I think we are well on the way to getting prepared for Goma-chan`s arrival- in fact pretty much everything is complete in his room and the list of things I had to get has almost everything crossed off minus a couple of last minute things that we will pick up in November (like diapers! I have cloth diapers that mum is bringing from Australia but will need a couple sposies to use as well) – he has a bed, a pram,
I even have all the bath stuff ready (except the bath, gaijinwife is sending me Ryu`s!).
Amanda is giving us her moses basket which we will pick up in a couple of weeks and then pretty much all is done and ready for when he comes home. I have even started making a pile of things to put in my hospital bag when the time comes to pack one… (any hints on what I should put in the pile? Or definitely shouldn`t forget? Also when should one pack a hospital bag- I was thinking 35 or 36 weeks)
Perhaps I am too prepared? Is there such a thing?
I still have some baby clothes to wash- most of them are done but there are some things that I have bought or received recently that I need to wash and dry before he can wear them obviously. I sorted out the piles of things today that still need to be washed and I will do them during the week. Up until now I have just used 1/4 of the amount stated on the detergent but now I have baby detergent without any nasty additives or the like so I can wash freely!
Also went to my first maternity class on Thursday- Shun had taken the day off especially BUT when he booked he actually didn`t realize it was just for the “mama`s” but he came with me to the clinic and then went to have a coffee while I went to the class. It was interesting but most of the other mama`s were a lot less pregnant than me- I am 29 weeks tomorrow and most of the others were at least a month behind me or so, so of course I was the biggest one there also. It was a 2 hour class and the first half was all about weight gain during pregnancy (7-12kg if your BMI was normal before getting pregnant which is pretty much what the Aussie stats are as well) and nutrition. The nutrition part made me feel like I was back in weight watchers- we had to form groups and actually choose from pictures what we usually eat each day and tally up if we are eating enough meat, veggies, fruit, calcium etc. It kind of seemed like a waste of time. Some days I know I eat badly but I almost ALWAYS make up for it the next day- I have to make up for it tomorrow since I ate 5 tim-tams today. HAHA.
We also looked through the maternity book that the hospital had given us and they spoke about the maternity yoga on offer through the clinic and also showed us some positions that can help with back pain etc. I have been trying to do some stretching and yoga each day in the hope that it will help my back pain but so far no luck. I will continue with it though.
The rest of the class was just a Q & A time for the mama`s in case they had any questions- honestly, I didn`t learn anything new from the class really and was disappointed that we didn`t get a tour of the hospital. I still have not seen the other floors of the clinic except for the first floor waiting room area- I have seen pictures but not the real thing. Shun said maybe I will get a tour next time and they will talk more about the labour/birthing options.
I made no “mama” friends either. No-one really talked to me- I spoke with a couple of people but they were not really interested. I really want to find mama friends in my area, and I am fine with them being Japanese, but a lot of the time they are way to scared to talk to me first and while I am not so scared, when I do talk to them they seem shocked that I can speak Japanese and usually can`t get past that.
I am supposed to sign up for another class before I am 34 weeks.
I have written up a birth plan in English and need to take it next time I go to the hospital- there is an English speaking midwife on staff so I think I have to make an appointment with her so that we can write it out in Japanese. I didn`t know what to write in English, let alone Japanese!! Hopefully that will all go fine though when I go for my almost 30 weeks appointment next week.
I updated Goma-chan`s baby book today- up until now it only had post-its stuck in it with important dates and memories but I finally wrote everything up for the “waiting for your arrival” part. Also stuck in some ultrasound pictures for him to look at when he is older.
When we were at the in-laws house earlier in the week MIL spoke about what we would like her to do after the baby comes (first they asked if I wanted to come back to their house a week or so before the baby is due so that I don`t have to worry about cooking/cleaning etc- it is tempting but I know I would rather be around my own house and things and sleep in my own bed so I said probably not- she didn`t try to force me otherwise) – they asked if I wanted to go there after Goma-chan arrives before my mum comes but I said I would rather go home and try to get settled in Funabashi. MIL said that she is happy to come over during the day then and help me until mum comes if I want- at least to do the shopping and some of the cooking. I know she will need to take time off work if she does this though so I will need to give a response soon- she didn`t say so but I know it would be impolite to wait until after the baby arrives to make a decision. She works part time in the mornings/afternoons at a Hoikuen near her house- I suppose she could come in between those hours but I think she meant she would take time off. I am happy for her to come over if she wants to though…
In other news Shun & I sat down and wrote our budget a couple of weeks ago and with pay day yesterday rewrote it to make sure it reflected any changes for this month. This month there was a large credit card payment coming out and another small one next month and then we have no more credit card bills to pay off- YAY! We had a semi-budget done for September as well and we stuck to it and actually came out with money to spare which surprised us both I think. I guess we can stick to budget when we need to which is good to know… Basically from end of November we should be set up so that we can save a little more each month (these next two months we might not be able to save as Shun has a couple of weddings but if we can we will!)- this month (Sept 25-Oct 25) we are also writing down everything we spend each day so that we can see where we can save money. We didn`t write everything down before that but I know we saved a lot on lunches for Shun because I made him bento`s most days…
A package arrived from my dad yesterday with some books and toys for Goma-chan. Dad searched high and low for Australian animal toys that were actually made in AUSTRALIA instead of China and he found some. Goma-chan has a wombat, koala, kangaroo and platypus set up on his dresser. They are very cute. Took a photo but haven`t uploaded it yet.
Had a haircut, cut off 4-5cm or so. Shun went to the same place the other day for a cut since his hair was so long and thick and starting to curl again because the straight perm is wearing off. He has agreed that he will get cuts done here in Funabashi but that when he needs another perm (he is such a girl!) he will go to his usual place all the way in Shinjuku. I was happy with where I went today- sure it is not as good as the place I always went to in Australia but I am happy with the cut and happy to have the extra length gone. Plus it cost only 2500yen because I had an introduction card discount from Shun. The lady that did it was really lovely and I would definitely go back to her and best thing is it is only a 5 minute walk from our house. I will probably try to get another trim before Goma-chan arrives in December since who knows when I will next get a chance after that.
So what is the consensus- am I TOO PREPARED for the arrival of Goma-chan? Maybe I have just gotten all of the nesting over early.
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I am just a twenty something Aussie girl living in Chiba, Japan with my Japanese husband trying to make sense of the crazy Japanese world we live in! We welcomed our first son in December 2009 (Noah) and a second son in January 2011, 2 months premature (Shion). I am working hard at raising them to be confident, bilingual, happy kids!
It’s good to do as much ahead of time as possible because extra stuff will always come up at the last minute. I never packed a hospital bag because it seemed like I was tempting fate or Murphy’s Law or something. I was still packing my bag halfway through labor with Misaki!!
Congratulations on the budgeting success!
Sarah- Thank you! The next couple of months will be tight (ie, the budget) but then we will have paid off our credit card debt that we had from when we came back to Japan and bought furnishings etc and baby stuff. That will all be paid off 27th of next month though (YAY!) and then we can concentrate on saving… We have already worked out ways we can save on money, even just little things make the difference. Thanks for all your budgeting hints and links you provided!
I would be so scared I would forget something if I didn`t pack the hospital bag in advance but I guess Shun could always bring things later. Hospitals in Japan seem to give you alot of stuff as well though and you don`t need baby clothes etc while you are there except for the coming home outfit. I haven`t gotten the list from the hospital yet of what they want me to bring but I will get it in a couple of weeks I think!
Wow! If you are overly prepared I am under prepared. We won`t know what I will need for the hospital until my next visit (Friday) so we will start gathering those items then. I will admit that I have washed all of the baby`s clothing (at least the ones that were at my house, MIL brought some things back from America that need to be washed). We don`t have a pram, a baby bath, or a car seat (I think we will try out duskin`s rental service for that as it would cost maybe 3500 yen to rent a car seat for 2 months compared with buying one for 40,000 yen considering we don`t have a car so it would just be for the time we are still here). I`m not sure what else we are missing, smaller things like baby wipes.
I`m sort of glad that your class wasn`t so informative (as I have had no classes of any kind and even at this clinic they haven`t really said anything) so I know I haven`t really missed anything too important. Hopefully my many English books on labor will be ok for me. I asked MIL about being able to see the labor and delivery room sometime before I go into labor and she was like “Maybe we can….” in a sort of we`ll have to ask about it. Definitely don`t want to have my first visit there when I am actually in labor.
I would probably ok your MIL coming over after the birth (do try to avoid going there if you can, I would have loved to be in my own place) as it will probably be nice to at least have someone over who can help out with food and perhaps hold the baby so you can take a shower or use the toilet.
Trying to think if there is anything else I meant to say……but can`t think of anything.
I don’t think you can be too prepared, thought if you have the urge to start making baby food or getting Kindergarten supplied you could probably go ahead and assume THAT’S a litte too much
Sounds like everything is going swimmingly, I’d much prefer to be all sorted earlier on than trying to waddle around when you are just about to pop trying to get stuff done!
You sound well organised! I don’t think you’re too prepared, I had my hospital bag packed for weeks in advance but when it came to it I actually had hours on the day to get it ready so don’t stress too much.
I needed loads of extra undies when I was in the hospital, but from what I hear the hospitals in Japan are very good and provide you with most things you need.
I don’t know if you can get it here but I also needed a lanolin cream for my boobies that I got in Aussie, it’s a little yellow tube and it saved me from a lot of pain the first week. I can pick you some up when I’m home next week if you need??
Shame about the mama classess…
I never went to any classes, kinda left Japan too early to go to them here and was too late to book in to any when I got home, but I was fine, so don’t worry too much!
The hospital in Australia gave me a birth plan template where you circle the options you want, which was great cos I had no idea what a birth plan actually entailed and was googling examples! hehe
I was totally unprepared for Keiden’s arrival even though he was two days late…that’s just how I roll and it all worked out fine. I had my hospital bag half packed but was throwing stuff together between contractions at home.
The lanolin cream that Corinne mentioned was definitely a life saver for me too. You can get it in Japan, they had it in a vending machine (so Japanese) at my hospital but you can also get it online too and probably at Babies R Us or Akachan Honpo. I also found my water bottle with a straw spout was lifesaver, I was sucking up water like there was no tomorrow. A wet facecloth/towel also helped to combat the Sahara like temperatures in the hospital. At lot of people also mentioned bringing a tennis ball for your husband to use to massage your lower back during contractions but I never ended up using one as my labour pain was in my thighs and not my back.
I’ll let you know if I think of anything else!
Yea pack right away! I was packed around 30 weeks, as soon as I found out our friend had her baby a month early. Ya never know right? My hospital supplied so much and I packed so much.. the only stuff I really used was my hair brush, toothbrush set, trapdoor panties and halftop bras. I even packed snacks but they gave me 3 meals a day and 2 snack/tea times so I was pretty full. Brought a book, ipod and notebook but was so busy with Missha or just staring at her, or with guests I really didn’t have much time to myself other than to sleep/shower. I wouldn’t worry too much =)
My mama class was shit too. I didn’t learn a thing, didn’t make a friend. The healthy eating part was overly long and kind of obvious to me too. Oh well, you’re not alone there.
That’s a really neat idea about getting Australian animal stuffies! I’m gonna steal that hehe and get Missha a moose, beaver, Canada goose, and raccoon or something when I’m home!
I’m soooo not prepared in comparison to you! But for Dylan we were pretty prepared ahead of time. This time for us it is more a matter of sorting through D’s old stuff and figuring out what we can still use, but we haven’t even really done that yet. Part of it is that I’m working though and of course I can’t really count on DH to organize baby stuff, lol.
Our hospital here also requires us to do 2 birth classes. They hold them every Friday and have a rotating schedule of different topics to choose from. I haven’t gone to mine yet, I was planning on it this past Friday but got sidetracked. I’ll probably try and do both in October. Bummer yours wasn’t more informative and they didn’t let Shun in. Our hospital segregates the dads for a lot of stuff and it is kind of annoying because I like having him there as a native speaker just in case I miss something, but oh well, that’s the way they do things here!
Congrats on sticking to the budget too. We are doing the same thing. We’ve been putting away a bit of money each month for the birth and not giving ourselves permission to access it and so far it has been working out, but you can never be too careful with money when you have a birth coming up.
I believe there’s no such thing as being over-prepared. It’s going to be a crazy adventure so I reckon you’re well on your way to really enjoying it, instead of panicking about forgetting something. Good on you!
I agree with what the others said theres no such thing as being over prepared!!!
Having personally seen your stuff I think Goma-chan has an excellent stash awaiting him!! I can NOT believe you only have roughly 10 weeks left?!
I’m sure you remember my horrible mama class – I didn’t make any friends either but one of the people who attended gave birth at the same time as me and we made friends in the hospital although we didn’t exchange info sadly so maybe you will make a couple friends during your stay?
Congrats on gettign your budget done – thats a great feeling. How about some before and after haircut pics?
Very organised! Wow I think I packed the last month or so..and even then it was an open bag ready to throw in things that I thought of at the last minute.
I agree with Khea tho, even though you may have packed stuff to do/read, it all just gets forgotten in the glow of baby/motherhood and the fascination with your new son/daughter.
But definately any bathing products, toothbrush, creams, anything that makes you feel human, and clean and fresh..I wasn`t allowed to bathe for one or two days after as I had some stitches from tearing (very mild) so doc thought it better just to wait a little so the stiches could do their job. So if that happens to you, maybe stuff to give yourself a sponge bath?
As for mama class, don`t worry, you`ll find other mama`s at the hospital and even just taking Goma-chan out for walks in your neighbourhood..Still can`t believe how many people came out of the woodwork after A was born! Partly curiousity at the `half` baby and partly a recongition that the foreign girl who lives up the road is actually `staying` in Japan.
Anyway, sorry for the loooong comment, I`m sure you`ll do brilliantly..hope the yoga starts working for your back pain.
and ditto on the haircut pics!
You sound like the most calm mama-to-be on the planet. Don’t doubt it, just enjoy feeling so prepared what what’s ahead!
I’m really enjoying your updates, time seems to have flown
Umm…. I don’t have much experience in the post birth part of this post but it seems to me that being overly prepared is fine…. it just might make you more antsy.
But I’ve been meaning to comment over here for awhile as I’ve commented on a number of other japan bloggers. I just moved to Tokyo (fairly close to your fave Kichijoji) and I’m working at an international preschool which I believe you did before. So I thought we sounded like we had similar interests… did you have to do much crafts with the preschool you worked at before? I’m having trouble brainstorming them for everyday…
Also, I used to live in Osaka (about three years ago) and there I got a straight perm and desperately want another so I was interested in the place that Shun goes? My Japanese is still pretty sh*t so any advice is appreciated!
Anyway, sorry for the rambling just wanted to say hi and introduce myself.