April 2023 Classes & Meetings

Welcome to April 2023!

I hope everyone has had a chance to enjoy the cherry blossoms (in between the rain we’ve had)! In this past month, I was back at Aiiku hospital for a birth and I also was at births at Sola Clinic, Tsuchiya Clinic and Ikuryo. Restrictions still remain in many other places (either labour restrictions or visitation restrictions) but let’s see what happens in May when the government downgrades Covid.

If you are wondering how things are at your facility, or would like to consider your birthing options, please get in touch for a consult.

Dr Sakamoto’s (Aiiku Clinic International Unit) retirement from births is this month and I’ve almost finished the commemorative book for him as a gift (thanks to everyone who contributed messages for it). Although he’ll be retiring from births, he’ll still be running the clinic for general pregnancy & other gynecological checkups. For births, his patients may choose to use Aiiku hospital directly (with the general hospital staff) or move to another hospital. Luckily now, for those who want to stay with Aiiku, I am able to attend births there again – I think the hospital recognise the need for my support now the pandemic is calming down and Dr Sakamoto is retiring (for language support, cultural support, as well as the usual doula role).

Preparation naturally continues to be so important. Knowing about labour, how to manage, how to stay home as long as possible, what to expect at your hospital and so on is vital. Where my classes stand out is that they take a very Japan and hospital-specific angle with that, as each facility will be a bit different and what you can expect will be a bit different.

There are group options as well as private birth preparation sessions (either in-person at home or on Zoom), birth plan/hospital or other consults, and post-partum/breastfeeding support visits. For those who prefer private preparation, please send me an email – I only have limited space for private preparation between now and July.

With my group classes, meetings & get-togethers, you can see what options are available this month. There will continue to be a variety of online classes with a couple of in-person options so everyone can choose what they feel most comfortable with. With any classes that are in person, health precautions and proper distancing will continue to stay in place (mask-wearing and limited numbers for inside spaces). The classes and events I offer have all come from me knowing what I would have benefitted from with my first pregnancy – the support and information that would have helped me. I hope these classes and meetings help you, too.

Please get in touch if you’d like to book a class or if you have any questions.  For anyone who is interested in a Birth Support Package for consistent doula support during pregnancy, labour (in-person or virtual depending on restriction) and the post-partum period, I am booked between now May (however, if a request for package support is really urgent, please get in touch to see if something can be worked out). I can only accept new clients (who haven’t yet contacted me) from June onwards (only 1 space left I have more availability for those with September due dates onwards.

Don’t forget, for ONLINE group class options, I have a ticket system available too (which includes a small discount).

April 8th – 5PM – Zoom Doula Cafe – FREE SUPPORT SESSION for pregnant women & partners

April 16th – 3:30-6:30PM –  Birthing With Confidence 3 hour Childbirth Preparation – 2-4 couples only  (in Azabu)

April 12th – 12PM – In-person Breathing for Birth class (in Azabu)

April 19th -12PM – Infant Care class (in Azabu)

April 20th – 10AM – In-person Doula Cafe  – FREE SUPPORT SESSION for pregnant women (Harajuku)

April 21st – 9:30AM – Zoom Breathing for Birth class

April 22nd – 9:30AM – Couples Zoom Breathing for Birth class

April 23rd – 9:30AM – Zoom Breastfeeding Education Workshop

April 25th – 10AM – In-person Baby Cafe – FREE SUPPORT SESSION for mothers with babies of any age (Harajuku)

April 26th – 12PM & 12:30PM – Two 30minute private consult slots for hospital/birth plan consults, birth preparation, questions, post-partum support, breastfeeding help

May 14th – 3:30-6:30PM –  Aiiku Birth Skills 3 hour Childbirth Preparation – 2-4 couples only  (in Azabu)

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*Weekdays/evenings & Weekends are also possible for private classes/sessions depending on the day/time*

**For April, online group classes will continue to be 1,000yen per attendee or 2,000 yen for a Couples class (minimum 3 individuals or 2 couples). In-person group classes are 2,000 yen per person or 3,000 per couple if you join with your partner. Birthing with Confidence/Birth Skills semi-private/small group in-person birth preparation will be 13,000 yen per couple. For private options, available for all classes, please ask as it depends on the class :)**

About Breathing classes, please see here and here

About Positions & Massage classes, please see here (no classes planned for April except included in Birthing with Confidence)

About Infant Care classes, please see here 

About Breastfeeding Education Workshop, please see here

About Movement & Relaxation, please see here (no classes planned for April)

About Birthing with Confidence & Aiiku Birth Skills fully comprehensive birth preparation, please see here

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Find me on Facebook @Tokyo Doula Support

Instagram @steph_tokyodoula

Clubhouse @stephanietmg

Facebook groups Tokyo Pregnancy Group & Tokyo Mothers Group

Partnership with Tokyo Therapy & Wellness Center

I’m very excited to announce another new partnership I have with the wonderful Tokyo Therapy & Wellness Center.

For those who are unfamiliar, my partnerships with some fantastic Tokyo/Japan-based services (focusing on pregnancy & post-partum) give my Doula Package clients special discounts or offers on the therapies, treatments and services they provide. This gives my clients some extra bonus support when working with me and it’s all aimed at helping everyone have a more positive pregnancy and post-partum period.

Tokyo Therapy & Wellness Center by Omotesando offers Ostepothy as one of their main services.

My package clients get a 3,000 yen discount on their first Osteopathy session with the amazing Osteopaths Julien Servelle and Sebastien Bailet-Kojima. They are able to offer therapeutic treatment for pregnancy-related issues (pain, breech babies and more) and post-partum support, and attending an appointment simply for “me time” without any immediate therapeutic need is also a great pregnancy or post-partum treat for the body.

You can find out more about their Osteopathy treatment here and you can also follow them on Facebook.

Birth & Ladies Clinic Sola – 4th baby for my Client

I was able to attend another birth at Birth and Ladies Clinic Sola a few days ago For my client, it was her 4th baby (5th child overall as she also has a step-daughter) and her first baby in Japan. Her family is a military family and they came to Japan in mid December. We connected before she arrived in Japan and I suggested Sola to her based on what she was hoping for birth (natural with a midwife birth center) and her location. When she arrived, we had an introductory Zoom call about my birth support, then it was only around her due date that she recontacted me asking if I was still available – I said that it would be ok as long as a pre-existing client wasn’t in labour at the same time (so it’s never to late to ask for my doula support!).

The universe was clearly on our side of working together. 9 days past her due date was when she started to feel things might be starting with a possible slow leak of water and some mild cramping in the evening. She waited a little bit to see if things would change and it was around 9:30pm that she felt they were getting uncomfortable enough to consider going in to the clinic. I called Sola for her to let them know and she and her family arrived there at just after 10:30pm. As some of you already know, Sola allows the whole family to attend and allow full visitation afterwards as well (they have never had restrictions with the pandemic).

After getting checked, the midwives let my client know she was 3cm and baby was still high and that it would still take some time. At this point, her contractions were around every 5-7 minutes and not so powerful yet. As she was group B strep positive, she was given a round of antibiotics to take. We decided to walk around the clinic for a little bit (one of her younger children wanted to join us) and she also tried the active chair for a little bit, too. Her labour continued through the night – and I ended up going to the Aiiku birth I wrote about a few days ago while things were building up slowly.

I was able to head back to the clinic from Aiiku at 5:30am when she was 5cm. At 7am she was in the bath for a water birth (Sola is excellent for supporting water birth) and by 7:30am she was fully dilated. At this point, it was her and her husband with me and 1-2 midwives in the bathroom (her other children were playing in their room in the clinic). It was now just a case of waiting for baby to get lower. My client was doing great. Her breathing was very deep and even during contractions and she was calm and quiet. We were all just quietly there along with her just waiting, and every now and then she’d ask questions about things. She also had another round of antibiotics in the water for the group B strep. We could see gradually that things were moving along with baby getting lower and the pressure building in her bottom during the contractions, especially as I suggested changing positions in the water (going from sitting back to squatting). Then, at 9:13am baby was born with only an exclamation of sound as crowning happened.

For my client, this 4th labour was her longest labour. Sometimes you just never know. I always find it really interesting watching women in labour and their behaviour. Some people are very calm and on the quiet side, while others are a lot louder, and some are noticeably more agitated and physical with their movements. Sometimes it can depend on whether it’s a first baby or a subsequent baby, other times it makes no difference at all. In the case of this client, she was definitely calm with no fear of birth or worry about the process. Possibly the fact that she was having this baby in a completely different country may have played a part subconsciously in leading to a bit of a longer labour for her, but ultimately everything went really smoothly. She got her water birth, her whole family could stay together, she had delayed cord clamping and her partner could cut the cord, and she was also able to go home early (the day after birth in fact). For anyone wanting a very flexible, natural, midwife-run facility with water birth option, Sola is a great option.

I’ll leave you with some photos to enjoy. If anyone wants more info about Sola, you can find many other write-ups on my blog here if you search for the name. Please reach out, too, for a consult if you’d like to discuss it as a birth option.

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Aiiku Labour – Now I’m back in person again!

Some of you reading this may remember that I was recently given permission to start attending births again at Aiiku hospital (as they had strict restrictions in place with the pandemic). Even though I was able to support many births virtually at Aiiku, I’m really glad to be back there in person. It feels a bit like going home, being a hospital I was at so many times before the pandemic started.

Anyway, last night (into the early hours of this morning) I was able to go to a labour there. It was the 3rd baby for my client and her first in Japan. Her and her family had only recently come to Tokyo at 36 weeks pregnant. They were originally in South Korea with the military there and had a choice to make of whether to stay in Korea for the birth and travel and set up in Japan with a newborn, or come to Japan first and give birth here. They chose that option. But coming at 36 weeks is not for the faint of heart – as they had a lot to do in a very short window of time. Get accommodation, get a hospital, and sort out all other day-to-day stuff. ]

My client contacted me just as they arrived in Tokyo asking if I had space to support them. I know how overwhelming a move like this must have been – quite a quick decision on their part – and of course I said I’d support as far as possible. The first step was helping my client get set up with a hospital. This was made a little more complicated by the fact that she wanted somewhere that supported VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section). Her first baby was born by c-section, her 2nd was a successful VBAC, and she wanted that same vaginal experience this time, too. That meant her hospital options were really limited here. She also wanted somewhere that allowed partner and doula support. We discussed 3 places – Ikuryo Clinic, Aiiku Hospital with Dr Sakamoto as the only Doctor that does VBAC, and Tsuchiya Clinic. Tsuchiya was just a bit too far out realistically for her being new to Japan (excellent place, though). Ikuryo Clinic was a top choice but it would have been tricky to get a spot for VBAC there so late. So we settled on Aiiku using Dr Sakamoto. The timing was great because it was just before his retirement from births.

My client was able to get an initial appointment with Dr Sakamoto a few days after arriving at the Aiiku Clinic, and then had a hospital appointment the following week at 38 weeks. They asked for me to attend that appointment with her in case the midwife on duty going through the birth plan didn’t speak much English. After that, and one more appointment with Dr Sakamoto, it was a waiting game. A c-section date had been set as well for 4 days after her due date in case baby didn’t come because in Japan inductions aren’t done for VBACSs.

My client’s due date came and went. She had said she was feeling low and emotional at the thought of baby not coming naturally and needing a c-section again. But then on the evening of March 20th, her contractions began. She contacted me at 11:30pm to say she was heading to hospital as the contractions were roughly every 3 minutes. I went to meet her and her partner there. She was doing great and breathing through everything, mostly standing up and leaning forwards and also trying to sit from time to time. She was 3cm dilated and feeling a bit of pressure in her bottom. Dr Sakamoto was already at the hospital and checked in a couple of times. The midwife on duty spoke some English but also asked me for help with translating from time to time. Dr Sakamoto broke my client’s water at 1:45am (this is something he does quite frequently). 15 minutes later she was 6cm. My client was given some extra oxygen as baby was having a few heart rate dips according to the monitor.

The pressure in bottom continued to be there and get even stronger. I assured her that she was feeling baby pressing down and that’s a really good sign. She was starting to find breathing tough and I was in front of her breathing with her, coaching her through while her partner was behind her doing hip squeezes. She commented that she didn’t like the process of labour one little bit.

At 3:15am, the pressure was really strong and the midwife did another check. She was the same at 6cm. I said to her that with the pressure she was feeling and that it was her 2nd vaginal birth, the last part of dilation would probably suddenly happen and she’d be 10cm and baby would be born really soon. The pressure was just unrelenting and she decided that she really wanted the epidural. Dr Sakamot can to do it at 3:30am and the epidural with finished about 20 minutes later. She was still feeling the bottom pressure a lot and could barely stay still during the epidural. Just as I predicted though, when the epidural was finished and she was given another cervical check shortly after, she was fully dilated and baby’s head was right there. Everything was set up for delivery and within one push baby was born at 4:19am.

She said afterwards, that I had called it with how I thought things would go. I often see, especially with 2nd (or more) births that when the woman gets to the point where she just feels like she can’t continue any longer, baby is so close to being born.

Ultimately, she felt really happy with her birth – it went relatively quickly (9 hours from the start of contractions, and about 4 hours of active labour), and she felt well-supported. She was really brave in making the decision to come to Japan right at the end of her pregnancy and I’m really glad she could get the birth she was hoping for. And, on a personal note, I’m so glad to have another labour in Aiiku. I just really hope they relax the visiting restrictions more!

Here are some photos!

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March 2023 in-person Baby Cafe

The next Baby Cafe is an in-person one on March 22nd, at 10-11am in the Tokyu Plaza Starbucks in Harajuku.

These meetings are FREE and a great chance to connect with others.  If you are a mum/caregiver to a baby of any age, these meetings could be of benefit to you.

In the newborn period, it can be quite overwhelming at times as you learn to adjust to your new family dynamic, get to know your baby, get used to breastfeeding and other aspects of baby care, and figure out who this new “you” is.  These Baby Cafe meetings are a chance for new mothers/parents to meet others, talk about motherhood/parenthood and baby topics, feel less isolated, and get some support if you’re finding things tough.

If you’d like to join, let me know by sending me an email to the email address here.

March 2023 in-person Doula Cafe

I’ll be holding an in-person Doula Cafe on Wednesday, March 15th, at 10am in Harajuku (the Tokyu Plaza Starbucks 6F). It’s a great chance to connect with other pregnant women and talk about all things related to pregnancy, birth and baby, as well as meet me – a Tokyo Doula – and find out all about the services I offer, and my birth support, and how they might benefit you! 

These meetings are FREE and something I enjoy doing very much and I’ll continue to hold in-person meetings in outside spaces for safety’s-sake (although I’ll continue to offer virtual meetings, too). If it’s raining or too cold, we will sit inside.

Zoom Breastfeeding Education Workshop March 2023

The next Breastfeeding Education Workshop will be on Zoom on Saturday March 11th, 9:30am. Partners are welcome to attend.

Every month I hold a Breastfeeding Education Workshop to help women prepare for breastfeeding and be as informed as possible before baby comes. As a doula and breastfeeding counsellor, accurate and evidence-based information regarding breastfeeding is important to me, and helping women achieve their breastfeeding goals is a huge part of the work I do.

In these workshops, you will find out about:

The benefits of breastfeeding & breastmilk

The process of breastmilk production

What to expect in the first few weeks & normal newborn behaviour

All about latching and getting a good latch

Positions

Building and protecting your milk supply

Common breastfeeding problems

How to get support for breastfeeding from your hospital

Top 5 tips to breastfeeding success

Useful items

List of resources

Cost per attendee: 1,000yen per person (2,000 as a couple). Minimum 3 people to run the session.

An (almost) VBAC Birth – TOLAC at Ikuryo

This is an account of a recent birth I attended a couple of weeks ago at the lovely Ikuryo Clinic. As some of you know and may have read about in previous labor accounts, it is one of the very few facilities in Tokyo that supports trying for a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section). The “try” is termed TOLAC (trial of labour after a c-section).

My client was originally at Aiiku with Dr Sen via the International Unit (Dr Sen is, unfortunately, leaving the practice at the end of this month) but decided late in her pregnancy to change to Ikuryo instead as they haven’t had the visiting restrictions/limitations that Aiiku have had because of Covid.

On Feb 20th, her water broke in the evening and once things were set in place with care for her older child she headed to the clinic with her husband. I met them there. This was in the middle of the night. After a check and monitoring, they admitted her. Labour hadn’t started yet (no real contractions yet) but all hospitals will admit if it’s confirmed that the waters have broken. It was now a waiting game to see if contractions would start naturally because induction medicine isn’t used in Japan in the case of TOLAC. I went back home at this point because there was no active labour.

By the morning, there was still no active labour but my client was feeling some very mild waves. The doctor had checked her and said that they’d be ok to wait 2-3 days more to see if contractions begin because there were no concerns about infection (can be an issue sometimes with waters breaking and many hospitals will place a bit of a time limit on that).

By late afternoon, my client was 3cm dilated with baby getting a little lower. From this point, contractions started coming every 3 minutes and were getting stronger. By almost midnight on the 21st, she was 5cm and the midwife suggested it was time for me to come. As I arrived, though, it seemed that things had slowed down and the contractions were further apart again (every 5 mins or so) and the intensity had gone a bit. At around 3am she was 6cm and at 10am also 6cm. My client was sitting mostly on the ball but did try to get a bit of rest on the bed from time to time.

The rest of the day (now Feb 22nd) continued in the same way with no significant change to the power of the contractions – strong and regular but not getting stronger or closer. They also tried Buscopan to see if that would help relax the cervix more. She was 7cm by 4pm. The doctor checked her again at 5pm and asked what she wanted to do – whether she wanted to keep trying for her vaginal birth, or if she wanted to switch to a repeat c-section. He said either option is fine. My client took some time to discuss with her husband and they decided to keep waiting to see what would happen with labour. The midwife apparently said to them she thought it was a good decision as baby was doing fine and there was no need to change the birth plan yet. My client also didn’t want to have any “what ifs” by jumping to a repeat c-section at this point.

I went back home as the midwife didn’t think things would change quickly and that they’d call me if it was time to come back again. By morning of the 23rd, everything was still the same. No big changes had happened. I got back to Ikuryo at 9am, coffee in hand for my client’s husband, and things were the same as before. She was still 7cm. My client was now feeling like it was unlikely going to change as she had been 7cm for almost a day and she was really tired from 2 full nights of contractions, so decided that she felt ok with a repeat c-section. The doctor did a final stretch and sweep of the cervix and I gave her some encouragement to give it another couple of hours to see, and then if there was no change she’d do a c-section.

Well, after 2 hours things were exactly the same. My client was very comfortable with having a c-section again. In her mind, she’d really tried (which is for sure) to have a vaginal birth, the clinic didn’t rush her at all and allowed time, and she felt she was given control over the choices offered. Even though she would have liked to have had a vaginal birth experience, she said she still felt positive about the birth experience. For me, hearing that is really important as that is always what I hope for my clients.

Once the decision was made for a c-section, everything moved quickly and baby was born just before 11:30am. It went really smoothly and baby was brought out immediately (after my client got to see her baby) for checks with my client’s husband watching over. Once all that was done, my client’s husband got to do skin-to-skin with baby (as it isn’t possible to do skin-to-skin in most c-sections here) – I specifically asked in advance if it would be ok for him and they were fine with it, which has been the case with some other c-sections, too.

After about 30 minutes, my client was ready to be moved back to her room for the rest of recovery and stay and had baby with her from that point on. Later that same day, her husband went and got their older child to come and visit their new baby (lovely, as so many facilities still restrict visitation).

So, this is an almost-VBAC story. My client tried hard, she did everything “right”, her hospital gave her time to see if labour would progress, but in the end it just wasn’t meant to be. But I am really happy she views it as a good birth!

March 2023 Zoom Doula Cafe

The March Doula Cafe on Zoom will be on Saturday March 4th, at 5pm!

Partners are also welcome to attend this Doula Cafe! Doula Cafe is a FREE pregnancy support meeting.

In this Doula Cafe, we’ll have free-flowing conversation, talking about the hospital bag, labour, your hospital/restrictions, options, pregnany & post-partum life, and any questions, concerns or worries you have about having a baby/going through birth here…as well as what my doula support looks like to get you through. It’s also a chance for everyone to ask any other questions they have about pregnancy, about labour, and about life with a baby in Japan.

These Doula Cafes are also great if anyone is interested in finding out about my work as a doula, how I work and how I can support you through pregnancy, labour and the post-partum period, I’m always very happy to talk about that, too.

For those who are interested in a full birth support package (from pregnancy through to post-partum), I am full from now to April. If you urgently need my support, please contact me to see what can be worked out. I have 1 spot left for May, 1 spot left for June/July, and more availabilty from September.

Private birth preparation classes (in person or online) can be arranged. Please contact me if you’d like a private session in your home. For small group options, there is a Birthing with Confidence session on March 5th (1 spot left).

For other consultations and support, please get in touch, too (hospital/birth plan consultations, breastfeeding, post-partum support and so on).

If you’d like to join the Doula Cafe, please email me here and I’ll send you the link!  Grab yourself a drink of choice, relax in the comfort of your own home, and let’s talk! 

These Doula Cafe meetings are FREE and something I enjoy doing very much.  I am keeping an online option each month but will also have an in-person meeting, too. The next in-person Doula Cafe will be on March 15th.

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FB: Tokyo Doula Support

IG: steph_tokyodoula

CH: stephanietmg

March 2023 Classes & Meetings

Welcome to March 2023!

With mask guidelines being relaxed from later this month, and the government apparently downgrading Covid in May, we can be cautiously hopeful that some restrictions in hospitals may relax a bit more. However, there are still many facilities that have restrictions (for birth and/or visitation). If you are wondering how things are at your facility, or would like to consider your birthing options, please get in touch for a consult – there are many options here in Tokyo, including a few that have no/almost no restrictions!

As Dr Sakamoto’s (Aiiku Clinic International Unit) retirement from births is getting closer, if anyone else would like to contribute a message for a commemorative book I’m making for him, let me know! Although he’ll be retiring from births, he’ll still be running the clinic for general pregnancy & other gynecological checkups. For births, his patients may choose to use Aiiku hospital directly (with the general hospital staff) or move to another hospital. Luckily now, for those who want to stay with Aiiku, I have been given permission to attend births there again – I think the hospital recognise the need for my support now the pandemic is calming down and Dr Sakamoto is retiring (for language support, cultural support, as well as the usual doula role).

Preparation naturally continues to be so important. Knowing about labour, how to manage, how to stay home as long as possible, what to expect at your hospital and so on is vital. Where my classes stand out is that they take a very Japan and hospital-specific angle with that, as each facility will be a bit different and what you can expect will be a bit different.

There are group options as well as private birth preparation sessions (either in-person at home or on Zoom), birth plan/hospital or other consults, and post-partum/breastfeeding support visits. For those who prefer private preparation, please send me an email – my schedule is limited this month.

With my group classes, meetings & get-togethers, you can see what options are available this month. There will continue to be a variety of online classes with a couple of in-person options so everyone can choose what they feel most comfortable with. With any classes that are in person, health precautions and proper distancing will continue to stay in place (mask-wearing and limited numbers for inside spaces). The classes and events I offer have all come from me knowing what I would have benefitted from with my first pregnancy – the support and information that would have helped me. I hope these classes and meetings help you, too.

Please get in touch if you’d like to book a class or if you have any questions.  For anyone who is interested in a Birth Support Package for consistent doula support during pregnancy, labour (in-person or virtual depending on restriction) and the post-partum period, I am booked between now and mid-March (however, if a request for package support is really urgent, please get in touch to see if something can be worked out). I can only accept new clients (who haven’t yet contacted me) from May onwards (only 1 space left in May). June and July also only have one spot left. I have more availability for those with September due dates onwards.

Don’t forget, for ONLINE group class options, I have a ticket system available too (which includes a small discount).

March 4th – 5PM – Zoom Doula Cafe – FREE SUPPORT SESSION for pregnant women & partners

March 5th – 3:30-6:30PM –  Birthing With Confidence 3 hour Childbirth Preparation – 2-4 couples only  (in Azabu)

March 10th – 9:30AM – Zoom Breathing for Birth class

March 11th – 9:30AM – Zoom Breastfeeding Education Workshop

March 15th – 12PM – In-person Breathing for Birth class (in Azabu)

March 15th – 10AM – In-person Doula Cafe  – FREE SUPPORT SESSION for pregnant women (Harajuku)

March 19th – 3:30-6:30PM – Aiiku Birth Skills 3 hour Childbirth Preparation specifically about birth in Aiiku 2-4 Couples only (in Azabu)

March 22nd – 10AM – In-person Baby Cafe – FREE SUPPORT SESSION for mothers with babies of any age (Harajuku)

March 22nd -12PM – Infant Care class (in Azabu)

March 24th – 9:30AM – Zoom Breathing for Birth class

March 25th – 9:30AM – Couples Zoom Breathing for Birth class

March 29th – 12PM & 12:30PM – Two 30minute private consult slots for hospital/birth plan consults, birth preparation, questions, post-partum support, breastfeeding help

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*Weekdays/evenings & Weekends are also possible for private classes/sessions depending on the day/time*

**For March, online group classes will continue to be 1,000yen per attendee or 2,000 yen for a Couples class (minimum 3 individuals or 2 couples). In-person group classes are 2,000 yen per person or 3,000 per couple if you join with your partner. Birthing with Confidence/Birth Skills semi-private/small group in-person birth preparation will be 13,000 yen per couple. For private options, available for all classes, please ask as it depends on the class :)**

About Breathing classes, please see here and here

About Positions & Massage classes, please see here (no classes planned for March)

About Infant Care classes, please see here 

About Breastfeeding Education Workshop, please see here

About Movement & Relaxation, please see here (no classes planned for March)

About Birthing with Confidence & Aiiku Birth Skills fully comprehensive birth preparation, please see here

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Find me on Facebook @Tokyo Doula Support

Instagram @steph_tokyodoula

Clubhouse @stephanietmg

Facebook groups Tokyo Pregnancy Group & Tokyo Mothers Group