Pregnant in Japan: Pre and First Trimester

After years of keeping our family hanging, Russell and I finally decided it was time to grow our family. Doing so while still in Japan brought some concerns (language barrier, far from family) but also a lot of benefits (awesome maternity leave, awesome healthcare).

 I had always read that if you are in the position to plan ahead for getting pregnant, you should consult a doctor for blood screening, dietary advice, health check, etc. before getting pregnant. I dutifully found a women's doctor in the area and went to see her. Apparently this is not normal in Japan. Because I was seeking a women's doctor before I was pregnant, they assumed I was having problems getting pregnant and immediately had me start tracking my temperature and scheduled me to return in two weeks. After a month with no results they started talking about fertility pills. Terrified of having twins, I persuaded them to wait a little longer, and after 2-3 months, I discovered that I was, indeed, pregnant.

At this point I went to see my doctor again, she immediately did an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy (none of this blood test stuff) and I got my confirmation. She printed out an estimated schedule for the pregnancy and instructed me that before the next visit (two weeks later) I should go to the city ward office and get a Mother/Child book.

I knew a little about Mother/Child books from working with study abroad students. The book is issued by the city in most cases and provides a central place to keep records for the mother during pregnancy and the baby once he/she is born. This includes my blood pressure and weight, results of blood tests, and eventually the results of well-baby check ups for the baby - oh, and immunization records.

I set off to the ward office to get a book. I found the correct floor of the ward office, and they had me fill out a form with my contact information, the anticipated birth date and then quizzed me to make sure I wasn't smoking or drinking alcohol. Once all of that was taken care of, they gave me a large pink envelope stuffed with all sorts of stuff - handbooks on taking care of a baby (yes, babies do come with manuals in Japan), a pregnancy tag to attach to my purse and alert people on train to give me a seat, a Mother/Child book and a book of coupons.

The coupons, it turns out, are funded through city taxes and can be used for medical check ups at most doctors.  I can't remember the exact number, but it was something like 13 $50 coupons and 18 $10 coupons. It probably won't be enough to 100% cover my doctor's visits, but I'm just starting my 3rd trimester and I still have a handfull of $50 coupons left, so they should take me pretty far.

While I was at the ward office, they also informed me that when the baby comes, I should come back to the ward office with the baby and within the first two weeks. Once the birth is verified, my insurance will issue a check for around $4,000 to cover the birth expenses. We will have to pay for anything above that, though apparently a normal birth with no complications usually comes in just under the $4,000 and I believe normal insurance kicks in to help, as with any other medical problem, if there are complications.

As long as I'm on the topic of maternity benefits in Japan, I also found out around the same time how maternity leave works. While Japan has no paternity leave, they do have a national system for maternity leave - no matter where you work you are entitled to 6 weeks leave before your due date at 2/3 pay (covered by insurance and insurance is mandatory in Japan). If you happen to go past your due date, you continue to get 2/3 pay until the actual birth - this probably evens out with some women delivering early and others late... Once you do give birth, insurance pays 2/3 of your income for 2 months - and here's the really nice part - it continues to pay 1/2 of your income up until the baby's first birthday. After the baby's first year, you are no longer entitled to any pay, but I have heard rumor that you are allowed to extend your maternity leave for up to five years and your job is guaranteed when you return - though that part I'm not as confident that I have correct.

Paired with being one of the safest countries in the world for giving birth - for baby and mother - I'm really happy to be having the baby in Japan.

Armed with my Mother/Child book and coupon book, I returned to my doctor. This was why it was so urgent to talk with the ward office before my next medical visit. The doctor wanted to run all sorts of blood tests and it can be expensive - but with the coupons, I didn't have to pay for any of it. Go Japanese healthcare! All tests came back healthy, I got another ultrasound (they seem to be standard at all doctor visits) and the doctor printed screen shots to put in the little "Hello Baby" photo album they gifted me.

I was officially in the system.

Due date: October 2nd