``I can't share the important moments of my life with my loved ones'' Birth of the corona wreck February 3, 16:31

"I think it's important to share a big event for a family like childbirth, so if possible, I wanted to be present at the birth..."

I want to share the important moments of my life with my loved ones.

It's been 3 years since I've been living in such a "natural thing" that doesn't come true.

(Corporate News Reporter Kota Iida)

a wish that didn't come true

"When I had my first child, labor pains lasted for a very long time, and I was by your side the whole time, rubbing you and talking to you, so I was really worried about giving birth alone. It was reassuring to have you by my side."

Kanae Yoshizumi (32), who lives with her husband and three children aged 0 to 4, said.

Kanae gave birth to her eldest daughter and second daughter during the last three years of the new coronavirus infection.

When I have a child, I want to have a “attendant delivery” to welcome the baby together when she gives birth.

For Kanae and her husband, Yamato, sharing important moments in her life as a family was one of the things they wanted to achieve after getting married.

So, when her eldest son was born before the start of the new corona infection, her husband Yamato (32) was also present to give birth.

However, the new corona that started to spread in 2020.

While infection control measures continued, I was not able to welcome the moment when my two younger children were born together.

First childbirth with husband

Kanae experienced her first childbirth five years ago.

Labor began four days before her due date, and my husband and I drove to the hospital at night.

Kanae's anxiety grows as her baby's head is too big to come down and her labor pains become very strong and recede.

Can you bear this pain?

Will I be able to give birth safely?

When I was overwhelmed by pain and anxiety that I had never felt before, Mr. Yamato encouraged me by rubbing my back and calling out to me.

It was 6:00 the next morning when the actual division began.

Kanae gave birth to her eldest son Kazuya after overcoming labor pains that lasted 10 hours.

Thank you for being born safely.

Thank you for giving birth safely.

Thank you for sharing that time with us.

For the two of them, experiencing the moment of having a new family member together became an opportunity to increase their feelings of gratitude and compassion for each other and their families.

“Lonely” Birth

Mr. and Mrs. Yoshizumi who experienced a witnessed birth.

Next time we have a new family, Yamato-san and my eldest son Kazuya-kun would be there to share the moment when a new life is born.

In 2020, Kanae became pregnant with her eldest daughter Maya.

However, in that year, the infection of corona was starting to expand.

Kanae, who lives in Kanagawa Prefecture, contacted her hospital to give birth in her hometown of Miyagi Prefecture, but the hospital was reluctant to accept pregnant women from outside the prefecture.

At that time, people were calling for her to refrain from traveling across prefectures.

She then contacted several other hospitals, but was turned down because of infection control.

Finally, one hospital accepted me.

However, I was instructed to stay at her parents' house until she gave birth, which made it difficult for me to move around freely.

In addition, face-to-face “mothers classes” where you can learn with other pregnant women about physical condition management during pregnancy and baby care after childbirth have been canceled due to infection control.

Kanae was able to participate online, but when she gave birth to her eldest son, Kanae realized that the connection between pregnant women helped ease her anxiety and loneliness.

She no longer had the opportunity to feel free to discuss her minor concerns.

She gave birth to her second child with a feeling of loneliness.

Without Yamato's presence, she gave birth alone, and no one from her family or friends came to see her for five days after giving birth until she was discharged from the hospital.

That was the rule of the clinic.

Even so, even after giving birth to her second child, it was hard for her to directly say "You did a good job" or "Congratulations" from close people immediately after giving birth.

"As expected, can't you meet?"

Last year, when I gave birth to my second daughter, Iyori, in June 2022, the infection control situation did not change significantly.

This time, I gave birth at a clinic near my home, but again, I was not allowed to be present, and there was no connection between pregnant women, so it was the second time I gave birth alone.

And above all, Kazuya-kun, who had been looking forward to the birth of her second sister since she turned 4 and was pregnant, couldn't let her experience the moment a new life was born. , it was a pity.

Kazuya who was looking forward to meeting like that

.

Not only did she have to spend some time away from Kanae, but she didn't get to see either Kanae or her new family, Miri, until she was discharged from the hospital after giving birth.

After Miri was born safely, Kanae sent a message to Yamato.

When Kazuya-kun learned that her sister was born, he repeatedly asked Yamato-san about it.

"Are you

sure you can't meet me? I want to meet my mother too. "

I can't help it because it's an infection control, but...

Both Kanae and Yamato say that they can fully understand that the fact that they were not able to attend the birth of two people born in the corona sickness was necessary to prevent the spread of infection in the hospital.

On the other hand, both Kanae and Yamato feel frustrated that they weren't able to share the moment of giving birth together, which could have been an important moment in their lives, including Kazuya. increase.

Kanae Yoshizumi

"I think I was carrying more than I needed to be 'alone' because I couldn't see my family before and after the birth, not just because I had to be present at the birth. The environment where I can spill even a little has been lost due to the corona wreck.I am grateful that infection control is a measure to protect the health of the mother and the life of the unborn baby.Just a little more I hope that our family's wishes will come true."

Husband Yamato:

"Birth is a scene that can be said to be the starting point of a family, and I thought that sharing it was very important, so I wanted to share it together if possible. Infection If I was asked to take countermeasures, there was nothing I could do about it, so I gave up early on, but I still regret it.”

How childbirth has changed due to the corona crisis

It is clear that there are many families like Kanae and Yamato who are restricted from attending childbirth and visiting after childbirth due to the corona crisis.

The Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists conducted a questionnaire survey of more than 2,000 medical institutions nationwide that handle medical care for one month from March 18, 2022 (1382 institutions responded).

Among them, we found that many medical institutions have stopped support during pregnancy and after childbirth due to infection control.

Percentage of medical institutions that canceled support for expectant and nursing mothers due to the corona sickness

・Cancellation of family visits after childbirth: 77.0%

・Cancellation of witnessed births: 63.2%

・Cancellation of motherhood classes: 62.7%

In addition, although we do not know the causal relationship with the discontinuation of support during pregnancy and after childbirth, the following questions and answers were obtained.

Do you feel that the number of expectant and nursing mothers with mental health problems is increasing due to the corona crisis

・Clearly increased…1.8%

・Slightly increased…41.9%

・No change from before…47.5%

The survey was conducted nearly a year ago, but Chiaki Shirai, a professor at Shizuoka University who specializes in family sociology, says that the situation has not changed much even now. We are appealing for the need to resume support as much as possible.

Professor Shirai

: “During the corona crisis, there are various restrictions from pregnancy to postpartum, and until now, there has been no opportunity to fully examine the appropriateness of those restrictions. There is no opportunity, and as a result, the opportunity to improve the current situation is cut off.Involvement of a partner strengthens bonds and increases satisfaction.As a result, anxiety of expectant and nursing mothers is alleviated.Family side Fulfilling their wishes actually reduces, rather than increases, the burden on the medical side.”

The guidelines of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare are written as follows regarding how to give birth in the presence of such a corona misfortune.

``Even if there is no corona infection, we do not recommend going home and having your spouse attend, but we will judge on an individual basis depending on the local infection status.'

' He also mentioned infection control measures for medical workers, mothers and children, etc., and said, "We will consider corrections while looking at the future infection situation."

Medical staff were also frustrated

With a growing sense of crisis about this situation, some medical institutions are resuming support for expectant and nursing mothers while paying attention to infection control.

At the Narita Hospital of the International University of Health and Welfare in Chiba Prefecture, we have resumed witnessing births since December last year.

At the same time, we are resuming face-to-face classes for mothers.

Ken Nagamatsu, head of the obstetrics and gynecology department, says:

Dr. Nagamatsu

``After childbirth, many women experience emotional changes such as hormonal changes, such as being a little more prone to tears. Seeing them as they are gives the women who have given birth peace of mind.”

Since the spread of the new corona infection, he has been frustrated that many of the support for expectant and nursing mothers, such as attending births, have been canceled.

At this hospital, when a pregnant woman was admitted to give birth, the father and siblings could not see the newborn baby until the woman was discharged from the hospital because of the discontinuation of the presence of births.

Mr. Nagamatsu is worried in his heart that this situation is "inhumane", and in light of the recent infection situation, he decided to restart from attending birth so that his family's wishes can be fulfilled. It seems that they have prepared for

When she resumed the birth with the condition that "only one person who was confirmed to be negative in the previous test" was present, the response was greater than expected, and many families continued to want to share their precious time together. It is said that he realized that

In fact, when I spoke to a couple who gave birth at the hospital in December, I could feel their joy.

Wife: "I'm really happy because I thought I'd never be able to attend because of the corona wreck

."

The day when the wish of "ordinary" comes true...

Three years have passed since the spread of the new coronavirus.

During that time, many things that were once “normal” are no longer “normal”.

Living without a mask, eating out with a large number of people, meeting at a nursing home where family members go, mitori... and among these, there was also a witnessed birth.

Kanae's eldest son, Kazuya, who was interviewed, said that when he met the baby he was looking forward to, he would sleep with him as soon as possible.

While staring at Kazuya-kun, the words that Kanae leaked during the interview seemed to represent the voices of those who could not fulfill their “ordinary” wishes.

"But, I really wanted to make it come true..."

*This content will also be explained in detail in the special corner of "Good Morning Japan" on General TV from 7:00 am on the 5th (Sunday).

News Reporter

Kota Iida

Joined in 2009

After working at the Chiba Bureau, the Akita Bureau, and the Network Press Department, he currently belongs

.