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66 years ago, on a freezing cold winter day like today,
I was born on a farm
I was born premature, weighing less than 2000 grams
I couldn't breathe well, and I was almost dying
My father picked me up from the farming clothes where my mother had dropped me,
- took a towel,
- tied it strong to the umbilical cord,
- and then cut it with a sickle
He put me in a cradle,
- my mother in a cart,
- and rushed to the midwife's place nearby
When the midwife looked at me, she said
“This baby may not make it.”
My parents responded, "That's fine with us."
That was the way it was in those days
But then the midwife said: "Please let me take care of the child for a while."
When she was around during the day, she would hold me to her chest
And while she was away at work, I stayed with her family
At noon, when I would go to sleep,
- she would fill up bottles with hot water, cover them with towels,
- and place them around me to keep me warm
Not being able to drink milk well,
I was breast-fed by the midwife who was taking care of a 3 month baby at that time
She fed me well
- by squeezing her milk into dry cotton
My life was saved by the devoted care of this midwife and her family
3 months later, I went back home in the arms of the midwife
When the midwife told my family that everything was all right and handed me over,
- they were surprised that I was still alive
They responded: "She survived?"
The midwife told my family to name the baby
My grandfather asked the midwife if they could use her name
So I was named "Kazuko"
Though my life was saved,
I was still weak
The midwife continued to take look out for me
When I was playing in the village, she would give me candy
- or sugar cubes. She was very concerned about my nutrition
The midwife was like a second mother to me
I began to follow her around
- whenever I saw her in the village
When followed her, the midwife would ask me "do you want to see a baby have a bath?"
- or say "A baby's going to be born today. If the family allows it, do you want to come inside and have a look?"
I saw many babies being bathed,
- and many deliveries
By then, I was known as the girl who followed the midwife around
The way she would hold the baby in bath
- was so beautiful
It was as if here hands were like fish swimming in the warm water
That captured my heart
During a delivery, she would place her hands over the mother's back and gently stroke back and forth
To me it looked like her hands were shining
I thought "how beautiful it is to deliver a baby."
This also captured my heart
About when I was in the 4th grade,
The midwife asked me "What do you want to become when you grew up?"
I still remember saying without hesitation "I want to become a midwife like you."
After a long way detour
- at the age of 28 I was able to enter a training school for midwives
After studying one year, I got my license as a midwife
I showed it first not to my parents, but to Kazuko, the midwife I respected so much
She was very happy about it
She said "Congratulations - despite your age!"
Then, after a period of silence during which I wasn’t sure what she was going to say,
she told “You know, as a midwife, you don't have to be smart. You do not need to accumulate a lot of knowledge.”
“-just bear this in mind; always be kind to expectant mothers.”
These words of hers became my own personal motto as a midwife
After graduation, I worked at a hospital
- and experienced more than 900 births
But none of them matched the image I had
Most of the women just lay on the delivery bed,
and medication was regularly used to control the birth time
Since my motto was to "always be kind to expectant mothers",
- I felt helpless and sorry when I couldn't be kind to them
I tried my best to do something about it
But it was difficult to make I possible for mothers to have pleasant, natural deliveries
Since I wanted to be a midwife like the one I respected,
after 10 years I quit my job at the hospital
- and decided to start my own local maternity home
It was right after I started that a 6 month pregnant woman
- came to request help for her birth at home
I went to her house for a check-up,
- and she said to the baby inside her womb
“Sako-san, the midwife is here. She'll be taking care of both of us, you and me.”
I was surprised when I heard her say that -
“taking care of both of us, you and me.”
She was right, but that was not how we are taught in school
Since then, I found that my job is to take care of both the mother and her baby
I also made it a rule to always say “hello” to babies in the womb
- and to introduce myself to them
The birth at the mother’s house was so amazing
She would shout, cry, stand up and sit down again, ask for her husband for care,
- and the whole time, her family supported her warmly
In a good way, she revealed her true self and gave birth to her baby
I still remember being inspired by the experience
I realized that this is how I wanted to help deliveries
At the same time, I wanted to apologize to the 900 mothers
for whom I could have done more at the hospital
It is a source of great regret for me
After 3 years, I started a maternity center where mothers can stay and give birth
There, almost 900 families
- have experienced natural and relaxed deliveries
Here is a video clip of one of the families
How was it?
Thank you!
I have always helped giving birth,
- hoping for all the women in the world to have a fulfilling childbirth
After a decade has passed since I started my own business
I heard about the awful situation of childbirth in Brazil
There, at private hospitals 90% of women were giving birth by cesarean section, even when unnecessary
So on the same planet, there are people who experience happy childbirths,
- while on the other hand there are sad and painful ones
Finding that out, something made me think "what can I do?"
That was when I was invited by JICA (Japan's aid agency)
- to participate in a project
to instruct on the good points of childbirth in Japan
But I have a phobia of airplanes
That was why I had always refused to participate
- in even the leading seminars or conferences abroad
But it was different this time
I answered, “Please let me participate."
I felt as though I was motivated by a great force
I was thrilled with the mission
So from 1998, I went to Brazil three times in the summer
Being scared of airplanes, I drank a lot of liqueurs to keep myself asleep
But even so I dreamed of crashes,
- and was very groggy after 30 hours of flying!
But still, I was still thrilled to visit Brazil in the years that followed
I felt passionately about changing childbirth in Brazil
We started off by giving training to nursing assistants
That was the first year in Brazil
They had a great vitality and were very active
They watched videos of Japanese ways of childbirth and discussed them
- and learned through role play experiences
And once they were convinced, they would just start it right away on that day
So every summer when I went to Brazil, I found the situation improving greatly
By the end of the project, Brazil already had a structured system of midwife training, unlike before
The number of maternity centers has increased from 0 to 100
I felt that Brazil had started to have humane childbirths
Most women naturally have the ability to give birth on their own
- and also babies can come out by themselves
Mother and baby cooperate with each other to give birth - it does not happen through the efforts of the midwife
Many women tend to think
-that childbirth is a process involving intense pain
But childbirth is not just a process of continuous pain
In natural childbirth there is always a break between the spells of pain
It is not like the childbirth involving sudden and unendurable pain that is often portrayed on TV
There is a gradual onset of pain before the baby is born
So, practically all women should be able to endure the pain
All the women I have met have managed to overcome the pain
I hope for women to be able to give birth in their natural state whenever possible
If it hurts, they can say, "It hurts!" If they want to cry, they can cry
I want them to be emotional during childbirth,
- and we will entirely embrace them the way they are
Those who gave birth in their natural state,
- and those who cherished the babies and themselves during deliveries,
- all had radical changes in their lives
It also has a good influence on raising children
When baby is ready to come out,
- the family huddles together and forms a strong bond
I have witnessed some very moving childbirths
When the baby is finally ready to come out,
- some women have dreamy expressions and look just lovely
Other women have charming, sexy expressions when they give birth
I watch silently so I won't disturb the woman
After the baby is born and I tell them:
“Your expression was wonderful.”
- many women say, "That felt great – I’d like to give birth again right now."
This sort of childbirth is the same as the choices you make in life, choices you can make
Where, with whom, and how to give birth; it's all up to you
For example, giving birth at home, at a maternity center or at a hospital,
- with your other children and husband nearby,
- while moving around freely, standing or sitting,
- even inside a bathtub or on the beach
It is all up to the woman giving birth
I insist on not relying on others, and in getting in shape for natural birth
In order to do that, how you eat is very important
I want all the women to look back at their lifestyles,
- the way they live each day, the way the think,
- and do their best
I have been working hard for the families and women,
- and as I have mentioned earlier, babies have an ability to come out by their own strength,
- even so, babies come out by risking their lives
So I think
- the mothers should risk their own lives as well
And what we, midwives, and families have to do is to support the baby and its mother
The families' bright and fulfilling future lives are the goals of my work,
- and that is why I help childbirth
These are all matters for mothers and families to decide
A way to give birth is a way of life
It is up to you
Thank you
Thank you very much
You said giving natural birth does not only change the ways of giving birth,
- but it actually influences one's life and lifestyles
Why does giving natural birth change lifestyles, one's life, or family relationship?
Please share your ideas with us a bit more
Yes
At the time of giving birth I always say:
“Expose yourself, be emotional.”
In childbirth, it is like you condense all the emotions in your life
If you are sad, you can say, "I’m sad"
If it hurts, you can say, "It hurts"
If you don't like it, say, "No"
But you can never quit,
- and that's why we all try hard
The mothers being emotional,
- and we the midwives embracing those emotions
- are very important for mothers
If you have an experience of being wholly embraced,
- you can become a mother
A mother who can even embrace a child who is saying,
- "I don't want that", "I don't like that"
You will be a mother who can totally embrace your child's many emotions,
- and your relations with you husband will also be like that
That's how I think
Thank you very much, Sako-san
Thank you