Japan wins for postnatal care

As I spend an extended period of time outside Japan, I've been making a series of observations about things that Japan 'wins' or 'loses' for in comparison to my home country. And with today being "Postpartum recovery day" in Japan, I was thinking about just how excellent postnatal care is in Japan. Especially in relation to my home country, Ireland.

Years ago, people would stay in hospital for about three days after giving birth in my home country or five days if the baby was delivered by Caesarean Section. Nowadays, they go home on the day they give birth. Literally hours after they have a baby. I actually can't wrap my head around that. However, by and large, most people are happy with that and more often than not, they recover well at home.

In Japan, it is still standard to spend time in hospital after birth, I think four is probably the average amount of days for a vaginal birth and eight days for Caesarean patients. It gives the new mothers time to recuperate as well as learn about minding a baby. I was really lucky that I had my four children in a hospital that was more like a hotel. I loved all the delicious food we received and the pampering, and I really liked being able to ask the nurses anything at any time.

Moreover, in Japan during the postnatal stay they regularly check the new mothers physically to ensure they are healing well and there are no infections. They also look after the babies well, making sure they are feeding well and that they meet the necessary markers that indicate a healthy baby. Moreover, they run tests such as hearing tests, which can identify any potential problems early on.

I much prefer the Japanese way of postnatal care. What is postnatal care like in your home country and do you think Japan is better or worse in comparison?