Hi,
I am having my baby at Aiiku hospital with Sakamoto and am petrified because I have been told that maybe if my doctor cannot get to me on time, I could end up with NO english speaking doctor or midwife as there are only 4 midwifes who speak english! Has anyone had a baby there or is anyone in the same situation? They say I can bring a translator in which i dont fancy, I just want to feel like I know whats going on!!
Thanks

I had my fist child at Aiiku 3 1/2 years ago
and no one spoke English. They do know
birthing Englsih such as push, stop,
breathe, harder, again, etc. It was no
problem. I had my second child there 8
months ago and was attended by a
midwife named Yukiko Adachi. She
speaks perfect British English. I was only
in the hospital for 42 minutes before my
daughetr was born so the doctor did not
arrive in time but she did everything and
was great.

I had my first baby at Aiiku and the next two at different hospitals and I think you will find that although a doctor or nurse may not claim they speak English they have a working knowledge of medical English, especially at Aiiku where they deal with so many foreigners.

However I think regardless of who your doctor is or his or her level of English, the best way for you to calm your fears is to know yourself what to expect. I found Dr. William Sears' The Birth Book to be very empowering.
Don't worry, your body is designed to give birth and you will be in good hands.

..I sent a message before but I dont think it came out. Once again, thanks Penny and Anne I actually feel alot better!
x

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Hello,

seems like its been a while since this particular page has been updated, but I would like to say that I did some research on the internet to find a doula in Japan. And there is only one lady available and she lives at the Air Base in Misawa (the very north of the main island in Japan), so that is unfortunate for us who may need a little extra help during the early days of child rearing. But I agree, to become empowered with knowledge is very useful and I recommend reading about pregnancy and labor. And like someone else said, we were made to give birth naturally and it is best to let nature take its course. From my experience it is the post natal stage that can seem overwhelming. Having someone experienced on hand for first time mothers to talk about the importance of burping is paramount, as a baby with a settled stomach is a happy baby.
All the best!
Yvette