Ichixfuna Born Again Blog

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