Recently, painless delivery has rapidly spread, and in Tokyo, about 30% of expectant mothers give birth through painless delivery. In response to this demand, the number of facilities offering painless delivery has been gradually increasing. However, there are voices where a mother expected there to be no pain at all, but it was more of a managed ‘reduced pain’—and the actual delivery experience was different from what they had expected.
Even within the category of painless delivery, management policies differ depending on the facility: the anesthesia method, drugs used, when anesthesia begins, and the extent of pain relief targeted. For this reason, we recommend that you confirm with your physician how painless delivery is managed at your facility—specifically how much pain relief you can expect—so that you can feel reassured and have a delivery that meets your expectations.
At Tokyo Mothers Clinic, since 2012 we have operated as a maternity clinic specializing in painless delivery, available 24 hours a day. We manage anesthesia to ensure that expectant mothers feel no pain, aiming for complete pain relief while maintaining safety and smooth delivery.
We also accommodate the individual preferences of mothers. For example, you may attempt natural birth and then switch to painless delivery midway. Timing and degree of pain control are also decided in consultation with each mother. Anesthesia can be initiated not at a fixed stage but at whichever point the mother prefers during labor.
While we generally schedule deliveries, this does not mean assigning a uniform date based only on the due date. Instead, we assess each mother’s readiness through prenatal checkups and schedule delivery around the time labor would likely occur naturally. For some, this means going past the due date; for others, earlier. Rest assured, our aim is always to keep the process as natural as possible.
At our clinic, we support mothers in consultation, working together to achieve a satisfying birth experience. Please feel free to ask our staff any questions.