Hi Everyone,
I was very happy to find this forum as I will be having my first baby in a few months. I am interested in having a waterbirth but I was wondering if anyone knew of any hospitals in the Kanagawa/Atsugi/Hachioji area where they do them. I live in Sagamihara City so anywhere relatively near there is what I'm looking for. I would appreciate any info...Thanks.

Hi Lara,
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I really truly recommend water birth or natural birth and would like to help any women interested so that they can also have the same wonderful birthing experience which I was so fortunate enough to have.

I gave birth to my first son 3 years ago, at Katagiri Josanin, a birthing center in Ebina specializing in waterbirths. It was a very very special experience. The staff are all very experienced mid-wives and the atmosphere is warm, caring. At your monthly check ups, you are not rushed in and out like at a regular doctors' visits in Japan. They even give you a foot massage at each visit! BUT unfortunately, this facility stopped having waterbirths shortly after I had my son and now they only deal with a (regular) natural birth on the tatami. Knowing this, I really searched hard for other waterbirth centers when I found out about my second pregnancy last September. After all the research, I finally ended up going back to the same midwife as the first birth, I just simply trusted her the most and even if I couldn't have a waterbirth this time, I couldn't find any other place that matched up to the warmth and caring Katagiri provided.

There is another place in Atsugi called Marine Birth, they specialize in waterbirth as well. But most birthing centers with midwives instead of Drs will be willing to accomodate your wish to give birth in water, most probably in the bath. I can go on and on on this subject, as I really did alot of homework. I read and speak Japanese fluently so I could assist you on the search on the Japanese internet as well. I think it'd be alot easier if I could talk to you on the phone. I could get a feel for what you are looking for and expecting, and I'd be able to better assist you/give you recommendations and advise. If you are interested, please send me a mail directly to my email address and we could go from there.
Look forward to hearing from you!
Natasha

Hi and congratulations!
My third child was born in water here in Japan, and it was by far the shortest and easiest of my three labors. Two midwives from Aqua-birth House in Setagaya-ku came to my apartment, and for a fee (JPY 40,000) I was able to rent the large birthing pool and have a home/water birth. They also have a permanent labor/birthing spa pool at their clinic.
I highly recommend it!

My geography outside Tokyo is pretty poor, so I'm sorry I don't know whether the clinic would be very inconvenient for you. Still, here's the information below. If anything, the midwives are a very good resource on water birth and can probably point you to other places as well. Good luck!

Aqua-birth House
Yamamura-sensei, head midwife
4-16-21 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, tel: (03) 3427-1314

Hi! I was wondering if anyone knows what the situation is today, regarding waterbirth in Tokyo area?
Me and my husband live in Chofu and will have our first baby early Feb. 2007. I would like to have a waterbirth, either at home or in a hospital. Is that even possible?
So any updated knowlege on this issue is welcome.
Thank you, take care.
Anna

There is more on this subject under the Birth Options topic of discussion at: http://www.tokyowithkids.com/discussions/messages/35/483.html

Hi all,
I ended up having a waterbirth at Marine Birth House in Atsugi, Kanagawa.
http://www.ayu.ne.jp/user/marinbirth/

It was a great experience and I was treated very well.
At the time a regular birth cost 380,000 and the water birth cost 430,000. I was lucky my insurance covered all of it.
I was most afraid of not being able to have any say over my baby's birth. I was really happy with this hospital. Two midwives helped me and they were so good to me. I will defintely use them again next time.
I liked having the water between myself and the midwives. It allowed me to have control over the experience. I went to a famous hospital in Kanagawa called Aiiku Byouin.
http://www.aiiku-hos.or.jp/
It looks like a hotel, and lkely about 95% of it's patients are pregnant or just gave birth. Many people like it very much but after one month I decided to change hospitals. Some of the reasons were because:
1. At your appt you have to wear a pager on your wrist. When they are ready for you, you are paged and told which door to go to. While you wait you can sit in their lobby. It looks like a baby factory with women sitting around all being told where to go and when.
2. They told me that I could have a group room (6 people) or a private room. But even if I chose the private room my baby couldn't stay with me.
3. They said I had 2 choices of birthing methods; 100% natural or epidural. But if I chose epidural I would have to be induced as well because their anesthesist only works Monday to Friday 9-5. Since it was my first baby and I didn't know if I could handle natural. I asked them if I could try natural and if I needed drugs to give them to me. They said it isn't done that way in Japan. They really pushed the epidural. I don't have a problem with an epidural but they couldn't seem to understand why I had a problem with being induced.
3. When i was examined they were not very personable. I felt like one of many in a group of cattle being branded. Each appt took place in a room whith two doctors and two pregnant women having their appts at the same time. Not an environment where I would feel comfortable talking about sexual or embarassing situations.
4. My baby's feeding time in the hospital would be fixed. So even if they were hungry they would not be fed. The mothers are told what time to come to the nursing room and they all nurse their babies at the same time.. then go back to their rooms. It is at this time that the babies' diapers are changed. So even if they poop they may have to wait two and a half hours to be changed when mama comes back to feed them. They all lay in one room listening to about 20 other babies around them crying. After being in their mother's stomach for 9 months, I don't imagine it as the nicest experience for them.
5. Fathers can't even touch the baby at all until they leave for home 5 days later.
When I told Inoue-sensei I was leaving she gave me a personal tour all around the hospital and kept telling me why that hospital was the best. But I felt she was looking at it in a way that was easiest for the mother. I wasn't looking for a quick and easy way to have a baby. After all I was dedicated to my baby and was already putting my daughter ahead of myself. However, I do think it would be a very good hospital if you were having complications. When I told her I had found a place to have a water birth and thought that it would better match what I was looking for, she told me I was being irresponsible and not thinking about what was best for my baby.
I have 3 friends who delivered there only because the doctor is able to speak English and Spanish. For them, they were satisfied. I don't have much trouble with Japanese so I was looking for a hospital that would match my expectations, not just my language of preference.
All in all I am very happy that I took time to research and had the courage to look for a different hospital that I was happy with rather than just letting the doctors decide for me how my baby was going to come into this world.
Lara