Just Before The Birth Again- Japan- Pregnant- U... 【Top × 2024】

I remember the pain of the first birth. I remember the moment the contractions stopped being “waves” and started being a house falling on my spine. I remember the kanji on the hospital wall that I couldn’t read, and the nurse who spoke only Japanese, and the terrifying moment when I realized I had to translate my own moans.

Expectant mothers in Japan often describe the system as highly structured. Just before the birth again- Japan- Pregnant- U...

I am no longer a tourist in this country, nor am I a seasoned local. I am something in between: a mother waiting for a second child to arrive. The cherry blossoms have long since fallen. The rainy season came and went. Now, it is the dog days of summer, and the cicadas ( minminzemi ) are screaming their death song. It feels appropriate. Something old is about to end. Something new is about to scream. I remember the pain of the first birth

The intense emotions of the period "just before birth" are often explored in Japanese media: Expectant mothers in Japan often describe the system

If you are reading this from a coffee shop in London, or a living room in New York, or a similar apartment in Osaka—take a breath. The waiting is the labor, too. The waiting is the work.

Just Before the Birth Again: A Pause in Japan, Heavy with Waiting