My first birth at the new Aiiku

I always wish I could blog a little bit more regularly…ah well, the busy life of a mother of 3, a doula and everything else I have been doing and working on!

So a recent update from me 🙂  I finally experienced my first birth at the new Aiiku hospital!  I was there for most of yesterday and the mother had the birth she had been hoping for (which is always wonderful as it is not always possible for so many reasons).  The LDR rooms (there are 8 of them I believe) are all roomy and allow for lots of labouring positions.  We made very good use of the birth ball yesterday ourselves.  The hallway is just about roomy enough to walk down to pass time during labour and help things along.  We wanted to go outside the LDR area where there are much longer and wider hallways on the same floor, but weren’t allowed.  But no problem!  The mother was a patient of Dr Sakamoto’s and he was, as always, very gracious towards me and my role as a doula and the teamwork between him, the midwives and myself was great.  A really good birth I thought!

Speaking of the new Aiiku, security is a very big thing and patients are all given a card to scan to enter and leave certain areas.  I’m happy to announce that I have my own one now, as Dr Sakamoto has made me an associate of his.  This means I can attend births there with his patients (which previously had not been allowed at the new Aiiku as the security is tight and people allowed are limited).  This is also a good thing for Aiiku and for Dr Sakamoto because using me, for example, as a doula there makes their jobs easier as I can explain things, I’ll be with my client all the time to hep relieve anxieties (as well as doing my labour and birth coaching), and there will be less pressure on everyone else making things go smoother overall.

In November or December, it also looks like I’ll be starting to do Aiiku tours for any patients of Dr Sakamoto’s who are interested.  This is an important thing because currently there are no tours in English.  Seeing the hospital and all the rooms you’ll be using in labour and after is very important as it will help you feel comfortable and give you a chance to have your questions and any concerns answered.  Keep an eye out for further updates on that!

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month!

2 Blog posts in one day, but this one is a special one and I wanted to get it out before next week!

Did you know that October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month?  A month to support and raise awareness for all those who have had a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth or infant loss.  The movement began in the U.S. in 1987 and it has been gathering momentum across the globe slowly.  On a personal note, this is important for me as in between my pregnancies I had 3 miscarriages.

October 15th in particular is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, and 7pm in ALL time zomes around the world is a time for lighting a candle for an hour to create a continuous wave of light for the entire day across the whole world.

The following site is dedicated to Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and a great place to go for more information http://www.october15th.com/

A Visiting Doula

Yesterday I had the pleasure of a chat over a coffee with Anastasia Smith, a U.S. based doula who is currently in Tokyo until January.

It was really interesting to talk about the different practices both here in Japan and in America regarding birth and doulas, and just sharing our passion for empowering women to have the most positive birth experiences they can 🙂

Anastasia is currently offering pre-natal yoga classes at Sun and Moon Yoga in Gotanda (yes, she’s also a yoga instructor!) for anyone who is interested!

Her site is here for anyone who is interested in finding out more about her http://www.worldwisebirth.com/