Day 0 is the day you give birth. Regardless of what time of the day you give birth, day 0 ends at midnight on that day. On day 0 the presents start before you even give birth. On being admitted to the hospital you get a huge bag full of essentials for the birthing mother. It also includes baby wipes.  You get two packs of Pampers newborn nappies for the baby too, which you will find at the bottom of the baby cart.

After giving birth you have a rest period of 2 hours for a natural birth (3 hours for an epidural) in the LDR room (labour delivery room). After that you have sometime with your newborn outside the nurse’s office. If you have family waiting to meet the new arrival it is at this stage they will get to first meet the baby. After this period you are brought to your room. The room is full of goodies. 🙂

My favourite within the big bag of treats is the toiletry bag. I got one for each of my children and used them until they were worn to threads. They have great pockets and compartments so rather than using them as toiletry bags, I actually used mine as an organiser within my baby bags, for holding wipes, cotton, food sachets, gauze, vaseline etc etc.

Also, within the big bag of goodies you will find a bag full of toiletries.

It includes beautiful soft cotton face towel and hand towel.

It also has everything you need for your 5 day stay. Such as a toothbrush, toothpaste and cup for rinsing. A hair brush, a hair clip, a hair bobbin, ear buds, face wash, face toner, face cream, cotton pads, a body sponge, a cup and drinks (herbal tea, green tea, black tea and soup).

Within the room you will find a nursing cushion, also yours to take home. I got one on each child and found them to be really high quality. They come with a detachable cover for washing and you can wash the cushion in the washing machine on a gentle cycle and it will keep its shape.

Depending on what time of day you gave birth, a member of the “room staff” may call with your “congratulations on the birth of your baby” present. The present has been different for each of the kids. This time it was a beautiful “memorial box” (memory box), a hand sewn piece of gauze, parchment paper to write your baby’s name on for the naming celebration and some Keiai cookies! This was my first time to get a memory box. It is used to house the piece of the umbilical cord you receive shortly after giving birth (for more information please read my article on this unique Japanese custom), which comes in a matching little wooden box (I do have one of these for each child). It also contains a case for storing your child’s baby teeth and the set comes with all you need to print your child’s hand and foot impressions.  It is one of my favourite pieces from all the presents we’ve ever gotten from keiai. 🙂

The dinner I received in my room after giving birth.

Keiai Hospital official website: http://www.keiaihospital.or.jp/

DISCLAIMER: I had the most wonderful pregnancy and birthing experiences at Keiai Maternity Hospital, but before choosing any maternity hospital I recommend that you check it meets your personal requirements.

• birthing in japan
• maternity hospitals
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• postnatal
• postpartum