Introduction
Childbirth is often a wonderful and joyous experience for many women. However, the process poses labor pains described by most mothers as the mother of all pain. Labor pain can be excruciating, and most women cannot bear such pain. As a result, some women develop cold feet since they do not want to endure such pain during childbirth (Maeda et al., 2019). To help offer an alternative to such fears, an easy delivery system has been introduced into the healthcare system to ensure that women can choose. A painless delivery implies that a woman is given an injection of epidural to ease pain once labor begins. Such procedures are imperfect and breach some ethical practices in healthcare, making their method not prevalent worldwide.
In countries such as Japan, rumors are being used to discredit the practice and promote the natural childbirth procedure that makes a woman give birth while experiencing pain. This claim is based on an anecdote that painful childbirth makes the mother love the child instead of having a painless delivery. The suit, in this case, raises a topic for discussion on some of the factors a mother should be exposed to the easy procedure and why painful childbirth can also pose a risk to a mother (Maeda et al., 2019). Therefore, this paper discusses the easy delivery system in Japan, why such an anecdote exists, and whether painless childbirth can spread in Japan, considering gender discrimination in the balance of pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, housework, and work in Japan.
Painless Childbirth
Understanding the process of painless childbirth and comparing it to the natural process of giving birth gives a mother an option to choose from while giving birth. The joy of bringing a new life can be argued based on remembering a child, not the labor pain a mother has undergone. This is because labor pains are experienced differently by women. For example, some labor pains can be extreme; for others, the pain may be mild, irritating, or even painless. Labor pains are excruciating as the contractions tend to knock the air out of such women and cause pain in the legs and hips (Cherney, 2018). Labor pains also include cramps that hurt from the stomach down to the pubic area. With this kind of pain, mothers have tried to use tactics to relieve pain, such as keeping fit, meditating, and engaging in self-hypnosis to prepare for the pain.
However, the women exposed to labor pains do not find these techniques to help, hence the need for painless childbirth. Painless childbirth helps do away with the anxiety, and mothers only experience mild early labor, which can be relieved by exercise, massage, and warm showers. The epidural injection, in this case, should be applied after the mild labor and injected when a mother is in an active labor pain stage. The infusion should be done by an anesthetist and is administered in the spinal cord. (Cherney, 2018) The injection takes ten minutes to be placed and should be updated as the pain increases. With the infusion, a mother does not feel pain while pushing, making delivering the placenta painless.
The procedure has rare side effects, such as severe headaches, infections, seizures, and breathing problems. However, the process also comes with some disadvantages since it is a new technique in healthcare. Some disadvantages associated with injecting an epidural into a mother can be nausea, fever, vomiting, low blood pressure, and difficulty breathing, which are the common side effects (Cherney, 2018). Lastly, the technique is also associated with prolonged labor, exposing a mother to forceps delivery and vacuum extraction risks. A forceps delivery risk can affect the mother and child, yet the stakes are rare for the child. In this case, some forceps delivery risks to the child are skull fracture, seizures, bleeding within the skull, and facial palsy.
On the other hand, a forceps delivery method exposes the mother to risks such as pain in the perineum, uterine in the rapture, involuntary urination, and low genital tract tears. Vacuum extraction risks also affect both the mother and child. The risks posed to the mother during painless childbirth can be labor pain after delivery, tears of tissues in the lower genital tract, blood loss, and muscle weakness around the pelvic area. On the other hand, the baby is exposed to bleeding in the eyes, skull fracture, neonatal jaundice, and brain damage (Cherney, 2018). Therefore, it should be considered that the painless birth procedure risk to the baby is rare and should not scare a mother from opting for the technique.
Understanding the total natural birth is vital since it is the primary method practiced in Japan, yet it records a high rate of deaths compared to the painless childbirth procedure. The painful process is, therefore, still coined in Japan’s cultural beliefs and the healthcare system, making easy childbirth uncommon in Japan (Cherney, 2018). A total natural birth is believed to create a bond between the mother and child, and this kind of belief by women is applied in Japan. A complete natural birth has distinct stages different from painless childbirth. Pain is often unbearable, and women should differentiate between suffering since pain is a condition that can be controlled, and that’s where an easy procedure should come in to prevent suffering.
The first phase is early labor which takes about eight hours or longer. At this phase, the concentrations are mild and become aggressive frequently. The second phase of natural birth is active labor which takes approximately two to eight hours. At this phase, the contractions grow strong; at this phase, some women request painless childbirth. The third phase is the transition which takes almost an hour (Cherney, 2018). At this phase, the pain is sharp and is felt in the back, groin, and thighs. The next phase involves pushing, which ranges from a few minutes to 2 hours. During this phase, there is pain and relief to give birth, and women describe it as “popping a watermelon.” Lastly, natural childbirth ends with placenta delivery which can take up to thirty minutes. The stage has mild pain as the mother focuses on the newborn baby.
The processes are necessary to enable a woman to choose which procedure suits her best. In Japan, natural childbirth is the most preferred, even though it is also prone to challenges. Some of the risks that a woman can be exposed to when undergoing a natural birth are; increased pain, hemorrhoids, bowel issues, and urinary incontinence (Cherney, 2018). When a mother wants to decide on the method of childbirth, an obstetrician should consider analyzing the size of the mother’s pelvis, pain tolerance, contraction intensity, and the baby’s position. After the analysis, the mother is also to be taken through painless and painful childbirth delivery methods to help them decide which approach to take.
Painless Delivery System in Japan
Japan is among the developed countries with a world-class ranking of having the best healthcare in the world. As of 2020, Japan was number 19 according to the LPI ranking and five according to the CEO world rankings (Warnock, 2021). This means that Japan is expected to have adopted the painless procedure and would be among the top countries practicing it due to its advancement and use of technology in healthcare. However, this is not the case in Japan as it is recording low rates in administering painless delivery, making it an outlier among developed countries. As of 2016, Japan had a 5.6 percent rate of helping the easy delivery system, which is relatively low compared to countries such as France, which has a 77 percent painless childbirth, and the USA, and the UK, which have a 61 percent and 33 percent easy childbirth (Warnock, 2021). With such percentages, Japan could demonize the practice since the practice has encountered deaths and injuries, making the approach unpopular.
Some instances that have given the method a bad name are the case filed in Kyoto accusing a clinic of subjecting a mother and the child to a comma after receiving the local anesthetic(Steger, 2017). Another such case that has also made news in Japan is the case of a woman who died due to the negligence of healthcare professionals after receiving an injection, which is still under police investigation.
With the new practice bringing a new topic of debate in Japan, there is an issue with how safe and painless birth is for the citizens of Japan. According to the report given by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare regarding the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists show that since 2010 only 14 women have died as compared to 271 who underwent natural childbirth (Steger, 2017). With the headlines portraying painless delivery as a threat, the report proves there is more than meets the eye, and the media is being used to mislead the public. This misunderstanding makes the women shun the practice thinking it is dangerous and life-threatening.
Apart from the practice being profiled, there is a slight increase in the number of women using epidurals to ease pain during birth. In 2007 Japan recorded a 2.6 percent which has risen to about 6 percent in 2016, as per the data (Maeda et al., 2019). This shows that the women slowly trust the process since half of their counterparts in countries such as the USA and France use epidurals to ensure painless childbirth. With such differences in the countries, Japan should therefore use the proper channels to help the practice be appreciated and be an alternative to a natural childbirth delivery since the conversation has shifted and the welfare of the women should be significantly considered.
Japanese Rumors About Painful Childbirth
Japan has coined its healthcare practice in belief and discrimination against women; hence the rumor might be true. According to the USA, France, and Japan statistics regarding painless childbirth, Japan is seen as an outlier, making its healthcare, judging by the numbers, be portrayed as too painful. The women in Japan have also been subjected to a natural wish which requires them to have and raise children (The Economist, 2022). Alternatively, women in Japan also demanded to have high standards of care when they became mothers. The requirements, therefore, support the rumors that require pregnant women to bear children in pain. The claim can also be supported by the Catholic belief in countries such as Italy, where epidurals are discouraged since the practice does not follow the teachings.
The rumors can also be supported by the fact that Japan has a shortage of obstetricians, access to birth facilities, and a lack of anesthesiologists. Therefore, this makes it hard for women to access the painless childbirth procedure, exposing them to natural childbirth, which is extremely painful (Hays, 2022). Despite these challenges and beliefs, which constitute women not having alternatives and a voice regarding the type of birth system, the idea is already in place. The few clinics implementing the practice should ensure they do their best to encourage women to access the method. Additionally, politics should not be played to smear the use of epidurals. Japan should use the media to create awareness of the practice to clear the rumors and allow the women to choose the best alternative that suits their needs.
The Connection Between Painful Childbirth and Mother-Child Bond
Apart from Japan also basing their medical practice on the claim that women should have and raise their children and have high standards while raising their children, Japan also believes that there is love when a mother delivers through a painful childbirth system. In this case, the natural child-bearing process creates a bond, and research can confirm the claim. Research has proven beyond doubt that the mother-child bond as they are emotionally attached and emotionally responsive to the child’s cries (TherapyRoute, 2022). The study, in this case, involved brain scans of 12 mothers to determine if a connection was created between the mother and child. The study, in this case, uses the voice record of the child during a nappy change, which is later used to see the kind of response of the parents towards their children. The documents analyze the mother’s brain activity to see the different activities to show emotional reactions. From the study, the MRI shows a motor, sensory information, and emotional response in mothers who have undergone a natural childbirth process.
Just after birth, there is a bonding between the mother and child. This is not the case in studies since most women using epidurals have less time to bond with their children. On the other hand, epidurals are shown to break the mother-child bond, according to studies (The Economist, 2022). This may be due to the pain relievers, which may make them tired due to high doses. In case of also using a faulty epidural, the hormones may be interfered with due to high dosage and toxicity, leading to long labors and cesareans.
As a result, the mother-child bond cannot be enhanced since the mother is exposed to more risks and other care instead of bonding with the child. Again, using the IBFAT (Infant Breast-feeding Assessment Tool), the mothers who have given birth using a painless childbirth system stop breastfeeding their babies after 24 weeks, and the rate is twice higher than women who have given birth naturally (TherapyRoute, 2022). From the studies, it can be deduced that there is a relationship between a natural childbirth bonding between the mother and child as compared to the easy system of childbirth delivery. However, it should be noted that there is no evidence using epidurals may reduce breastfeeding efficiency. From the study, it has not been proven that epidurals are responsible for behavior change. From studies, epidurals should not be used routinely and should be reserved for certain circumstances.
Additionally, the practice for it to be accepted in Japan should be introduced as a safe procedure and not as an alternative to painful birth to help navigate through the beliefs and cultures of the Japanese (The Economist, 2022). Lastly, much support has been proven beyond doubt that a bond is created between a mother and child during natural childbirth. However, the epidural effect between mother and child has not been deeply explored; hence most of the study supports the Japanese belief that there is a bond between the mother and child during natural childbirth. This, therefore, opens a field for debate and more research to help prove the hypothesis created.
Spreading Painless Birth in Japan
Spreading a painless childbirth system in Japan is not an easy task. This is because of the beliefs in Japan that demand women to have and take care of babies and have a natural birth. Other issues that can also hinder the spreading of painless childbirth can be issues with policies and professionals who can carry out the injection (Suzumori et al., 2021). Spreading the easy beginning, in this case, needs to be addressed in Japan’s healthcare system as a measure and not as an alternative to the natural childbirth delivery system.
By addressing the practices as a measure, the method can spread in Japan, but at a slow pace. The first scenario, which shows the possibility of painless childbirth spreading in Japan, addresses the practice as a tool for managing the infant mortality rate in Japan. Most of these mortality rates arise due to complications whereby a mother cannot be in a position to deliver due to pain and excessive mental tension (Phillips, 2022). The conditions, in this case, endanger the life of the mother and fetus; hence a painless childbirth process can be induced to prevent loss. Therefore, infant mortality issues in Japan are common; thus, using easy childbirth can help curb the high rates of infant mortalities.
Another situation that can help spread painless childbirth in Japan is creating awareness of the practice to promote labor management. Acknowledging that women undergo a lot of pain during childbirth and addressing epidurals to ease pain during childbirth can make the women who fear giving birth due to pain use the process. Classifying painless childbirth as an alternative to natural childbirth makes Japan not buy the idea. This makes it difficult to convince the women since it defies their culture (Phillips, 2022). Much misinformation is also being spread relating to the practice, making it quite difficult for it to spread in Japan. The case discussed earlier, involving the death f the mother and baby, was described as a result of negligence, making some women fear for their lives.
As a result, the women can be educated, which can help promote its use in Japan for labor-management purposes. To ensure that painless childbirth spreads in Japan, it is also essential to train more professionals, such as obstetricians. These professionals can access women’s trust by giving safe births (Suzumori et al., 2021). By adding such professionals to the healthcare system, the right resources should be in place to help bring out the best in them. The women can gain trust and help spread the practice by doing safe procedures.
The Japanese media has also played a significant role in deconstructing the painless childbirth procedure. Yet, it proves to be good practice judging from the countries where it is fully implemented based on a mother’s choice. The benefits are, therefore, more apparent, and politics is being used in Japan as a scare tactic. Social media, therefore, can be used to help address the painless birth in detail to help mothers understand what the practice entails. For example, some videos record the whole procedure and explain the policy. From such videos, the women can see that giving birth is relatively safe and presents an alternative to natural childbirth. Social media platforms can also create awareness, such as comparing the two procedures (Suzumori et al., 2021). With this awareness, women can have an alternative to choose from. From creating the awareness, women also know they are being represented and where their future with representation lies depending on the conversations on social media platforms.
International women’s rights have played an essential role in ensuring that women’s standards are set based on maternal mortality and mobility. The standards set have helped women earlier deal with forced sterilization and pregnancy. Additionally, there are possibilities that the use of epidurals can spread in Japan to curb the mistreatment of women during childbirth. Therefore, there is a challenge posed to the body when it comes to childbirth; hence, addressing epidurals as a measure to curb women’s mistreatment can be taken positively in Japan to enhance the spread of epidurals (Suzumori et al., 2021). With the challenge, Japan, therefore, lags in meeting professional standards since it has failed to address issues related to health system conditions and constraints and has a poor rapport between women and providers. Women can, therefore, not get the chance to choose the delivery method since it has already been decided for them. Using bodies such as the international women’s rights organization, Japan can steadily adopt epidurals to promote women’s standards and poor treatment of women during childbirth.
Lastly, using the practice to promote a drive to ensure that women have access to birth facilities also can help promote painless childbirth. The women in Japan have challenges while accessing safe spaces to have a beginning. Therefore, this encourages the setting up of new clinics that use easy procedures to help deliver (Suzumori et al., 2021). Through this, the clinics can help with the education of the painless procedure, and with this, the process can be known by other women.
The tactics, however, are slow; hence the progress can go unnoticed, but it is a sure way to spread and use epidurals in Japan without tampering with their beliefs and competing against the natural delivery childbirth system. Through these ideas, the women themselves need to use the method they seem safe (Suzumori et al., 2021). Additionally, addressing the painless childbirth procedure as a topic of debate also exposes the weaknesses of the natural childbirth system. For example, raising the issue of deaths caused by the natural childbirth delivery system versus the painless injection in Japan is higher hence can make the painless injection be considered for use. It can therefore get credit based on its performance over time.
Gender Discrimination in Japanese Culture
Some of the major issues which make spreading easy birth control are the aspect of cultural discrimination. The Japanese healthcare system suffered a significant blow through discrimination, addressing cultural discrimination issues. Japanese cultural bias should be addressed based on the most common discrimination related to gender, childbirth, childcare, housework, and work. In Japan, issues with gender discrimination are rampant, especially among women. For example, the obstetrician shortage can be sorted by encouraging women to study for the discipline. This is not the case in Japan, as the women applicants in the course are being discriminated which raises a question. As a result, Japan’s healthcare has lagged and dropped from 80th to 110th globally, according to data taken between 2016 and 2018 (Yamaguchi,2022). The cultural discrimination against women in Japan is therefore worrying, and a chance to Japanese beliefs can help improve healthcare in Japan.
The cultural discrimination in Japan also is explained by the shortage of anesthesiologists in Japan. The deficit, in this case, is supported by the fact that women should have a natural birth; hence the profession is not widely practiced. Therefore, this puts pregnant women in danger since they are not in a position to get the proper care. Their belief, therefore, overshadows the ethical requirement to attend to patients (Yamaguchi,2022). This, thus, shows that there exists discrimination against childbirth. Expectant mothers, therefore, do not get the chance to be injected with analgesia since it is a belief in Japan that a child born through natural childbirth is strong and healthy, and the mother-child bond exists as opposed to a birth induced with analgesia. Therefore, this discrimination discriminates against Japanese women and childbirth, exposing them to danger. Therefore, these policies need to be changed to increase the number of physicians and obstetricians who can help offer safe deliveries in Japan.
Cultural discrimination is also seen in Japan and affects childcare in the country. For example, there is a concern about the number of male employees in the public daycare program. The move, in this case, is seen as creating employment yet raises an eye since raising the children is a woman’s job (Yamaguchi,2022). The pays are also relatively low since the profession is seen as a woman’s job. This kind of discrimination shards the male counterparts from such employment, creating an imbalance in the country’s gender equality and job preferences. With such beliefs, Japan still lags in taking care of women and children while profiling jobs to be associated with either men or women.
Japanese cultural discrimination also threatens its work homework and work environments. The culture, in this case, makes the women look inferior. An example is the case of women not being given opportunities to work in positions such as physicians in Japan. The trend is seen when a comparison is made globally (Yamaguchi, 2022). There is a significant margin in the number of employed women professionals internationally from Japan compared to countries such as USA and France. Yet, Japan is among the leading countries in industrialization.
The discrimination of homework and work is also seen in job places where pregnant women have a 48 percent prevalence of discrimination in the form of harassment and job demolitions. There is also an 18 percent increase in the number of complaints of women who return to work after giving birth (Yamaguchi,2022). The harassment, in this case, causes mental stress to such women since their male counterparts expect them to take care of their children instead of working. The harassment has also made the women who have given birth avoid returning for fear of being re-hired. The cultural beliefs, in this case, cannot make the women enjoy being part of the public and private sectors and contribute to the country’s economy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, epidural birthing solves numerous healthcare difficulties. Through this practice, nations like Japan have learned about policy challenges, the necessity to treat women equitably, and the importance of pleasant delivery. Women are unjustly treated since the allegations about Japan’s values and healthcare procedures are valid. The tales profile the ladies in this scenario to show Japan’s reputation and production losses. Discrimination occurs at work, at home, during delivery, and pregnancy. Women deserve representation in health, the workplace, and the home. In healthcare, women need sufficient education to become obstetricians who can deliver painless births while considering their best interests. Pregnant women at work shouldn’t be discriminated against since it creates mental breakdowns. Fear of getting fired after giving birth should also be addressed since it hurts families who rely on employment. Managing pleasant delivery under cultural prejudice makes awareness a challenge. Social media may assist combat disinformation. Again, the appropriate method may oppose culture without fighting. As a labor confinement approach, the practice may help women adopt it. Painless labor may also keep women safe during delivery; Japan can readily embrace this practice.
References
Cherney, K. (2018). Natural birth vs. epidural: What to expect. Healthline. Web.
Hays, J. (2022). Health Care Problems in Japan: Doctor shortage, long hours, malpractice, people turned away from hospitals. Facts and Details. Web.
Maeda, Y., Takahashi, K., Yamamoto, K., Tanimoto, T., Kami, M., & Crump, A. (2019). Factors affecting the provision of analgesia during childbirth, Japan. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 97(9), 631–636. Web.
Phillips, S. (2022). 8 facts about epidurals and epidural side effects. Parents. Web.
Steger, I. (2017). A string of tragedies is giving epidurals an even worse rep than before in Japan. Quartz. Web.
Suzumori, N., Ebara, T., Tamada, H., Matsuki, T., Sato, H., Kato, S., Saitoh, S., Kamijima, M., Sugiura-Ogasawara, M., Yamazaki, S., Ohya, Y., Kishi, R., Yaegashi, N., Hashimoto, K., Mori, C., Ito, S., Yamagata, Z., Inadera, H., Nakayama, T., … Katoh, T. (2021). Relationship between delivery with anesthesia and postpartum depression: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS). BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 21(1). Web.
The Economist Newspaper. (2022). No pain, no gain. The Economist. Web.
Therapyroute. (2022). Web.
Warnock, E. (2021).Japan by the numbers: Birth is too painful. Tokyo Review. Web.
Yamaguchi, K. (2022). Gender inequalities in the Japanese workplace and employment. SpringerLink. Web.