Baby birth in Japan - Clinic vs Hospital

[ASmilie2B]

New member to the forum. Hello to all.

A topic I wanted to post on and would like to hear anyone's thoughts or experiences.

"We" are pregnant due to have a baby mid this year. We were visiting a private clinic which at first we liked, however there are a few reason's we have decided to look for a new place. One was their lack of enthusiasm to allow me to see the doctor with my wife (perhaps this is not unusal in Japan), then very long waits at the clinic and a lack of providing information unless we asked the right questions (difficult to do as first time parents) plus there being only one doctor there.

Thus we think should we look for another private clinic, or go for a larger hospital which may have more doctors, less of a wait? and better technology, or try to find a smaller clinic which would have a more father included approach. Would love to hear anyone's ideas, advice, or recommendations of clinics or hospitals.

cheers
Bruce

[dimwit]

Private clinics can vary greatly in quality. In some (and this is especially more common if the doctor is young) the doctor will have had some training in the US and will be well versed in what American patients can expect. If the clinic was inherited from pa, watch out! There is no guarantee that he or she even graduated from a for real medical school. Hospital doctors tend to be less well travelled but fairly dependable but don't expect them to listen to you very much.

We choose a public hospital because I am not really into blood and afterbirth.

[keirnna]

My friend who's wife just gave birth to their first kid went to a clinic. One thing he didn't like is that they completely ignored him because he was not Japanese once the baby was born. His wife didn't even put his name on the official documents.

[ASmilie2B]

Thanks both for your replies.
I did find this site which lists clinics, maternity hospitals and general hospitals. maternity (specialised) hospitals I didn't know existed, so that is another one to consider.

http://women.benesse.ne.jp/kensaku/obstetrics_and_gynecology/
(Japanese only).

Baby is important, want to get this right! I was a bit surprised to learn that some places have a policy not to let the father in during child birth. My god!
Some homework to do ;(

[Charles]

I will pass along advice from a friend of mine, an American woman married to a nihonjin, she gave birth in a Japanese hospital. She said that no matter how inconvenient, you should go to the USA and give birth there. She was quite adamant about that.

[GuyJean]

Thanks both for your replies.
I did find this site which lists clinics, maternity hospitals and general hospitals. maternity (specialised) hospitals I didn't know existed, so that is another one to consider.

I've heard Ai-Iku hospital is good in Hiro/Roppongi and bilingual.. But expensive.

You might try posting your same questions to this site:
http://www.tokyowithkids.com

Good luck!

GJ

[Sarutaro]

My wife and I are having our first child in the beginning of March. You should also consider the hospital/clinic´s ability to offer epidural to your wife in case of great pain. Surprisingly, many do not have this option. Lately, we took the decision to choose Eisei Byoin (Tokyo Adventist Hospital) in Suginami-ku, Tokyo. They have a good reputation, specialize in epidural, a relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff. And the husband kan participate during labour!

[Greji]

I will pass along advice from a friend of mine, an American woman married to a nihonjin, she gave birth in a Japanese hospital. She said that no matter how inconvenient, you should go to the USA and give birth there. She was quite adamant about that.

Charles, what the hell kind of advice is that? I am sure that you are aware that having a child is quite obviously a very important event to a young couple and to post a loaded statement like that borders on vindictiveness. It sounds like some kind of scare tactic! ASmilie2B posted a reqauest for assistance, so if you are going to post and answer like that, you could at least say what it is she was so adamant about? Why it is a must to go to the US? Give some information as to why, other than what appears to be some ominous warning from one person which may or may not be based on incident that only they found distasteful or bad!

[amdg]

Charles, what the hell kind of advice is that? I am sure that you are aware that having a child is quite obviously a very important event to a young couple and to post a loaded statement like that borders on vindictiveness. It sounds like some kind of scare tactic! ASmilie2B posted a reqauest for assistance, so if you are going to post and answer like that, you could at least say what it is she was so adamant about? Why it is a must to go to the US? Give some information as to why, other than what appears to be some ominous warning from one person which may or may not be based on incident that only they found distasteful or bad!

He's just under the influence of Americaine.

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

Gonohashi in Kamedo - Tokyo is very good.
http://www.gonohashi-sanfujinka.com/

Not sure if the have English speaking staff, will ask next time we're in there checking on number 2.
They let me in to all the checks and the birthing.
Can be a wait for on the weekends so go mid week for any check-ups.

[Charles]

Charles, what the hell kind of advice is that? I am sure that you are aware that having a child is quite obviously a very important event to a young couple and to post a loaded statement like that borders on vindictiveness. It sounds like some kind of scare tactic! ASmilie2B posted a reqauest for assistance, so if you are going to post and answer like that, you could at least say what it is she was so adamant about? Why it is a must to go to the US? Give some information as to why, other than what appears to be some ominous warning from one person which may or may not be based on incident that only they found distasteful or bad!

She was quite clear that Japanese childbirth practices are primitive compared to American hospitals, they had all sorts of supersitions that had somehow become elevated to the level of medical practice, for example, they would not let her bathe for 3 days after giving birth, not even a sponge bath. And no epidurals (as others have noted, this is not widely available). I suppose those superstitions might be comforting to nihonjin mothers under some circumstances. She had a whole lecture on the subject of Japanese childbirth practices, which I mostly tuned out. But she was quite clearly agitated about her experience. Take that for whatever it is worth, thirdhand info or whatever.
There are other reasons why it might be preferable to return to the US for birth, like the automatic US citizenship which would make life easy for any child that might want dual passports.

[Mulboyne]

Whether a couple feels reassured having a baby in Japan, statistically it is certainly one of the safest places.

In 1960, Japan had an infant mortality rate of 30.7 per 1000. This has declined dramatically and now and stands at around 3.26 per 1000 which is one of the best in the world only bettered by Hong Kong, Singapore and Sweden (as of Jan 1st 2005)

http://www.indexmundi.com/g/r.aspx?c=ja&v=29

The UK rate is 5.16, the US rate is 6.5.

[Greji]

She was quite clear that Japanese childbirth practices are primitive compared to American hospitals, they had all sorts of supersitions that had somehow become elevated to the level of medical practice, for example, they would not let her bathe for 3 days after giving birth, not even a sponge bath. And no epidurals (as others have noted, this is not widely available). I suppose those superstitions might be comforting to nihonjin mothers under some circumstances. She had a whole lecture on the subject of Japanese childbirth practices, which I mostly tuned out. But she was quite clearly agitated about her experience. Take that for whatever it is worth, thirdhand info or whatever.

You were right to tune out. There are many fine facilities in Japan, but there are small, dated ones also, just like the states. My last two were born in a small private hospital where the head of the place learned his superstitions while doing his residency at Johns Hopkins. They also had epidurals and bathing was practiced.

There are other reasons why it might be preferable to return to the US for birth, like the automatic US citizenship which would make life easy for any child that might want dual passports.

Citizenship is automatic overseas as well. You do have to supply the proper birth certificate and if necessary, a translation, to the embassy for registration. Some people consider that an inconvenience but the baby is issued a passport at the same time. The only difference between the states is registration and the baby still has both nationalities if the mother is Japanese.

[ASmilie2B]

Thanks all for those links and places, will definately check them all out carefully. Much appreciated.

Thanks Charles for the advice, something to ponder over going to America when my home country is Australia. But thanks for the input anyway!

[tidbits]

From my experience: I didn't do it in Japan but I think most important thing is your wife like and trust the doctor that she is seeing. Doesn't really matter whether is big hospital or small clinic. I had seen one, supposed to be very experienced doctor in a hospital with high tech. 3D scanning machine that you can even see your baby's face, but at 36th weeks of pregnancy the doctor INSISTED to do ceasarian on me because my baby was big, I went to a few others clinic asking for 2nd/ 3rd/4th opinions and ended up I changed doctor at 38 weeks although I knew things might changed last minute during labor and they might still perform ceasarian anyway. I was lucky, I had it the way I wanted- natural birth without epidural. The first doctor insisted on ceasarian so much, wanted me to sign and bear all consequences if I wanted a natural birth, but that time I felt the arrangement was for her convinient/ income more than her concern for the baby's size, that I couldn't trust her anymore. It wasn't easy to change/ find another doctor at the last stage of pregnancy. Some woman really don't mind and in fact they op. for a (planned) ceasarian. So list down all your preference/concern and make sure the doctor/ hospital agree and able to deliver your needs before the big day.

Gosh..it is damn funny to write about this in FG ...

[cstaylor]

There was an article about the rise of c-sections in the U.S. in last year's New York Times. They're quicker, simpler, and more profitable for the hospitals, mothers be damned.

That doctor you avoided should go before a review board for that bad advice. C-sections should be the exception, not the rule.

[American Oyaji]

Our first child was born at a military base hospital in Japan. The second was born at a clinic. I was present at both births, though my wife was a bit miffed that the second time I fell asleep, but I was working construction and was worn out.

I basically let my wife do what she wanted with the second child. Where she wanted to go and everything. She had an aunt that had a baby in that clinic the year before and had heard good things.

She had a ward room the first two days and her own room for the rest of her stay.

[Charles]

Thanks Charles for the advice, something to ponder over going to America when my home country is Australia. But thanks for the input anyway!

The woman I spoke of was a Canadian, and she still preferred to come to the US to give birth her second time. Maybe she just wanted her child to have US citizenship, I don't know.

Perhaps it is just as well I did not know your country of origin, as I feel ozzies should be subjected to compulsory sterilization in order to rid the world of the scourge of australianism in a single generation. But you still might consider returning to your homeland in order to find a more culturally appropriate place to give birth, like a sheep shed.

[American Oyaji]

Chuck.

You sully the name of "Charles" with such bigoted remarks.

I like you and think you're a good guy, but when you go off the edge like this....

[dimwit]

There was an article about the rise of c-sections in the U.S. in last year's New York Times. They're quicker, simpler, and more profitable for the hospitals, mothers be damned.

That doctor you avoided should go before a review board for that bad advice. C-sections should be the exception, not the rule.

For foreigners C-sections are almost a rule. In Matsuyama, there was one foreigner whose wife didn't have a c-section about 10 years ago and she went through an agonizing 15 hour labour. I have been told that as a result of this, any foreigner pregnancy with even a remote risk to either mother or child will result in a c-section.

[Charles]

I like you and think you're a good guy, but when you go off the edge like this....

I hereby pledge I will stop saying nasty things about ozzies, the moment the whole lot of them are permanently confined to their island penal colony.

[Lifer]

Sounds like you've gotten enough advice but I thought I'd add my bit.

We started at a local maternity/gyn. clinic because my wife trusted the female doctor whom she had been seeing for a while. I went to all appointments regarding the baby. At the 2nd or 3rd one I asked her when she cut the cord (Some cut right away and some wait for it to stop pulsing) she actually got angry and went off on me for asking a question. She then said, and I quote, "I have found that foreigners are nothing but trouble so would prefer that you use another hospital." Needless to say I was floored. She had seemed nice and had worked in the States (apparently had one of her own there). I had done nothing to deserve/cause her outburst, but that was definitely the last time we went to her.

It all worked out for the best though. We ended up using a Kokuritsu (Big) Hospital that had just been renovated. The doctor knew most of the technical terms in English (though he didn't really speak English) and most important - they had a neo-natal intensive care unit. (Turns out that the little bugger didn't want to wait and "showed up" a month early.) Small clinics are not generally prepared for emergencies, so if something goes hinky, the mother /baby may have to be moved via ambulance to a suitable facility during/immediately after delivery. Something you definitely want to ask about.

Some other Q's that come to mind:
Do they have incubators available for premature birth and/or jaundice? Who attends the delivery if the doctor is off duty? What hospital do they use for emergency situations and where is it? And finally, to what extend can you take part in the birth? (I was able to cut the cord at the hospital whereas the clinic doctor said I could only be there if I stood in a corner)

One thing I recommend is looking for a hospital in which the labor, delivery and recovery room are all the same. (They call them LDRs) Most clinics and hospitals require the mother to move to the delivery room when it looks like the baby is about to come and then also move the mother back to their own room soon after delivery. (Not really a time that most mothers want to be walking/wheeling around) My wife was able to go to sleep after the delivery without being moved and the sofa folded out into a bed for me. 3 or 4 hours after delivery we moved back to our room.

One thing about maternity clinics though is that I think you almost always get a private room. At larger hospitals, that is an expensive and not always available option.

Anyway, hope this ramble helps a bit. Good luck! Feel free PM me if you have any Q's.

[steve017]

Obviously you're not looking for advice anymore, but for those out there with the same question, here's my more recent experience.

Both of my kids were born here in Japan (Fukuyama). My youngest is less than a month old. Our oldest, 3 years old, was born in a relatively large hospital. They were fairly supportive of me coming to doctor's appointments, but did not do much really to try to include me in things. They did not allow me to cut the umbilical cord, but the experience of seeing my daughter born was enough for me--I think for most of us guys. This hospital, which is quite well-known and popular in our area, did not offer any type of pain relief whatsoever during delivery. My wife was expected to tough it out. At one point, a nurse actually told her to be quiet! But, I just ignored them and told her to do whatever she had to do. The hospital itself was, well, very hospital-like--utilitarian. Overall, it was still a very memorable experience.

My youngest was born in a clinic. We heard about this from some other people, and thought we would check it out. Right from the beginning, it was better. First, they told us right at the beginning that they offered an epidural for the pain. That was a great plus. They also told us that not only did they allow men to come to the pre-natal appointments, they encouraged it. We also were allowed to bring other family members! My daughter came, and my aunt from back home. It was very nice. They taped each ultrasound on VHS tape during each visit, which was a nice momento for the future. This may be normal now, but we had no such thing at the large hospital. They offered us information at each appointment that was tailored to my wife's current stage of pregnancy, and took into consideration what we had to say. Finally, a really nice bonus was that this clinic was more hotel-like than hospital-like. The rooms looked like hotel rooms--even the shared ones. A shared room actually had a wall between two rooms with a small door between them--like connecting hotel rooms!

I would certainly recommend having your baby at a clinic if you can find a good one. Ask around. Ask your neighbors. These things are not secrets. Most women that have kids know the good clinics, you just have to ask. Then, go check it out and see what its like.

Well, that's pretty much it. I just wanted to let you know my experience so that you would know that there are clinics out there that are very good. We live in a small city. In a place like Tokyo, I'd guess there are probably many great places to have your baby.

Good luck!

Steve

[ASmilie2B]

Steve017

Starting off no I will be continuosly looking for advice on this topic. I only just realised where the buttons are to go onto the next page of the forum, I didn't realise there were topics after the first page till now!

Your sharing of your experience is great. Many gave good topics to think about. Charles's well, they were comments, and warmfelt in jest.

From what I read and checking online I get the feeling for us that a hosptial is likely to do the job, how well, hmmm and will it let me have any satisfaction in the process who knows. However with some searching (possibly needing to review the budget) and visiting a few there will definately be a clinic out there that suits. As you said this is Tokyo. (Could be a downside there on the impersonality of the city but they can't all be bad). There will be places with doctor/s that started them that had good ethics and stuck to them then that should be visible with a little checking into.

> "These things are not secrets"

Thanks Steve. True it seems as I talk to people.

> "For foreigners C-sections are almost a rule. In Matsuyama, there was one foreigner whose wife didn't have a c-section about 10 years ago and she went through an agonizing 15 hour labour. I have been told that as a result of this, any foreigner pregnancy with even a remote risk to either mother or child will result in a c-section.

WOW. That was a worry of mine, my wife being less than 5"2 and me close to 7 (Aussies can do imperial too Charles our colony teaches that ;-p)
I was worried the baby might be huge compared to the parts that need to get it out.
My wife's natural instinct is that shouldn't be a problem as at the baby stage there is not such a relation to geight of parents. But yes C section if I am told is a must, I will be wary of for sure. That one is a natural instinct. Good on you for sticking to your guns.

[ASmilie2B]

Lifer

Just reading your post, great info and thoughts there, much appreciated! Although perhaps shouldn't be saying thanks from me, it adds to the other good posts that future searches will find.

Back on point, I wasn't thiking about premature and what that may mean for a clinic with transfer and incubators. They would probably have a policy on this and so I should check. A out who attends the pregnancy if the doctor is off this is something I was worried about at the clinic we have been going to. Every time we have gone for a check up there has been a baby born. What if another is born while that one is. WHAT if he's sick??! Must check on that one.
To what extent can I take part in the birth is one of the most important, not just for me but for the other two people important to me. Shall definately check on that one. Also, standing in a corner, he! How can I be filming everything from a corner??


tamago club

[Currawong]

My wife's sister (Japanese) just had a baby. Though I don't know all the details, here is what I do know. Note that being Japanese her experience was within cultural expectations.

First, she had check-ups every week she was pregnant, rather than every month. She came to live with her parents for the two weeks before her baby was due, as per tradition. After she has the baby, she lives with her parents for a month so as to get used to all that she has to do after the baby is born. Considering that the baby has to have milk every 3 hours and her husband works full-time it's a good thing to have the support.

She had her baby at a clinic (this is in Fukuoka mind you) that was well prepared for her water to break, the doctors having a good idea of when it would occur. As soon as it did, she went straight to the clinic. When they were sure the baby was going to be born, the family can come there, but aren't allowed in to see the birth, though we did see the baby just after as it was being washed and (my astute observation) the placenta and baby were weighed.

She gave birth seated in a large chair. From what I could gather, she had drugs to ensure the labour was fast, but refused painkillers, which are an option. We could hear her yelling something like "OOOOOOOOOOOOUT!" as she pushed with determination. We couldn't see her for a few minutes, as the doctor had to (cringe) sew up the damage. She then stayed for a few days to a week in a room which has 2 beds, to ensure that the baby and mother were initially ok and to train/give advice with regards to feeding, cleaning and the like.

The clinic, along with a few small gifts, provided everything the mum needed to look after her baby after birth, aside from clothes, blankets etc.

She isn't allowed to have a bath, but can shower - though, mind you, the Japanese don't shower, but pour water over themselves from the bath.

[ASmilie2B]

Currawong,

That sounds like "everything" went pretty smoothly. And she must have been looked after going every week.

Out of interest if I can ask (and to anyone else), how long through the pregnancy was she told the sex of the baby? We are up to 28th week and the clinic still hasn't been forthcoming. We have been slo-moing the video but to no avail.
I wonder if it is a common thing in clinics not to guess the sex early.