It's a strange thing, visiting a hospital during this pandemic.
If you didn't know better, you'd think you were on a movie set for the latest post-apocalyptic thriller. The barricades and signage. The portable buildings strewn about. The temporary construction cordoning off internal and external areas of the hospital. Not to mention the ventilation. The additional ventilation hastily installed such that there are air conditioning condensers next to the sidewalks on the front of the building and exhaust vents tied to every palm tree. Seriously, every palm tree next to the building has between one and three 10-inch ductwork vents attached to it, venting out about fifteen feet off the ground.
Entering the labor and delivery room brings back a flood of memories from nearly six years ago. Same large room, same large bathroom with shower, same couch/bed. Everything is a bit more used with signs of wear-and-tear. The only real noticeable change is the gown Sam puts on is blue instead of green.
After a bunch of poking and prodding, Sam is finally hooked up to the monitors and an IV. They do a check to see if her cervix is dilated, and... nope. They start talking about starting her off with Cytotec to soften/dilate the cervix. We've been a little bit worried about this part, this is where we had a scare with Miriam. We relay the prior experience with the Cytotec pill and they decide to use a Cervadil insert instead. Relieved. The downside? Cervadil takes about 12 hours and then we can start the Pitocin. There is a chance that it might go faster, or that the Pitocin won't be needed.
So far so good.