For anybody living and becoming new parents in Japan:)
（突然ですが、英語で残してみようかなと思い立ちました。妊婦系の英語での情報の少なさに驚いていました...たぶん、需要が少ないのかなと想像...）
My first English article. Let me introduce myself. I'm a Japanese becoming a new dad in this winter (2016) and living in Tokyo;) I'm calling myself "Chichidori" here on the blog world since "Chichi" means a father and Dori (or Tori) is a bird in Japanese. That's why my logo is a bird. I wanted to start blogging my findings through the life with my pregnant wife and the future kid. Even we sometimes feel unclear in the system, I though many poeple from foreign countries living in Japan have a lot of unclear things when you or your wife gets pregnant. I hope this blog helps you understand something new about what happens if you or your wife gets pregnant in Japan. I hope I can deliver valuable information!
What should you do when you or your wife seems pregnant?
Purchase a "Ninshin-Kensa-Yaku" (prenancy test kit)
In order to know if you get pregnant, you can buy a pregnancy test kit in a pharmacy such as Matsukiyo, or Amazon.co.jp. In Japanese, the kit is pronounced "Ninshin-Kensa-Yaku" or like P-check (this is a product name though). If you cannot find one in a pharmacy, ask a shop staff where "Ninshin-Kensa-Yaku" is. Or, you can open the link below and show them to find one. You may be able to get information :)
Go to hospital "San-Fujin-Ka"
San-Fujin-Ka means OB/GYN care; San-ka for Obstetrical, Fujin-ka for gynecological. Ka is like a department. Many doctors have both so we generally call "San-Fujin-ka". My wife and I didn't know where the good doctors are. Then, my wife used the website below to search and look at feedbacks. It's all in Japanese. If you can read Japanese, it is good.
Link for others,
全国の産婦人科検索、地域別、都道府県別一覧 | 産婦人科デビュー.com
We decided the hospital based on the feedbacks. I think you may be worried to book but now many hospitals have a online booking system. I recommend it because we don't need to talk :) The most important thing in the first phase, I think, is to go to San-Fujin-Ka. The doctor will share valuable advice from your lifestyle and registration matters.
In the next one, I want to share about "Boshi-Techo", which is like mother's notebook to record health condition of mother and baby :)
