Tsuchiya Hospital Details
Tsuchiya & Shinno Scoop
Tsuchiya General Hospital Tsuchiya Sogo Byoin
Maternity Ward Acommodation Private room ¥8000 per day.
5 or 6 person room stay at no extra charge.
The hospital has been refurbished so it has all mod cons and is very clean and spacious - even the large rooms are
relatively spacious compared to other maternity wards I've been in.
My private room had a TV, fridge, private bathroom and sofa which converts into a bed. I think husbands are welcome
to stay over. If you don't have a private room, toilets and bathroom facilities are shared but there are
refrigerated lockers in the hallway for personal use.
Staff there are 3 or 4 obstetricians. I saw Dr Oda, who is the department head and I recommend him highly
to anyone. He can speak English well enough to explain medical procedures- albeit not at high speed, but is very
kind and nothng he did to me was in the least bit uncomfortable (not to put too fine a point on it!!).
At the moment the other 3 doctors are all women but Dr Oda asked me to point out that as the hospital is supplied
with staff by the University Hospital, that will change in April, when there will only be one female doctor on
staff, so it might not be possible for everyone to insist on a female doctor. You can elect to see the same doctor
every time if you are willing to wait but there is a possibility that your doctor of choice will not be available
at the actual birth as only the on-call doctor at the time is actually required to be there (especially during the
night).
Midwives: All the midwives at Tsuchiya are relatively young, which I found to be a good thing as this means
their training was quite recent, so they are au fait with the latest trends and thinking about childbirth, and quite
willing to accept any preferences you might have and give advice if you find you don't have a clue what you are
doing! Unless there is a complication the midwives will deliver your baby here.
(The doctor is always present in case of emergencies and there is a paediatric department and a NICU
(neonatal intensive care unit) in the hospital if you need it.
Food Excellent, and they are willing to accommodate food preferences if you
make it clear well in advance of your due date. I am allergic to seafood and they made me special food.
Some of the combinations were quite interesting though.
HOSPITAL POLICIES
1. No pain relief. Natural childbirth is the only option. You will get an epidural only if you have a caesarian. Apart from that it's hoo hoo and hee hee hoo, but they let you move around and assume any position you desire.
2. Episiotomy (incision in the perinium to stop you trearing if the baby's head is too big) : are willing to wait and see if you stretch and don't need one, but recommend one when it's necessary. They do ask before they do it though if you make it clear you'd rather avoid one if possible.
3. Feeding: breast feeding is recommended and counselling and massage and other aids are readily available if required. Babies are given Vitamin K but nothing else without the mother's permission.
4. Rooming in. Babies are basically with the mother at all times after birth unless they need to be in an incubator for health reasons. However you have the option of handing baby over at any time if you're tired or need a rest.
5. Visiting: There are visiting hours, but the hospital is very flexible - especially if you have a private room. Anyone can come and there are no restrictions (unless you set them) about who gets to hold your baby or when.
6. Bathing: you are not supposed to have a bath for a month (!) or a shower until the day after the birth, but most things are open to discussion and if you have a private room who knows what you are up to.
7. Delivery Rooms: there are 3. One state of the art LDR (labour delivery recovery) room, where you spend the whole time through the aforementioned stages; with a delivery bed that seems in my memory to be revolving with flashing lights and dry ice I was so impressed with it ( no flashing lights and dry ice really!) complete with private toilet and window with view of the Peace Park if these things are important to you for \6000 per day extra. Otherwise you have one of the more basic (no window) rooms for "free".
8. Language: Dr Oda can speak a little English, but the other staff don't speak much ( although I speak Japanese so didn't put this to the test) however they said they are happy to accept foreigners and will try their best to communicate. It's a good idea to bring an interpreter if possible or at least get a Japanese friend to make a phrase list of things you think you might need to say or things you think they might want to ask, that you and the staff can point to if necessary.
9. COST: I paid ¥420 000 total for a 5 day stay, but I had the full treatment with private room and LDR room for delivery. I think the average is about \330 000 and you get most of that back depending on your insurance anyway.
10. Rh compatability: If you are Rh negative, you should be aware that the supply of Rh neg blood in Hiroshima is very limited, as the Red Cross apparently distributes the blood proportionately to the size of population in any given city. The incidence in Japan is very low, and as Hiroshima is a small city then it may take up to 5 hours to amass a sufficient supply for a blood transfusion if one is necessary.
Dr Oda says that even if you are Rh neg, the chances that you will need a blood transfusion are very slim, but if you have a family history of haemmorrhage in your family, you should take this into account before deciding to have your baby here. He said that this would be the case in any hospital in Hiroshima, so that would be worth checking even if you decide on another hospital.
11. Prenatal check ups: I only went there from my 7th month but never had to wait for much more than 30 mins. I was able to make a birth plan. I am not the smallest person(!) but was never given any hassle about my weight gain - a fact which seems to be unusual for Japanese hospitals, so if this is likely to be an issue with you, go for Dr Oda! The one minus point was that the waiting room for OB/GYN is right next to the ENT department waitng room, and not far from the smoking corner, but I never found it to be a problem. Parking is a nightmare if you have a large car.
12. Attendance at the birthFYou can have anyone you want with you during labour and delivery as long as they don't get in the way. I had both my husband and my mother with me right up to the end.
GENERAL COMMENTS: I was very pleased with my experience here. I didn't feel any kind of difference was made between
me and any other Japanese patient. Nothing was done to me or my baby without getting my permission first.
The staff were lovely, and Dr Oda made a point of asking me to pass on the word that anyone is welcome at Tsuchiya
Hospital as long as they accept the hospitals policies as outlined above. Most things are open to discussion but
Pain relief is not one of them! In the light of certain other hospitals in the city refusing to admit foreigners for
treatment because of possible communication difficulties, I thought it was nice of him to come personally to extend
a welcome to us all. My best memory of my first childbirth experience will simply be the quite obviously genuine
delight on all the Dr and midwives' faces at the moment when my daughter Mairi finally popped out into this world,
despite the fact that they do this who knows how many times every day.
Jackie Ikegami (proud new mum of Mairi)
Extra Information about Shinno
No complaints about Shinno, but they did go against my birth plan in that I
requested NO SUGAR WATER. My baby was given sugar water in his first three
days until my milk started. This added to nipple confusion, but was soon
cleared up.
Also, you may want to know that Dr. Nakahara wants each patient
to write a birth plan. I requested an epidurl during labor if needed and it
was eventully provided although the mid-wives tried to discourage me. So, be
sure to write down any concerns or wishes on the birth plan. Dr Nakahara
will discuss them with you and will tell you directly if your plan can be
fulfilled or not.
Tommie DeAssis (proud mum of Stephen)
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