screening must be carried out as a part of infant health care service. By neonatal screening, the patients with some congenital and genetic diseases can be prevented. Now we carry out the neonatal screening of PKU and CH in Beijing."

"If you have any question and comment, you can visit us at Beijing Neonatal Screening Center (address here)... Take bus No. 43 etc and get off at the stop of Tuanjiehu, or No. 31 and get off at the stop of Chaoyang Gymnasium.)"

Finally, the hospital package included a candlelit dinner for Tom and me and a pedicure or manicure for me. I could have stayed 5 days, but I left after 3. It is great to be home with the whole family.