It’s pretty exciting to think that this is the first Mother’s Day that I can celebrate as a mother. What a life changing moment it is to go through the long excruciating pain and seeing your child for the first time. Without mothers none of us would be here. It’s one of the most rewarding and exciting things we can do as humans. That’s why I would like to share what it was like for me to become a mother in Japan.
Japan is facing a major decline in population and the government is doing all it can to encourage women to have more babies. Many of our regular pregnancy checkups are covered by municipal offices. They also subsidize the hospital expenses for delivering the baby itself. Our National Health Insurance covers all healthcare costs for children under the age of 15. With all these incentives, I can almost feel the population rising, and we’ll be all merry and joyous… well, not quite.
During my pregnancy there was a news report stating that a pregnant woman had been rejected by 7 different hospitals. Two years prior to this incident, there was another pregnant woman who had been rejected by 18 different hospitals. How could this happen? Unfortunately, Japan is facing a shortage of doctors, especially OBGYNs, and on top of that they are closing down entire hospitals. The main reasons for the lack of medical professionals are the severe working conditions and unsatisfactory financial compensation that doctors face because of the State insurance scheme. It is a great thing for us as patients to have a National Health Insurance program, but many people looking to make a lot of money being a doctor will need to find another profession.
Another thing that may surprise you about Japan’s birthing system is that natural labor is the most common delivery method. This means no drugs or anesthesia or anything. My labor was drug-free, which was quite painful, but thanks to the breathing methods and the gentle massaging hands of my husband, I managed to handle the pain and push on (or out). From my personal experience, I found that by not screaming out loud I was able to focus that energy into delivering my bundle of joy. Everyone is different and when you are lying on the delivery table everything that you read and learned goes out the window and you just do what comes naturally.
In the end I am glad to have had my daughter in Japan. I was able to go home with my own mom after a week in the hospital (that’s the common duration of a hospital stay in Japan), and I was able to see how different the Japanese way was compared to what I’ve seen on American TV shows. So remember to thank your mother for going through that one of a kind experience, we are all in debt to our mothers. Thank you mom.
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