military spouse/soon to be new parent/RN/stationed overseas
Ive been an RN for about 4 years and my husband is in the USMC. Recentely we were required to move to Okinawa, Japan for a change of suty station. Right around the same time we were getting ready to head over to Okinawa we found out that we're going to have a baby. The only hospital here that I'm qualified to work at (I dont speak Japanese) is the Naval Hospital which has 12 hour rotating shifts. My husband works on one part of the island and rarely gets home before 1830 every night. The naval hospital is located on another part of the island (shifts rotate every 6 weeks back and forth between 7a-7p and 7p-7a). We live off base right in the middle of these two areas. We tried to "tough it out" when we first got to the island by having me stay at home, but the reality of the matter is we arent able to continue because of financial reasons. Just wondering if anyone could offer me any advice on what I should do in order to keep my child well cared for, help provide for my family, and keep my nursing licenses active for the next 3 years!