Glucose Test

At my 27 week appointment, I was supposed to be given a glucose test. The glucose test was supposed to take around two hours. However, due to Covid-19, the hospital was trying to control crowds and wait times, and instead just drew my blood. I got the results the same day, and the only concern was my hemoglobin was low, and therefore the doctor prescribed me anemia/iron pills to be taken for the duration of the pregnancy.

Anemia

Although I was never diagnosed with anemia before, I suspect that I have always had it. Within a week of taking the prescription pills, I found myself not so lightheaded and generally less foggy and heavy feeling! If you have these feelings during pregnancy, definitely inquire about anemia. I am given a one month supply and just ask for a new prescription at my prenatal appointment when I get low.

Hospital Bag

Around week 28, I finally decided to get my hospital bag together. I suggest you get it together as early as you can, but I really didn't have the time for it! I will do a separate post on what the hospital recommended I bring and what is inside my hospital bag! I also began carrying my maternal/child handbook and hospital card at all times as well.

Taxi Service

Since my husband and I do not have a car, we will be relying on a taxi service to get us to the hospital. Since it might be an emergency situation when you go to the hospital, you want to reserve with a taxi service that can handle you being in labor or your water breaking in the car. These kind of taxis are called Maternity Taxis. Maternity Taxi drivers are trained in CPR, first aid, and life saving tactics. The cars are also equipped with waterproof sheets, are deodorized, and the company usually has a 24 hour hotline. We recommend doing research and researching at least two months before your due date. Although there were quite a few Maternity Taxi services in Yokohama, we had a hard time finding one that serviced our area. Therefore, we highly recommend researching as early as possible.

Baby Items

most mothers-to-be do not have a problem in this area. They find joy in nesting and creating a comfortable and welcoming environment for their new baby. However, since I was working full time, it was really hard for me to find the time to go shopping and buy baby items. Also, lots of stores closed due to the pandemic. It was all so overwhelming, but what really helped was doing our research on the items that we needed, and then buying them methodically. My family also helped out  A LOT and bought us so many necessary items. Due to Covid-19, it wasn't possible for them to send me items from America, so I created an Amazon Japan Baby Registry, and they used my account to buy items from there. Therefore, it took us only a few weeks to buy all of the necessary baby items! I will be making a separate post on what we bought and on decorating the nursery!

Maternity Leave

I finally started my maternity leave at 34 weeks. I will be doing a separate post about maternity leave in Japan, but at 34 weeks, I was beyond ready to go! Mentally, I wanted to keep working for as long as possible, but physically I could not. So, I put in my notice about two months before I wanted to start. You will also need to fill in and provide some documents, which I will also discuss in a separate post. In Japan, you can take a years leave, at reduce salary, but I opted to return two months after giving birth. I will also make a separate post about my decision.

Day Care

As soon as I started maternity leave, my husband and I started researching daycares. In Japan, you can apply to attend a government sponsored daycare for free or at a low cost, but the catch is that it is a lottery, and the application period is only two times a year. Since I decided to return to work so fast, we would need to apply to be put on the waiting list so that our child (if accepted) can start attending daycare in April of 2021. The website that I used to gather information on Japanese daycares is The Wagamama Diaries blog. It was helpful! I recommend checking it out. Due to Covid-19, we are also having a hard time scheduling observations/visits to the daycare, so that is also why we wanted to start so early!

Name Change

I got married in April of this year, but I was really dragging my feet on changing my name. Also, due to the pandemic, I was just not in a hurry. Then, the hospital asked me what my official name would be on the birth certificate, and that is when I realized I should probably hurry and change my name. Luckily, the Tokyo embassy is allowing payments online, so I didn't have to worry about making an appointment in person. I sent off for my name change only a week ago, so I will update and make a post on how I changed my passport, etc. in a separate post! We are hoping I can receive my passport and then go to immigration and change my Zairyuu card before the baby comes!

Symptoms

Now I am 35 weeks and the baby will be coming in 30 days! I am suffering from a perpetual bloated feeling, heartburn, and kind of a husky cough, and swollen feet. I've been trying to eat smaller, lighter meals and stay off my feet. That is really all I can do! At my 33 week appointment, the baby was measuring right on schedule and my cervix wasn't dilated at all. So, we will be relaxing this month, as it is the last month before the baby is due!

Please stay tuned to my 35-40 blog, and also separate pregnancy blogs coming soon!