Building safe places for new mothers to prevent postpartum depression in Japan

COVID-19 has enormously influenced the environment around us and our lifestyles for the past two years. Mothers who have experienced pregnancy and giving birth during this time are also strongly affected by the pandemic. Generally, approximately one out of 10 women go through postpartum depression. However, these changes caused by the virus have made it more challenging than ever for mothers to build and maintain mental wellness.

Decrease of conventional support for mothers has accelerated loneliness and anxiety

Most Japanese mothers get support from their parents and public childcare services while raising their children. These support centers offer play areas, childcare consultation and events where parents can communicate with others at no charge. New parents, especially, can use free parenting classes to increase their knowledge of parenting. According to a survey on women who were pregnant or had babies right after the first state of emergency (June of 2020) in Japan, 66.9% of them experienced a cancellation of parenting classes, 40.7% of them lost opportunities to receive public services which they were supposed to rely on and 17.7% gave up on getting support from their parents.

In Japan, where it is difficult for fathers to take long-term paternity leave from work, such communities are frequently the place where many mothers can feel safe. New mothers tend to be isolated from society due to their circumstances, which promotes a feeling of depression and anxiety.

The first postpartum resort hotel to care for new mothers

To solve the issue, Mom-garden HAYAMA has opened in Kanagawa prefecture last month. Its operating company has been managing preschools, and it has brought together the know-how of managing resort hotels from its parent company.

At the hotel, midwives and experts offer 24-hour support for mothers’ health and mental well-being. Rather than the mothers receiving guidance for nursing and bathing infants, the staff can look after their babies to allow mothers to rest and recover well without worrying about their children. Well-balanced meals keep the guests healthy, and various facilities enable mothers to relax the way they like, such as a foot bath, a bedrock bath and beauty spa treatments. The price is all-inclusive aside from the beauty treatments. There are also rooms which allow staying with family members. Parenting classes are open for both parents, which can help reduce anxiety and strengthen new families.

Understanding postpartum depression is essential to achieve women’s wellness

Every postpartum woman has a high potential to experience depression under the influence of hormones. Proper support is necessary to help women during this period when it may be difficult to control their emotions by themselves. Care facilities such as Mom-garden HAYAMA are helpful options to make postpartum women feel safe even under such circumstances. More than anything, understanding what postpartum women have been going through and feeling will also lead the way to build women’s wellness.

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