For anyone reading this who is in my shoes (pregnant and getting ready for an OCONUS PCS) let me let you in on a little secret: the military is very confused by pregnancy. No one could give us a straight answer on what I'm supposed to get done and when, because apparently there isn't a written policy for this situation. We've spent a lot of time in cramped offices getting blank stares before being assured we'd get a call from somebody's supervisor. Meanwhile, the 60 days we were told I had to get all of this finished slowly ticks away. It's been stressful, but luckily everyone we've worked with has been kind and apologetic and has at least tried to get us useful information.
From the looks of it, after Baby J gets here (in the next two weeks) I am going to be spending a LOT of my post-partum recovery time getting this checklist done. I need to find a dentist and get some blood drawn (another tip: FIND YOUR IMMUNIZATION RECORDS. Seriously. Now. Don't wait until 2 months before you need them like I did to find out that they've magically disappeared and none of your doctors have a copy.)
Luckily, D's command was pretty lenient on who does my 6 week post-partum checkup, so I can have my midwife fill out that paperwork if she's willing. Initially they were saying I may have to find an Obstetrician and make a new patient appointment just for my 6 week appointment, which would have been a pain in the neck. But since Tricare covers Certified Nurse Midwives, they decided to allow my midwife to sign off on everything. The dentist is going to be difficult since I know I need some work done before they'll sign off for me, and that means more than one appointment. I'm going to call around to some local offices and see who has a somewhat open schedule in the next few weeks, and hopefully I won't be too sleep-deprived to make it to the appointment.
D is going to try and use some of the leave time he's been saving up so that he can help me out a little bit past his 10 days of paternity leave, and then after he goes back to work my mom is coming for four days. My hope is that I can plan the dental, pediatrician, and immunization appointments for the time that they're home, but I'm not sure how realistic that is.
Anyway, that's been a major source of stress for us lately, but we did get something checked off our list and both got our Mississippi driver's licenses! My California license expires next month and D's expired earlier this year. He doesn't really need a current one, but we got his anyway just to prevent any hiccups. We made a nice day out of it and, after our 2 hours filling out paperwork, got some delicious chinese food afterward. The area the office is in is a gorgeous little southern town with brick buildings and a mom-and-pop shop on every corner. The weather was pretty muggy and overcast, but it cleared eventually and we got to enjoy the ride back.
More to come soon!