Category: Medical
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Giving birth during the COVID-19 pandemic
Just as I was preparing to take my second stint of maternity leave, the COVID-19 situation was reaching crisis point. On March 11 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a global pandemic, and deemed its risk ‘very high’ particularly in East Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America. The virus had…
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To BCG or not to BCG . . .
This week, Hope received her BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin) vaccination. Regarded as a hallmark of modern medicine, the vaccination is administered each year to over 100 million babies across the world, to protect against tuberculosis (TB). The BCG shot is controversial among foreign parents in Japan due to its 18-needle “stamp” method of insertion. BCG in…
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Taking your baby to ER in Japan
This morning brought a rite of passage that we could have happily put off for another few years: taking our 7-month-old baby to the Emergency Room (ER). If you need to take your baby to the ER in Japan, here are some things to keep in mind. Remember your documents At the Japanese Red Cross…
2020 Mum in Tokyo 