Frustration being pregnant in Japan!

It’s been quite a journey to reach my now 24 weeks of pregnancy.

It started out with a bout of HG and losing about 10 pounds in my early pregnancy and being hospitalized.

Then I ask for an NIPT test or some other genetic testing and the doctors look at me like I’m some crazy person. They inform me it’s not commonly done in Japan and they do not offer the tests . (I live in rural Japan, so I can’t go to a city where they offer them)

I make a birth plan hoping for an epidural or at least some pain killers. And I would like to choose my position to give birth in. None of that is possible. They lack anesthesiologists in Japan and giving birth naturally is seen as virtuous . Now I’m facing a completely natural birth. Scary for an American woman who has always thought she’d get an epidural.

Recently, I have gained back my weight gradually during hospitalization and then after leaving and I’m now one kilogram over my original pre pregnancy weight. The doctors shamed me and warned me about gestational diabetes. They said I should be calculating my weight gain from my smallest weight in early pregnancy rather than my pre pregnancy weight. This was shocking because I’ve never heard of that.

And finally, I asked about a glucose test. I was told I don’t need one based on my “blood work” which I find to be a bit insane! Especially after all the shaming I received.

Sorry for the rant! I just feel like I have 0 agency here … (can’t go back to USA , btw, I live in Japan permanently )