Childbirth in Thailand and Japan

    I was born in 1993, at a hospital in Lampang, Thailand. I used to always hear my birth story from my mom and my aunts. My mom said during her pregnancy with me; she very liked to eat Durain, known as the stickiest fruit on the planet. She liked to eat things that she had not liked before. My dad was always there supporting my mom with anything she needed. And everyone was excited with my mom to give me birth because my mom and her family are from Northern Thailand which they have lighter skin and my dad is from Central Thailand which he has darker skin. I know that in the USA is a melting pot of diverse people but not in Lampang, Thailand back then. They all were so excited to see me as a mixed color baby. 

  

The night that my mom was going to deliver me to the world. Everyone was there to support her. She said she was waiting in the hospital for more than 5 hours and she choose to deliver without any pain medication. It was the most painful thing she had experienced, she said.  and she had to stay home with the new baby for the first month which could not leave a house at all due to the belief in recovering her body after pregnancy. 

An interesting story from my aunt, she was born at a house not in a hospital due to the technology at that time. She was born too early before an expecting time as 7 months. Since her body is so tiny everybody thought she was dead, but her grandmother, who helped deliver my aunt, went and check on her tiny small body and noticed that she still breathing softly and took care of her since then. 

Childbirth In Japan

    Thailand and Japan share some interesting cultures in childbirth after I read some articles. Childbirth in Japan does not prefer any kind of pain relief offered in labor. In Japan, which prides itself on its “gaman” (endure/bear it) culture, most women don’t even consider the possibility of pain relief in labor which similar to my mom's experience in Thailand. 

    Moreover, most western mothers are often given a long list of foods to avoid, including soft cheeses, deli meats, and sushi. But in Japan, no doctor would think of sanctioning sushi, and instead, women are encouraged to eat a wide variety of foods to ensure adequate nutrition to the baby. which is also similar to Thai culture that mothers allow eating whatever they desire to keep up nutrition for their babies. 

    It is interesting for me to learn more about childbirth in both countries, Thailand and Japan. Cultural fluency is one of the main parts that I am amazed at the culture of mother in both countries and feel very special from my mom who gave me life.