hear the army

If you have no interest in birth, etc. then you have no reason to read further! This is for those women looking for a bilingual template to help with their birth plan.

Last weekend I read everything possible trying to figure out what kind of birth I would like to have. Then my Japanese teacher and I worked hard to translate my requests/questions into Japanese so I could ask the doctor and then formulate them into a birth plan.

I am posting them here hoping to save any woman in Japan who is trying to do the same thing some time and energy. Of course not everyone will have the same wishes for their labor/delivery as I do, but at least you can see some of the basic vocabulary, etc. and I hope it will help!

Congratulations to you if you’re expecting! Please leave me a comment if you were able to use it and/or if you have any questions about anything here!

The translations are the best balance of a literal translation along with what I was thinking of when I wrote the Japanese. I put the readings of key words written in kanji to the right of the word in brackets [] but didn’t repeat them more than once and didn’t do it for any but the key words for birth. Please let me know if you have any questions!

クリニックで聞きたいこと (what I want to ask/say at the clinic)

1. 最大限自然な方法で産みたいです。
(As much as possible, I would like to have a natural birth.)

2. 今から何をするかする前にすこし教えてもらえると安心するんですが。
(I’ll feel more comfortable if you let me know what you are planning to do before you do it.)

3. 夫の立会い出産はできますか。
(Can my husband be present for the birth?)

3.1 写真・ビデオを撮りたかったら、大丈夫でしょうか。
(Is it alright to take pictures or video?)

4. ピトシン（陣痛促進剤）[じんつうそくしんざい] を使いますか。
(Do you use Pitocin (labor inducing medicine)?)

4.1 陣痛 [じんつう] が弱いとき、陣痛促進剤を使う前にどんな(自然な)方法ありますか。
(What natural options do you offer if the contractions are weak before using medication?)

4.2 もし使えば、破水 [はすい] したら何時間後にそれを使いますか。
(How long after the water breaks would you use this medicine?)

4.3 アメリカでは産まれたら胎盤 [たいばん] を早く出すために、時々ピトシンを使いますけど、ここではどうするでしょうか。
(In America they sometimes use Pitocin to accelerate the delivery of the placenta; do you do that here?)

5. ホームページに会陰切開 [えいんせっかい] はほとんどしないと書いてありますが、どんなときにしますか。
(On your homepage, it says that you rarely perform episiotomies, when would you perform one?)

6. 吸引分娩 [きゅういんぶんべん] はどんなときにしますか。
(When would you perform a vacuum extraction?)

7. もし陣痛が始まる前に破水したら、どうしますか。
(What do you recommend if the water breaks before labor starts/contractions begin?)

8. 帝王切開 [ていおうせっかい] はどんなときは必要ですか。
(When would a caesarean birth be necessary?)

8.1 必要場合は妊婦の体重は関係ありますか。
(If it is necessary, is my weight going to be a factor?) (私の友達は体重が上がりすぎて、そのクリニックに、ここで帝王切開はできませんと言われました。) (A friend was told by the clinic she was going to that they couldn’t perform the caesarean due to her weight.)

9. 前に婦人科検診 [さんふじんかけんしん] のとき子宮口 [しきゅうこう] が少し斜めだと言われましたが、問題はないでしょうか。
(I was told at a previous OBGYN check that my cervix is tilted, could this be a problem?)

10. もし希望したら、へその緒 [へそのお] は夫が切ることができますか。
(Can my husband cut the umbilical cord if he wants to?)

11. 友達は子宮口が１０センチになると必ず息む [ いきむ] ように言われたそうですが、このクリニックではどうですか。
(I heard from a friend that when you dilate to 10cm, you are told to push straight away; how about at this clinic?)

12. フリースタイル分娩を進めているって、横位 [よこい] で出産してもいいと言う意味ですか。
(You recommend a “free style birth”, does this mean giving birth in any position that you like?)

＊ ちょっと質問がありますが、お時間は大丈夫ですか。
(I have some questions, do you have time?)
＊ 具体的 [ぐたいてき] にどんなとき？
(Specifically, when exactly?)

バースプラン (birth plan)

したくないこと　(what I would not like)
(できれば. もし赤ちゃんか私が危なかったら、プランの変更を私に言って下さい、そしてあとは亀田先生にお任せします。)
(As much as possible. If the baby or I am in danger, please tell me what in the plan will change and then I am happy to do what Dr. Kameda recommends.)

• 陣痛促進剤 (labor induction)
➢ 必要な場合は、それをする前にできるだけ自然な方法をしてみたいです。(If it’s necessary, I would first like to try other natural methods of helping labor along.)

• 会陰切開 (episiotomy)
➢ 必要な場合は、赤ちゃんの頭が出る(見える)ときにして欲しいです。(If it’s necessary, I would prefer a pressure episiotomy – done when the baby’s head is crowning and not beforehand.)

• 母乳以外 [ぼにゅういがい] (糖水・粉ミルク・哺乳瓶)を与えない
(Please do not offer the baby anything to drink – only breastfeeding.)

したいこと (what I would like)
• 主人に分娩に立会って欲しい。
(I would like my husband to be present at the birth.)

• お産までできるだけ好きな姿勢で過ごしたい
(As much as possible, I would like to be in whichever position is most comfortable to me during labor/birth.)

• 分娩台 [ぶんべんだい] を使わずに自由な姿勢で産みたい
(I don’t want to use a birthing chair, I would prefer to be in whichever position feels best to me.)

• 横位 [ よこい] で出産したい
(I would like to give birth on my side.)

• 分娩中は好きな音楽を聞きたい
(I would like to listen to my choice of music during the birth.)

• 子宮口は１０cmになったら、まず自由に(好きなときに)息みたい
(I would like to “labor down” – once I am fully dilated, I would like to only push when I feel the urge at least in the beginning.)

• 産んですぐ、へその緒を切らずにお腹 [なか] に乗せて、赤ちゃんがおっぱいまで辿り着く [たどりつく] のをみたい
(Please don’t cut the umbilical cord straight away but lay the baby on my belly and allow it to find my breast on its own.)

• 産んですぐに授乳 [じゅにゅう] したい、(遅くても、出なくても)３０分以内に授乳
(I would like to start breastfeeding directly after birth – even if it doesn’t come quickly or takes a long time, I would like to try for at least 30 minutes.)

• 夫が希望したら、へその緒は夫に切って欲しい
(I would like for my husband to cut the umbilical cord, if he wants to.)

• 完全 [かんぜん] 母子同室 [ぼしどうしつ]（初日から）
(I would like for my baby to be in the same room as me from the start.)

• 時間を決めないで、赤ちゃんが泣くとき、好きなだけ授乳したい
(I would like to breastfeed at will and not on any schedule.)

• 割礼 [かつれい] なしに欲しい
(I would not like the baby to be circumcised.)

Am I too demanding? The funny thing is that after all this – things may go exactly opposite to plan at the birth – keep your fingers crossed for me that all goes well and as planned!