I’ve given birth to two children in Japan—one naturally at a private clinic and one with an epidural at a general hospital.
If you’re pregnant in Japan or curious about how childbirth works here, I hope my experience helps!
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🏥 Choosing a Maternity Hospital
There were two types of maternity hospitals near my home:
• A private clinic
• A general hospital
For my second baby, I chose the general hospital because I wanted an epidural delivery.
In Japan, only a small number of hospitals offer epidurals, so my options were limited.
The general hospital also had a NICU, which gave me extra peace of mind in case anything happened during delivery.
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🍼 Prenatal Checkups & Subsidy Coupons
At 7 weeks pregnant, I visited the city office to receive:
• Maternal and Child Health Handbook
• Prenatal checkup subsidy coupons
• Dental checkup coupon
• Newborn hearing screening coupon
• Taxi tickets (around 10,000 yen)
• And other support vouchers
Thanks to these coupons, all my prenatal checkups were free until delivery.
Frequency of Prenatal Visits
• Every 4 weeks until 23 weeks
• Every 2 weeks until 35 weeks
• Every 1 week until birth
Each visit included a urine test, ultrasound, and pelvic exam, with occasional blood tests.
Waiting Times
At the general hospital, waiting time was short because multiple doctors were available.
During my first pregnancy at a private clinic, if another mother went into labor, appointments could be delayed by 1–2 hours.
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⭐ Natural Birth vs. Epidural Delivery
I experienced both types, so here’s how they differed.
🌼 Natural Birth (First Baby – Private Clinic)
One day before my due date, my water broke, and I went to the clinic.
My first baby was born about 10 hours later.
The contractions felt like very intense stomach cramps coming every five minutes.
I had an episiotomy, but thanks to the local anesthesia, I didn’t feel pain during the cut or the stitches—though once the anesthesia wore off, it was very painful.
Midwives supported me from the beginning, and the doctor arrived just before the delivery, in the middle of the night.
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🌸 Epidural Delivery (Second Baby – General Hospital)
My epidural delivery was scheduled in advance.
Because Japan has very few anesthesiologists, hospitals often cannot handle sudden epidural requests.
(This shortage is considered one reason epidurals are still not common in Japan.)
On the scheduled morning, my husband and I arrived at the hospital.
After blood tests, labor was induced with medication.
About an hour after the contractions began, they gradually administered the epidural.
The epidural reduced the pain significantly, but near the end of labor it didn’t work perfectly—so I still felt a fair amount of discomfort.
The staff told me that the effectiveness of epidurals varies from person to person.
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💰 Birth Costs in Japan: How Much I Paid
For my second baby at the general hospital, the total cost was 690,000 yen.
The Japanese government provides a childbirth allowance, and 500,000 yen was paid directly to the hospital.
So my out-of-pocket cost was 190,000 yen.
Additional charges included:
• Private room: ~60,000 yen
• Epidural: ~100,000 yen
If I hadn’t chosen those options, I would have paid only around 30,000 yen.
Costs vary depending on the hospital.
A friend of mine paid less than 500,000 yen, so part of the allowance was refunded to her.
For comparison, my first delivery at a private clinic (natural birth + private room) cost 650,000 yen.
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👧 Caring for My Older Child During Delivery
Because my epidural delivery was scheduled, my mother—who lives far away—came to stay with us.
She and my husband took care of my older child while I was in the hospital.
After I returned home, my mother continued helping us, which was incredibly supportive during the early postpartum days.
Another huge help was that my older child could continue attending daycare even while I was on maternity leave (for about one year).
This made our routine much easier and allowed me to focus on recovering and caring for my newborn.
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🌸 Closing Thoughts
Thank you for reading my birth story in Japan.
Every family’s experience is different, but I hope my details—costs, hospital choice, and how we cared for our older child—help you feel more prepared and less alone.
If you’re planning to give birth in Japan, I’m cheering for you. You’ve got this.
