hear the army

Click here to read Being Pregnant in Japan – Part 1, Up to Week 12ish
Click here to read Being Pregnant in Japan – Part 2, The 2nd Trimester

You:

It depends on the person and the time of year, but things took a turn for the worse almost to the day of my 3rd trimester. Chalk most of it up to the fact that it was July 21st when the heat and humidity in Japan become close to unbearable. My entire body blew up like a blowfish and from that day forward I my feet and ankles were always in pain and i could no longer wear my watch, wedding band, and 98% of my shoes.

If you are facing a similar fate I encourage investing in some good compression hose and/or socks. Also, if your work has you sitting all day at a computer (like mine) make it a point to get up and walk around a bit every hour and try to find something to prop your feet up a bit with also to help with circulation. The biggest help for me was to go to a pool and walk/swim as often as possible – the pressure from the pool really compresses your swollen parts while the buoyancy lifts the weight of the baby off of your veins helping with circulation.

Don’t worry – you won’t be totally out of commission – just uncomfortable a lot. Even in my balloon state i enjoyed parties, concerts, and even helped a friend plan a wedding during this time!

You will likely be giddy with joy and excited to meet this little creature that’s been inhabiting your body for over 1/2 a year one moment and scared to death the next. Some people say ignorance is bliss but for me it helped a lot to read up and watch videos on what the experience will be like. Be sure to read even the sections covering what you are not planning for (a cesarean, etc.) because if things don’t go as planned – it will help keep you calm to know what to expect otherwise.

The good part of this time is that you’ll probably have a baby shower where you and your friends can celebrate the pregnancy and new life to arrive and your maternity leave will start so you’ll get some well deserved time at home to “nest”. I know it’s not possible for all but if you can, take full advantage of leave. You never know when the baby will decide to arrive and you won’t want to have to launder and sort by size the boxes of 2nd hand and new baby clothes, figure out what all of this new baby gear is and what to do with it, assemble various things, etc. after you get home with the newborn.

Also definitely make a final appointment with your dentist if you haven’t seen them during the pregnancy yet and your hair salon now for at least 3 weeks before the due date (some of you might not make it that long but usually that’s pretty safe) as you won’t have a chance to do any of that for at least a month after – you’ll be surprised how fast the first 3 months flies by!

Getting involved / Classes:

You probably have one more class at your maternity clinic/hospital which includes visiting the birthing rooms available. This was probably the most helpful class of all for me as they talked about what to expect when the big day arrives. Everyone in my class also got a little more education than we wanted when a lady was actually giving birth while we were in the room next door – we got full audio of what birth feels like. Ow.

At the clinic:

You will see your doctor once every 2 weeks until about your 35th week and from then on you’ll go every week. They will do the usual checks they have done up until this point as well as an internal check closer to the due date periodically to see if you have started to dilate and/or if the baby has “dropped”. You might have to go more if your baby is found to be in “breech” position as they will want to monitor that closely.

I’m sure it varies but my clinic also monitored my babies heart for the first time.

As always, everything is meticulously recorded in your Mother Child Handbook (Boshi Techo).

One last blood test to go around the 35th week (bring extra cash!) and my clinic also required a $1,000 (100,000 yen) deposit for the birth room around then.

Now is the time to create a birth plan (if you haven’t already) and go over it with your clinic. You’ll want to decide for yourself and then let your clinic know how you feel about things like inducing labor, episiotomies, etc. Check out mine for an example (in Japanese too).

Exercise:

After my maternity leave started I tried hard to use the pool as much as possible as it was both good for me and helped with my swelling. I also continued doing my maternity exercises and yoga DVDs at home. Walking is especially helpful (my doctor recommended 2 hours/day of walking PLUS the DVDs) also.

My clinic also gave me a special “exercise” to do when the baby went “breech” (sakago taiso) – it’s wickedly uncomfortable so thankfully she turned back by the next week.

Note you will have to change some of your routine again as the pregnancy progresses as some deep squats, etc. aren’t usually recommended towards your due date.

Clothing:

Now’s the time to make sure all the baby’s things are laundered, sorted and put away where you can find what you need when you need it – this is not something you want to do when you get home with the baby!

Remember – you can prepare as much as you can but you can’t prepare for some things. My baby ended up being delivered 2.5 weeks early when just a couple days earlier i was at the clinic and they told me i still had a way to go! I also planned on a natural childbirth and ended up with an emergency cesarean. So, prepare for what you would like, but be ready to be flexible also.

Try to take care of any business that might come up in the couple months following the birth now (set up automatic payment for bills, buy enough contacts to last, etc.) as they will be easily forgotten. If you can, set up some kind of support for yourself for when you return home. Ask your partner to take some time off work or have a family member/friend come by to help you – you’ll be exhausted and not ready to take the baby out to do the shopping/prepare the meals for at least the first week or so.

I also made a list for my husband of people to contact after the birth and things to do at home while i was in the clinic. Pack a bag or make a list of what you need/want as early as possible since your husband won’t be good at navigating your closet/vanity for the things you want when you’re gone (i learned this the hard way).

Lastly, PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BODY! It’s easy to feel like you are being silly and worrying about everything or that you can just do whatever cause you’re almost home free but anything can still happen – if you suspect anything is out of whack, call the midwife or doctor and ask. This is one time when there are definitely no stupid questions and if something feels wrong, it probably is and push them to figure out what and why – it could save your baby’s and even your life. Read my birth experience to see one example of how.

Then, be sure to kick your feet up as much as you can – you’ll need your energy! ENJOY and congratulations!!

Click here if you’re interested in reading about my birth experience.
Click here to read about my post-birth clinic stay in Japan.