26 November 2006: Baby
 Meanwhile everybody is already aware that since a number of months Jenny is pregnant. Her due date is end of April 2007. Like in the Netherlands, it's also common to go to a docter in Malaysia for a regular check-up. The health facilities are excellent in Malaysia: about 10 minutes drive from our house, there is "Damansara Specialist Hospital": een private clinic where a large number of good specialists have their practice. We have an indian doctor:
dr. Gunasegaran. According to a number of people we have spoken one of the top-specialists (Gynacology) in the country. Obviously we can't tell yet, but at least his office is decorated with a large number of certificates and awards, so he must be good ......
Since October we have had two appointments at the hospital. The opening hours are not that bad: starting 7.30am it is possible to make an appointment.  For Henk that's quite convenient, because it's only 10 minutes to the office by car, so even if we go to the hospital in the morning, he is usually still able to be at the office in time.
Like everything in Malaysia, also the health system is much cheaper than the one we have in The Netherlands (obviously for Expats it's cheaper - a lot of local people cannot afford a private clinic and have to go to a public hospital). For our first appointment: an intake, echo, blood examination and a jar of vitamine pills we had to pay about 100 Euros. The second appointment with a amniocentesis is a bit more expensive: about 400 Euros. Obviously for those amounts you can't even talk to a specialist in our own Country !
The pregnancy so far has been quite ok for Jenny: hardly ever nauseous, only a bit tired every now and then and occasionaly no appetite.
Like in The Netherlands there are also maternity classes and other activities in Malaysia. Next week Jenny will visit IBU (Malay word for mother): a foundation that organises all sorts of activities for mothers (to be).
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The maternity class has started in February. Damansara Specialist Hospital has a class of 4 weeks (starting every month) to educate new parents about a number of aspects of the pregnancy and the delivery. Some of the sessions they show videos or give presentations. The second session is practical: breathing excersises and other tips to stay calm during delivery. The third night we have a tour around the maternity ward: there are about 8 delivery rooms, and for the remainder of the time you have to stay at the hospital, there are a numer of different rooms available. Ranging from "four on 1 room " to a VIP-suite with separate room with TV, small kitchen and an a place to sit/sleep. We definitely have to check our Health Insurance contract to verify if that room is covered ! 
We have bought the first batch of things for the nursery the last couple of weeks:)
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The baby is still not there yet. This morning we had our weekly check-up meeting: everything is still ok, and the docter thinks that it might still take 4-5 days before the baby is born.