If you were a regular reader of this blog, you might have noticed this is
ichixfuna's first post since May. That's precisely when my first was
born – a bit of a life changer is the best understatement I can
come up with. So, for anyone who's in a similar position in this
area, you could do a lot worse than go through the same process as we
did - my wife pretty much organized everything, by the way. This post
is a product of her research, knowledge, and wisdom.
Having a baby in Japan can be a
smoother experience if you have the right support and are confident
in the services you use. First, you need to find a decent hospital. A
friend of mine recommended a family run clinic in Nishi-Funabashi
called Yamaguchi Hospital. This was a brilliant shout. They took very
good care of my wife throughout the whole process, providing us with
a few excellent 3D scans along the way and making the final 'push' as
comfortable an experience as possible.
After that, it's a good idea to choose
one pediatrician for regular visits. We chose one on our bus route near Moto-yawata Keisei station - Satou Kodomo Surgery (さとうこども医院).
Check-ups are monthly and you get plenty of advice about the crucial
first stages of parenthood. Also, painful as they are, inoculations
are part of these visits. My wife kindly endured the screams and is
already on her fourth visit of sets of five jabs. Thankfully, these
reduce after the first few months – just a jab a month.
Ceremonially, the Omiyamairi
(traditionally held 31-32 days after a boy's birth and 32-33 days
after a girl's) is one for the calendar. At the local temple,
a priest will go through the rituals of welcoming your baby to the
world and blessing them in the process. This is also a great
opportunity for a photo session, as everyone dresses up nice for the
event – even the priest was happy to pose with us. Nice day all
round.
Next on the list is a full-on photo
shoot. Part of the deal with the Yamaguchi clinic is that they
provide you with a coupon to get a decent set of photos done. Studio Alice must have a deal with them, so that's where we had
ours done. Our little chap was on his best behavior and he was
dressed up in a beautiful kimono and posed for several shots, which
we had the chance to choose from at a later date.
The final stage for us is now deciding
whether to put our child in the hoikuen system. We chose where we are
living now because there is one fifty yards from us. Unfortunately,
and I only found this out after, that it's a bit of a lottery when it
comes to applications; there's basically no guarantee that you'll get
your child a place there – could be on the other end of town. With
any luck, he'll end up locally, though. Either that or my wife will
probably stick with full-time home care, which she's happy to do.
So, if you're in or about to start the
same process we've been through, let me finish by saying despite the
sleep deprivation and the loss of hearing through scream practice,
it's worth every minute. And knowing where to get the services
certainly helped to put our minds at rest and made the whole
experience leading up to it and in the first few months go
particularly well.
Yamaguchi clinic: http://www.ywh.or.jp/byouin_annai/index.html
Alice photo studio: http://www.studio-alice.co.jp/index.html
