Baby Plans

Since I know a few of you are wondering where I'm planning to have the baby and what I'm doing about doctors and such here goes.....I am planning to have him/her here in Japan, but in Tokyo rather than here in Ota.  This is mainly because the doctor's offices and birthing clinics here in Ota very rarely have any English-speaking staff.  It's not too uncommon for doctors to speak some English, but nurses, receptionists etc. will not.  There are many tasks that I don't mind performing in Japanese but giving birth for the first time is not one of them.

Also, the small-town traditional "Japanese" clinics do tend to have a few quirks that I don't want to deal with including but not limited to: not letting me have Western food, not letting Chad in the delivery room, possibly (God forbid) not being able to give me an epidural on demand and not letting the baby stay in my room with me.  For the record, I have no concerns about the overall quality of medical care, even here in Ota.  If you want to read more about birthing babies Japanese-style you can go here and start reading the stories of another American expat (the blogger of the site Surviving in Japan) who recently had her baby in a birthing clinic-type situation.  It very much informed my decision.

I am seeing the OBGYN at the Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic which I first mentioned here.  My doctor is Japanese but speaks English like an American.  We're pretty sure he delivers every foreign baby in the city---his waiting room is always a United Nations of pregnant ladies.   So far I'm pleased with how my checkups are going, it seems to be standard here to do an ultrasound every time which is nice.  It makes all the trips worthwhile because I always get to see the baby.  I do have to take the trains/subways to go to my appointments but it's been good practice---I'm pretty good and getting into, out of, and around the city now.  In August, we'll move to a company apartment in the city for my last month of weekly appointments and we'll stay there for about a month after the baby is born.  Chad will commute back here for work.  After that the plan is to come back here.

Later, I'll post about the hospital we've (probably) chosen and soon we'll know whether we're having a boy or a girl!  Stay tuned!