Child Birth

Child birth in the United States is very much the same for each woman. It is typically at a hospital, where the woman and child are taken care of until they are well enough to return home. When looking back at a personal experience, the birth of my god daughter, it was very much like this. Amber, my very best friend, had nurses look after her the entire 12 hours she was in labor. She had her doctor check on her twice and then deliver her baby. She had an anesthesiologist administer her an epidural to help with the pain. She even had a woman come help her after the baby was born, showing her how to properly hold her child and change her diaper. Another woman later came in, called a lactation specialist, to assist Amber in properly breastfeeding her child. While this is my only experience with the child birthing process, it seemed very standard for our country. It is very controlled, people are there to take charge if anything goes wrong. While a hospital is not the most comfortable place to be, it definitely seems to be the best option for giving birth to a child. There are doctors and surgeons on hand to handle any situation that may arise, and that is a very reassuring feeling. It increases all infants chance of survival and helps to reduce many risks that could potentially hinder the child's development.

The standard child birth in Japan is much different than our norm. The majority of Japanese women give birth without any painkillers whatsoever. It is said that the reason behind this relates to the Buddhist perception of suffering. People believe that the pain endured in labor is a test to prepare the woman for the difficult role of motherhood. Japanese women do deliver in a hospital, as American women do, but many fathers will not be in the delivery room. Fathers are only allowed in the delivery room if they have taken prenatal classes with the mother. After leaving the hospital, most mothers and babies will go to stay at the mother's parents home for at least a month. It is a cultural tradition that women stay in bed with their babies for 21 days. Friends and family stop by to visit and join in eating the celebratory food osekihan (red rice with red beans).

While Japanese women give birth in a hospital, as Amber did, this was the only comparison between the two. Japanese women do not use pain killers, as Amber did. Also, while Amber's husband was there to help encourage her through the birthing experience, many fathers in Japan choose not to participate in this activity. They also do not see much of their child the first month of life, as the child stays at the mother's parents house. Both Japanese women and Amber, however, did eat celebratory food with their family and friends. Amber's celebratory food was pink lemonade cupcakes and sparkling grapefruit juice, to welcome their beautiful baby girl Sophia.