So, my family has been sitting on the news that our trio will be a quartet come May 2006...which is a wonderful secret to revel in, but I need some sympathetic mamas in my corner.
My husband, 2.5 year old son and I are living in a rural town called Isobe on the Eastern Coast of Japan. We are originally from Chicago, but have no plans to return after our time in Japan is up. I am really excited about having a baby in this community...not so excited about my birthing options. We tried for a homebirth with my son, but ended up with a intervention-free hospital-transfer birth. It is real early to be thinking about this next birth, but I can't help it....something to obsess about? I'll just say that I am admiring our deep tub more than ususal.
Hi, Gemma!
Congrats on your fourth babe coming into your family!
Goodness, I havne't heard a lot about JApan, but what I've heard about does not jive well with my birth philosophy at all! Even if I wasn't called to do Homebirth in the US, living in Japan I would in a heartbeat!
There is a Homebirth forum devoted just to homebirthing under Birth And Beyond. If you want support from just homebirthers.
I left Japan when I was 7.5 months pregnant with Ben. I was fortunate to have a US military facility to do our negotiations for us.
My advice is to start researching right now. You know the broad range of care available in Japan. It is common practice to induce all women on a chosen due date, unless the go into labor naturally. Epidurals and other pain meds are not widely available. Find a birthing center that has a low maternal fatality rate. Infant mortality rates are generally low, but mothers don't fare as well.
Look for a center that will be willing to wait for your labor to start or schedule your dates as late as possible. perhaps in a rural area you may get more leeway than in an urban area. But then, they will not be as willing to let you question your care. Patients in Japan are often not informed of their diagnosis, or told what their medications are or what they are for. The doctor is in charge.
I would definitely consider a homebirth, if that is something you'd be willing to consider. I don;t think that birth attendants are widely available, so you would have to be very well educated in order to handle a UC. IMO, a hospital transfer may not be the worst option. At least you could avoid the induction.
Omedeto, Gemma-san! How wonderful to hear about your pregnancy. I hope all goes very well for you.
I had a mostly intervention-free birth at a hospital in Kanagawa three years ago. It was attended entirely by a midwife until I reached the pushing stage. We negotiated for lots of things that I now know are entirely possible in Japan: father at labor and birth; labor as I wanted it in a private room (we had to pay for that day of a private room, but it wasn't crazy expensive); shower as I needed/wanted; baby on my chest immediately; rooming in; and absolutely no other fluids than breastmilk for Meg. The nurses all came into my room individually to whisper how great they thought our birth was, and how they secretly applauded our intentions to do things naturally, even against hospital policy. I even got to skip the "mandatory" meeting with the miruku representative. I got especially great care and advice from quite a few nurses postpartum because I made my commitment to breastfeeding clear from the start of my prenatal care, and they evidently thought that was groovy.
I have a good friend who gave birth at a small clinic with midwives and a doctor, and she gave birth on tatami, holding a rope hanging from the ceiling, and got to room in, too. And I know a birthing trainer in Kyoto who says it is possible to deliver with midwives only in what we'd call a birth center, depending on where you live. If you want to chat more, please feel free to pm me. Do you have good contact with other mothers in Japan? I found there was lots of information about alternative stuff out there, but I had to really ask to get it.
Stick to your guns as much as possible, and look for a sympathetic doctor (or midwife, if it's possible where you are). It is not necessarily true that a Japanese birth is more interventionist, you just have to be a little wagamama in asserting your wishes, and don't let the mean nurses push you around (in my experience, they will try darn hard).
Looking forward to hearing more about your journey!
warmly,
Kam, mamamama! to Megumi and one more, due March 2006
I just wanted to add that I don't think it's too early at all to plan for a birth. I planned for my first birth years (to some degree anyway) years before I ever conceived. Homebirth is awesome - you certainly have my vote for that!
Good luck in whatever you choose and congrats on your pregnancy!
Did you have your son in the same community, or in Chicago? It sounds like you will be seeking all new care providers. It would be cool if you could find an AP community near where you live, even if it is Online, where Mamas could recommend care providers to you.
I think it is good to start looking into your options now and try to work it out. Would your midwife in Chicago be able to hook you up with someone near where you are currently? There must be some sort of professional listings.
I think you got some really great advice from the Mamas on this thread. I am interested in hearing what you find out.
Good luck Mama
ND
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